Xbox adds Netflix-style video game subscriptions

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft on Wednesday launched a subscription service for Xbox, letting players pay a monthly fee for access to a library of videogames for its console.

People who already subscribe to an Xbox Gold service can pay an extra $10 monthly for the new "Game Pass," which will be available at the same cost to console users with Live accounts in any of 31 markets around the world at the start of June, according to product marketing director Parimal Deshpande.

"At launch and beyond, our goal is to make sure there are great games to play for all gamers," Deshpande said in a blog post.

Microsoft revealed plans for the Game Pass earlier this year and tested it with users who were part of in an "insider" program.

The subscription service, using the Netflix model of monthly subscriptions for instant online access, will offer some 100 games that can be played on Xbox One or prior-generation Xbox 360 consoles, according to Deshpande.

People will be enticed to try to Game Pass with 14-day free trials.

Players subscribing to the service will be able to download games to consoles for optimal performance and be offered discounts to buy them for keeps.

Games in the opening line-up included "Halo 5: Guardians," "Bioshock," and "Borderlands."

A YouTube video about the service had logged more than 278,000 views within 24 hours of being posted.

Markets where Xbox Game Pass is launching included Australia, Britain, France, Hong Kong, India, and North America.

Sony makes a library of videogames available as part of a subscription service for PlayStation consoles, the latest generation of which has outsold Xbox One by about 2-to-1 according to market trackers.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Nintendo launches new Switch game console

TOKYO - Nintendo's Switch console goes on sale Friday in a global launch seen as key for the Japanese videogame giant to reverse flagging sales and compete with Sony's top-selling PlayStation 4.

The $299 unit, which works both at home and on-the-go, blends the Super Mario maker's history in the console business with its fledgling mobile gaming strategy, which got a big brand win after Pokemon Go's success last summer.

Kyoto-based Nintendo is aiming to sell more than two million Switch consoles in its first month.

Strong demand for the new unit would help Nintendo close the book on poor sales of its last console, Wii U -- the disappointing follow-up to the smash hit Wii, which sold over 100 million units worldwide after its launch a decade ago.

Switch has a removable screen that lets players dock it at home and also use it on the go like a tablet with detachable controllers -- called Joy-Con -- on both sides.

The idea is to give gamers a more immersive experience with realistic physical sensations matched to what is happening on-screen.

A remote control feature means players can take their eyes off the screen to face off, punching the air in a boxing game or getting into a gun duel.

In past years, Nintendo has scored hits with traditional home consoles, such as the Nintendo 64 or GameCube, and portable devices likes GameBoy and the DS handheld.

"Switch is probably one of the most important consoles for Nintendo in the past decades," said Serkan Toto, a Tokyo-based games industry consultant.

"(It's) the first time where Nintendo basically combines portable games and home console games into one device, into one platform."

But trying to score a win in two different markets is risky, Toto added.

"Some people could say that Nintendo is trying to kill two birds with one stone and that it could actually land in the middle and not really catch any of the target groups," he said.

Investors have been underwhelmed so far. Nintendo shares are down about 15 percent from October, when the firm gave gamers a sneak peak of its newest console.

While it has dipped a toe into the mobile gaming market, the Nintendo also needs to keep up with console maker rivals Microsoft and Sony, which has racked up huge sales of the latest PlayStation -- it has sold more than 53 million units globally since its debut in late 2013.

mis/pb/fa

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Nintendo to release next-generation console teaser

TOKYO - Japan's Nintendo Co. Ltd. said it would release a short video later on Thursday of the next-generation game console it plans to launch globally in March - an announcement that sent its shares up more than 4 percent.

The Kyoto-based games company has disclosed few details of the console beyond its codename, NX. The three-minute video will be available to watch on the company's website at 11 p.m. (1400 GMT).

The console's success will be crucial to Nintendo as the firm still places console gaming at the center of its business, even as casual gaming shifts from living rooms to smartphones.

Sales of Nintendo's current Wii U console have reached 13 million units since its 2012 launch. Its predecessor, the Wii, launched in 2006, sold 101 million units.

The disappointing sales added impetus to shareholders and observers urging Nintendo to embrace smartphone gaming. Earlier this year, Nintendo finally decided to bring some of its popular characters to mobile, leading to the runaway success of its game Pokemon GO.

Shares of Nintendo rose as much as 4.4 percent during Thursday trade in Tokyo, outpacing the broader Nikkei average share price index.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Ubisoft hero 'Rayman' hits new game consoles

SAN FRANCISCO -- Ubisoft's captivatingly colorful Rayman videogame hero hit new-generation consoles on Tuesday.

"Rayman Legends" for play on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One videogame consoles is the latest installment of the popular franchise where "rabbids" debuted as zany adversaries that grew so popular they were spun into a separate series.

Ubisoft customized unlockable characters for each of the rival consoles, with one inspired by a villain from "Far Cry" and another based on the hero in "Assassin's Creed IV."

Ubisoft continued its pattern of pouncing on hardware innovations, enhancing graphics and loading speeds to take advantage of greater power and building in exclusive game-play features.

Touch pads on PS4 controllers can be used to scratch "lucky tickets" during game play, and scenes from play can be captured and shared using a camera mode.

"Legends" also takes advantage of the ability to continue game play on PS Vita handheld devices if consoles are turned off, or put to other uses such as watching a streamed film.

The videogame was priced at $40.

Ubisoft and Sony Pictures Entertainment last week announced they are working together on a full-length feature film based on the Rabbids, the irreverent, wacky characters that star in a TV series and videogames.

"There is an infectious quality to the Rabbids," Sony-owned Columbia Pictures production president Hannah Minghella said in a release. "Their simple joy and absurd, anarchic behavior inadvertently causes you to look at the world afresh."

Since their start as wacky villains in "Rayman" videogames, Rabbids have become fodder to comic books, collectibles, mobile games, and television.

French theme park Futuroscope boasts a Rabbids Time Machine attraction.

"Sony Pictures has tremendous experience developing hybrid live-action-and-animated blockbusters for audiences around the world, which makes them a natural fit for what we want to achieve with a Rabbids film," Ubisoft Motion Pictures executive director Jean-Julien Baronnet said in a release.

Ubisoft Motion Pictures was opened three years ago to extend successful videogame franchises to film, television, and online viewing audiences.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Can Nintendo recover from Wii U flop?

TOKYO - Nintendo Co Ltd, facing a third year of losses, is getting lots of unsolicited advice on how to squeeze more out of its Mario franchise and revive its fortunes after admitting that its Wii U game console has been a flop.

The company has given few clues on its new management strategy, due to be announced on Thursday. One thing, however, is certain - it will have to burn through a lot of its cash pile in the years it takes to try again with the Wii U's successor.

The Nintendo that emerges could well be a more efficient company - better at marketing its beloved characters, but still wedded to its basic strategy of making hardware as the vehicle for software developed in-house.

Most analysts do not expect a bolder change of direction, such as making its back catalogue available via an online subscription service or allowing its games to be played on smartphones - despite some saying they are the future of gaming.

The Kyoto-based company has been slow to move online, falling behind Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp, which will launch a cloud-based streaming service this summer enabling users to play the same game across numerous platforms.

Taking Mario to the cloud would be a big step for conservative Nintendo.

"Online is big and Nintendo is notorious for not having a great online system," said Jean Snow, a Tokyo-based gaming expert.

The company faces no imminent existential danger. With 850 billion yen ($8.3 billion) in cash and its own shares at the end of last September it can survive a few years of losses.

That cash pile was amassed from past hits such as the first Wii - evidence, say some, that a company with its history of booms and busts has the ability to turn things around once more.

"Nintendo is a special thing, because of its history, so many gamers have a soft spot for Nintendo... they just shot themselves in the foot with this piece of hardware, the Wii U," said Snow. "But I totally think they can get out."

WII U FAILURE

The failure of the Wii U - whose annual sales forecast was slashed by 70 percent earlier this month - leaves Nintendo as the loser of the pack now led by Sony and Microsoft.

Analysts say the Wii U foundered because too few games were released for the console, with development issues leading to a delay of more than six months between the games released at the launch in November 2012 and the next batch of titles.

"There's no software that is made especially for the Wii U. If there were fun games that you couldn't play on anything else then that would be something to talk about," said Eiji Maeda, an analyst at SMBC Nikko.

It was the sports and fitness games introduced with Nintendo's previous console, the Wii, that made it a runaway hit as their use of the console's unique motion sensor controllers drew in families and video games newbies.

But those casual gamers have been unconvinced of the need to upgrade to a console whose name and concept seems so close to its predecessor, while core gamers hanker for the more adult games, higher processing power and connectivity offered by Sony's Playstation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One.

Although Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata said that sales of the Wii U would pick up as more titles are released, there are few cases of a console becoming a hit after a slow start. Third party developers are also less likely to want to make games for a failing console.

Nintendo has survived misses amid its hits before. It weathered the blow to the games industry from the collapse of rival Atari, scoring a hit with its Nintendo Entertainment System, and later won a battle for dominance against Sega.

Nintendo's Gamecube console, released in 2001, stumbled against Sony's PlayStation 2 and Microsoft's Xbox. The Wii was initially derided for lacking the high-definition graphics of its rivals' next-generation consoles. It went on to outsell the Xbox 360, with more than 100 million sold by September 2013.

NEXT LEVEL

Nintendo budgeted a record 70 billion yen ($684 million) for research and development this year, as increasingly sophisticated graphics and functions has pushed the average cost of making a game to around 2-3 billion yen.

But with the company falling short of a 100 billion yen operating profit target set last year, Thursday's announcement is likely to focus on cost cuts. Nintendo will report its third-quarter results on Wednesday.

"The increase in the cost of game development is one of the reasons why Nintendo hasn't put out (enough new) software," said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Securities.

Nintendo has already moved to reduce costs by merging its portable and home game console departments last year.

Some investors doubt the move will be drastic enough, with some clamouring for Nintendo to license its games out to other companies and to make a mobile version for Apple's iOS and Google Inc's Android smartphone platforms.

But the robust sales of the Playstation 4 and Xbox One suggests the threat of smartphones to home game consoles has been overplayed, while Nintendo has long resisted going mobile, saying it would hurt the inherent value of its characters.

Instead, Nintendo could better exploit that value by expanding its franchises for characters such as Mario and Zelda as it did with Pokemon, which was spun into a successful cartoon series, movie and toys and is now owned by an affiliate.

"They could diversify their revenue streams... rather than licensing Mario to another game company it would be better to make a movie or a TV series," said Yasuda of Ace Securities. "Bandai Namco has found great success doing that with Gundam and Kamen Rider."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

'Gears of War' game will stay in Xbox arsenal

SAN FRANCISCO -- Microsoft on Monday said that it bought the rights to "Gears of War" in a move that promises to keep the hit videogame franchise true to Xbox consoles.

Microsoft and rival Sony in November released new-generation videogame consoles, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 respectively, and the battle for devotees includes exclusive games.

"Gears of War" has been only available for play on Xbox consoles and Windows-powered personal computers.

Buying the rights from studio Epic Games allows Microsoft to lock the door to a version being crafted for PlayStation at some point in the future.

"We're very proud of the franchise we built in close partnership with Microsoft over the past decade and are happy that this agreement enables Microsoft to forge ahead with the 'Gears' universe on their industry-leading platforms as Epic concentrates its efforts on new projects," Epic founder and chief Tim Sweeney said in a release.

Microsoft did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, which it said includes rights to all existing and future "Gears of War" games.

The US technology titan's game unit said that Black Tusk Studios in Vancouver will take over development of the franchise, with the former director of production at Epic playing a key role.

NPD Group reported this month that new consoles from Sony and Microsoft powered a winning holiday season for the videogame industry in the United States.

"The newest consoles from Microsoft and Sony are off to a tremendous start," said NPD analyst Liam Callahan.
"Xbox One led consoles sales in December, while PlayStation 4's two-month total makes it the best selling console during the two-month launch window."

US videogame hardware sales for the December holiday period were $1.37 billion, a 28 percent rise over the same period a year earlier, NPD reported

Videogame hardware sales for the year tallied $4.26 billion, up five percent from the $4.04 billion logged in 2012.

When factoring in money spent on game rentals, downloadable content, micro-transactions, mobile "apps," play at social networks, subscriptions, and used game sales, nearly $2.4 billion was spent on games in December, according to NPD.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Xbox One makes hot debut as console war revs up

SAN FRANCISCO - Gamers in more than a dozen countries started snapping up new-generation Xbox One consoles Friday as Microsoft battled Sony to be at the heart of Internet age home entertainment.

Keenly-awaited Xbox One consoles launched in more than a dozen countries including Australia, France, Britain, Brazil and the United States as day dawned in respective time zones.

Xbox fans queued at consumer electronics shops to be among the first to get their hands on Microsoft's beefed up system that extends beyond gaming to online films, music, social networking and more.

A man in New Zealand, 24-year-old Dan Livingstone, became the first person in the world to officially own an Xbox One. He said he was immediately retreating for five days to play with it.

International time zones meant New Zealand was the first country to launch the console.

Australia was next in the global roll out. The distinctive Sydney Tower turned Xbox One green and another 3D projection beamed onto the water beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge to mark the midnight launch.

In California, people were also eager to get one of their own.

"It's a big upgrade; a big change," said 23-year-old Jonathan Guerrero, who staked out a spot at the front of the line at a Best Buy electronics shop in Northern California 13 hours before the consoles went on sale a minute into Friday.

"You are jumping from okay to super great."

Hassan Ali, 34, said he queued to get an Xbox One because he has an ideal television for the rich graphics pumped out by the console. He described his set as a 3-D, high-definition, smart television with a 65-inch screen.

"It's kind of amazing that you can look at the game and it looks like real life," said 34-year-old Ali, who told of loving video games since his first Sega device in 1985.

Sony last week unleashed its new champion in the long-running console war, getting a slight jump on Microsoft heading into the prime holiday shopping season.

The Xbox One, successor to the Xbox 360, the top-selling console in North America, will debut at a price of $500 while Sony's PS4 is priced at $400.

Sony said it sold more than a million PS4 consoles in the 24 hours after its release on November 15.

Analysts said that it remained to be seen which of the new-generation consoles will prove more popular, noting that the lower price plays in favor of the PS4.

"If history has anything to say about it, core gamers tend to favor Sony," said Brian Blau, research director at analyst firm Gartner.

"There is nothing I've seen to say that one platform is going to have an advantage over the other."

Both consoles boast upgrades which provide richer graphics and more immersive game play than their predecessors. Social features of online play have also been enhanced, along with the ability to share with friends.

Microsoft touts the Xbox One console as a home entertainment hub that goes far beyond games.

The beefed-up hardware allows for instant switching between games, television, and Internet browsing. Microsoft-owned Skype was integrated for online group video calls.

Kinect motion and sound sensing accessories accompanying the consoles recognize users; respond instantly to commands spoken in natural language, and even detect a person's pulse.

"This is the beginning of a new generation of games and entertainment and a new generation of smart TV," Microsoft entertainment unit executive Yusuf Mehdi said when Xbox One was unveiled.

Microsoft has put its hardware and software mastery to effective use, bringing game controllers, tablets, smartphones, voice, and gesture together in the Xbox One.

In a move that might irk gamers, neither Xbox One or PS4 are compatible with titles designed for play on earlier versions of consoles.

Mehdi was not worried about the booming popularity of play on smartphones and tablet computers, saying it has increased the appetite for interactive entertainment in what has grown to a $93 billion industry, including sales of software and hardware for consoles, PCs and handheld devices.

Gartner forecast that the console segment of the video game market will grow from $44 billion this year to $49 billion, while that of mobile games will climb from about $13 billion to $17 billion.

"Microsoft and Sony have greatly improved products," Blau said.

"The key for them is getting developers to build compelling games and applications that take advantage of all the wonderful resources that come in those boxes."

Microsoft and Sony both worked hard with blockbuster game makers to have titles ready to hit the market with the new consoles.

While much is made of rivalry between Microsoft and Sony the evolution of consoles into digital home entertainment systems means competition from devices such as Roku boxes or even Google's inexpensive Chromecast gadget for easily streaming Internet content to television screens.

The stakes in the console game are heightened for Microsoft because Xbox has been a hit while the US-based technology colossus has seen other forays into consumer electronics flop.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sony sells 1-M PlayStation 4 units in first 24 hours

Sony Corp said on Sunday it had sold 1 million units of its new PlayStation 4 gaming console in the first 24 hours that it was available in the United States and Canada.

The console, which Sony is counting on to kick-start a revival of its consumer electronics business, went on sale on Nov. 15.

Andrew House, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment, the unit of Sony that oversees PlayStation, said in a statement that "sales remain very strong in North America."

"We expect continued enthusiasm as we launch the PlayStation 4 in Europe and Latin America on November 29," House said.

Sony Corp had previously announced it had received more than 1 million advance orders for the console. Still, the initial sales figures are Sony's first salvo in a battle brewing with Microsoft Corp's Xbox One console, which goes on sale Nov 22. Sony is also hoping its console can help build a platform for recovery at the Japanese company's money-losing consumer electronics operations.

Sony is aiming to sell 5 million PS4 units by the end of its fiscal year that ends on March 31. Robert W. Baird & Co analyst Colin Sebastian has said he expects 2.5 million to 3 million PS4 shipments in the fourth quarter in North America.

Both the PS4, priced at $399 in the United States, and the Xbox One, with a price tag of $499, offer improved graphics for realistic effects, processors that allow faster game play and a slew of exclusive video games.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sony's PlayStation 4 goes on sale in US

NEW YORK - The gaming unit of Sony Corp. on Friday launched its PlayStation 4 home gaming console in the United States and Canada ahead of other global markets, aiming to expand sales during the year-end shopping season amid fierce competition with rival consoles like Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox One.

The PS4, which features enhanced connectivity with social networks and mobile phones, is the successor of the PlayStation 3 console launched in 2006.

Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will launch the PS4, priced at $399 in the United States, in Latin America and Europe later this month. It will hit the Japanese market on Feb. 22 priced at 41,979 yen.

The launch of the new gaming device is expected to further intensify competition among console manufacturers like Nintendo Co., which rolled out its Wii U console last year. Microsoft is set to release the successor to its Xbox360 console on Nov. 22.

In the April to September period, Sony incurred an operating loss of 15.6 billion yen in the gaming business. Placing the business as one of the pillars of its operations, the company is aiming to sell 5 million units of the new console this business year through March.

The PS4 is equipped with enhanced processing capability and graphics. The device allows users to upload videos of their game play to social networks in the midst of their games.

The console can also be used to download music and videos, according to Sony.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Sony to charge fees for multiplayer games on PS4

Sony Corp plans to charge a monthly fee of $9.99 in the United States and 6.99 euros ($9.40) in Europe for playing multiplayer online games on its PlayStation 4 (PS4) console scheduled to debut this month, the Nikkei business daily reported without citing sources.

Multiplayer games can be played for free on PlayStation 3.

Sony plans to charge 500 yen ($5.00) a month for multiplayer games in Japan when the new console debuts in February, the Nikkei said.

Sony plans to make PS4 more attractive by including more social networking functions, such as the ability to chat with fellow players, the business daily reported.

Microsoft Corp's Xbox One will also launch this month.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Nintendo Q1 loss lower than expected, keeps annual forecast

TOKYO — Nintendo Co Ltd <7974.OS>, the world’s No.1 games console maker, reported a first-quarter loss that was half of what analysts had expected due to cost-cutting and new software titles.

The creator of the Super Mario franchise stuck with a forecast for full-year operating profit to rebound to 35 billion yen ($447 million) expecting sales of titles such as the latest version of Dragon Quest from Square Enix to underpin income for the remainder of the business year ending March 31.

That forecast compares with a consensus forecast of a 32 billion yen profit from 21 analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Nintendo, however, will struggle to repeat the stellar profit growth it once earned from its Wii and DS consoles. It faces growing competition from Apple Inc and other makers of mobile phones and tablet PCs, forcing it and its traditional rivals Microsoft Corp and Sony Corp <6758.T> to look for ways to retain gamers.

That shift in gaming habits may, say analysts, eventually force the Japanese company to chase profits for Super Mario and other game titles on devices built by other firms rather than its own consoles.

Nintendo posted an operating loss of 10.3 billion yen for the most recent quarter compared with a loss of 37.7 billion yen a year earlier. That was half the average loss forecast of 20.6 billion yen from three analysts.

In the quarter just ended, sales of its Wii game machines more than halved to 710,000 from 1.56 million a year earlier. The company sold 540,000 DS handheld consoles compared with 1.44 million in the same period year earlier.

Sales of its 3DS, launched in February last year, more than doubled to 1.86 million from 710,000. Weak demand for its latest console forced Nintendo to slash its price by a third in August.

Nintendo maintained its sales outlook for Wii game machines of 10.5 million for the year with DS handheld consoles at 2.5 million. It also stuck to its sales forecast for its 3DS handheld game consoles, saying it expects to sell 18.5 million by March 31.

Wii successor

Nintendo is expected to release its successor to the six-year old Wii, the Wii U, later this year. The first console in 16 years with a dedicated Super Mario game title it features a “Gamepad” controller that functions like a tablet.

It also comes with a social gaming network dubbed “Miiverse”, a bid to catch-up with the online strategy of rivals such as Sony.

Since the start of the business year, Nintendo’s shares have dipped by a third and almost halved in value in the past year. Its shares on Wednesday dipped 1.6 percent to close at 8,150 yen before the release of its earnings.

source: interaksyon.com

Sony Computer Entertainment buys cloud gaming platform for $380M

Sony's video gaming unit has acquired a California-based cloud gaming platform company for $380 million, a tech site reported Monday.

The Next Web said Sony Computer Entertainment bought Gaikai, which had been on the block and could have been sold for as much as $500 million.

"Established in 2008 and headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, Gaikai enables the streaming of games to a wide variety of devices – including mobile, tablets, and televisions – via the Internet. No downloads and no additional hardware required," The Next Web noted.

Gaikai’s main rival is cloud gaming firm OnLive, which is backed by HTC.

The Next Web noted Gaikai had only raised $45 million in funding to date, and has backing from Benchmark Capital, TriplePoint Capital, Rustic Canyon Partners, Limelight Networks and Intel Capital.

It quoted SCE as saying the acquisition will establish a new cloud-based interactive entertainment service.

The Sony unit handles the research and development, production and sales of both hardware and software for the PlayStation series of portable and home game consoles.

It is also a developer and publisher of video game titles.

However, The Next Web said the transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions.

On the other hand, it said the purchase is also interesting because Gaikai had deals with major Sony competitors like LG and Samsung.

The deals allow it to make video games playable through their "smart TVs," the report said.

Gaikai also has agreements with game retailers, including Walmart.com, Best Buy and Europe’s The Game Group.

"It remains to be seen what will happen with those partnerships, especially with the hardware manufacturers, who should be cursing right about now," The Next Web said. — TJD, GMA News

article source: gmanetwork.com

Microsoft adds voice search to Xbox Live December 10, 2011 6:00pm

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - Microsoft on Monday began adding voice search to Xbox Live as it continues to transform its videogame consoles into hubs for online entertainment in digital age living rooms.

The software update for the Xbox 360 lets users ask Internet search engine Bing to find what they are looking for by taking advantage of voice capability in the Kinect accessory for Microsoft's popular game console.

Xbox Live is an online network connecting the videogame console to games, music, films, television shows and other digital content.

"A new era in entertainment begins where all your entertainment is together in one place -- your games, movies, TV shows, music and sports," said Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business president Don Mattrick.

"With this update, Xbox 360 system owners will experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search, making your TV and entertainment experiences more social and personal than ever," he said.

Hulu, Netflix and other entertainment services already on Xbox Live are adapting software applications to allow people to speak commands to be heard by Kinect for the Xbox 360, according to Microsoft.

Kinect devices also recognize gestures, promising ways for online services to be commanded by body movements.

"Every fancy interactive TV promise you've ever heard now has an easy platform through which it can be delivered -- with no hardware upgrade required on anyone's part," Forrester analyst James McQuivey said in a blog post.

"Microsoft has just built and delivered it: a single box that ties together all the content you want, made easily accessible through a universal, natural, voice-directed search," the analyst said.

Xbox Live has become a benchmark against which rivals such as Apple TV and Google TV will be measured, according to McQuivey.

Apple, Google, and Sony are among the companies vying with Microsoft to be at the heart of digital entertainment in people's living rooms.

YouTube last week unveiled a major redesign that showcases television-style channels and promises slicker integration with other Google online properties and Google TV.

"We are trying hard to marry the best of TV and the best of online," YouTube vice president of product development Shishir Mehrotra said while providing an early glimpse of the changes at the company's offices in San Bruno.

To demonstrate the point, group product manager Shiva Rajaraman demonstrated a YouTube application that makes the website's videos viewable at Xbox Live.

Sony in recent months revamped search at its Sony Entertainment Network for PlayStation 3 videogame consoles as it worked to create synergy with the Japanese company's gadgets, televisions, music, films and videogames. — AFP

source: gmanetwork.com