Microsoft is adding over 45 popular entertainment applications to Xbox One or Xbox 360 at the end of the holiday season, giving its users internationally more reasons not to take their eyes off of the said devices.
The company announced the significant milestone in a blog post, just five days before the Xbox: Game On briefing at the E3.
“…we hit an important milestone in our journey to deliver unique experiences on Xbox. We’re thrilled to break new ground in social TV experiences like we’re doing with Twitter on Xbox One,” says Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President at Devices and Studios.
Microsoft reveals that among the popular apps coming into its Xbox devices at the end of the holiday season are Twitter, HBO Go, Fox Play, MTV, Comedy Central, Major League Gaming, ShowTime Anytime, NBA, Disney Channel and many others. These add-ons are seen to increase the app catalog of the company by 25 percent, now boasting of over 225 apps.
“We are excited to work with the Xbox One team and continue to deliver unique entertainment experiences,” Jana Messerschmidt, Twitter’s VP for Business Development and Platform, also says.
Twitter, for instance, will be included straight into the Xbox One’s TV experience. Optimized in large screens in such a way that it provides the ability to read or see real-time tweets that are related to the satellite or cable TV shows the user watches. The commercial break also becomes a quick chance for users to see tweets of other viewers without the need to check on the phone or tablet.
In addition, Xbox One’s Twitter experience will also be placed into the OneGuide TV listings section, where users will get to see and read other real-time tweets of people about particular shows. A “trending” section in OneGuide will also highlight said shows alerting users of what’s currently the talk of the town.
Meanwhile, video-sharing app Vine is also being integrated to Xbox One, wherein users in the U.S. can simply hangout with their friends while watching their favorite short videos or browsing through the channels of Vine on a wider screen.
With the new apps in the consoles, users are expected to engage more with their devices and the world around them. Mehdi, in fact, reveals that Xbox fans now spend more time on the console than they ever did before, with over five hours daily on the Xbox One. Messerschmidt, on the other hand, also says people these days turn to social media like Twitter for real-time conversations about their favorite shows on TV.
Microsoft states that the apps integration has been a significant part of the company vision, which is to give Xbox users the opportunity to play games as well as switch to the shows, movies or apps these gamers love. To get a complete list of the apps to be rolled out, as well as the dates and countries these apps will be made available, check out Xbox Wire’s blog.
