Editorials

Five features I want to see on the Xbox 360

September 2, 2009, Author: Joe Staley

Sometime this Autumn, the Xbox 360 will be rolling out yet another dashboard update, which will include Twitter, Facebook, and Sky TV (for those in the UK). These are two amazing things for me as I’d love to be tweeting as I game, but my iMac and my Xbox are in separate rooms. However, I feel that the Xbox could have many more features added.
Here is my list of five features I’d like to see added to the Xbox 360 dashboard.
6. Spotify
Spotify is one of my favourite applications to use for music along with iTunes. The reason I love Spotify is because you don’t download songs, you stream them from the internet. It’s as easy as typing in a band name or song and clicking play, and best thing of all… it’s free! This would be such a cool little add-on for the Xbox 360 as I’m sure quite a few of you listen to your own MP3’s during games with tiresome soundtracks, such as the bane of my life, Kingdom for Keflings. Spotify just makes things a lot easier and you could potentially just search for the songs you want and listen to them. Better still… what if on the computer you make a Spotify playlist and access it from the Xbox? It makes sense as Spotify works on user logins, that’s how songs are stored.
4. Internet Browser
Now there are already web browsers built into the other consoles on the market. The PS3 has their browser and the Wii has their (newly made free!) Internet Channel add-on, and these are excellent for quickly looking up a walkthrough or a review online without having to leave your seat. However, having used the internet channel on the Wii I only ever used it for YouTube, but seeing as I put YouTube as my number 3, this would seem pointless. It would be very good for the above reasons though and maybe even some Quake Live support? Imagine playing your favourite browser based games on your consoles. I doubt that would ever happen even if a browser was on the cards, but now that would be a reason to have an internet browser on the 360! Also it’s hard to believe that the developers of one of the major internet browsers, hasn’t yet implemented this on their console.
3. YouTube
Wouldn’t it be cool to watch YouTube videos on the big screen using YouTube’s new XL service? If you are not aware of this just click here. YouTube XL is designed for big screens and multimedia PC’s, so why can’t Microsoft create a section on the dashboard to act as a mirror to the XL site and display it in big screen? They could partner up with YouTube and create a separate channel altogether? Or… (sorry, ideas are pouring out of my head here) devise some way of recording your gameplay action on your screen and directly upload to a Gamertag associated YouTube account and share those headshots and killing spree’s with the world!
Many people are using this BBC service with its new release onto mac, Wii and PS3 platforms, what is stopping the Xbox 360 getting in on this? iPlayer was a revolution for TV broadcasting as it meant so many people could catch up on their favourite shows and even download them for faster and better quality viewing. I would absolutely love to come home after a lecture or a lesson and chill out to some BBC HD, or maybe the latest episode of Dragons Den on my TV instead of on my mac.
The concept would be simple: Look at the Inside Xbox tab we all have on our dashboard, now take that and replace the trailers and SentUAMessage episodes for BBC programmes. It’s obvious that the 360 has video streaming capabilities so why has this feature been left out?! Sort it out Microsoft!
1. Freesat
If you are unaware of Freesat, it is basically Freeview but in HD. Each Freesat box costs around £100 but is free to view thereafter, and delivers amazing HD pictures.
The reason I included this is because not everyone will be able to pay £40 a year for Xbox LIVE, then an additional £20 a month for a SkyTV subscription for the new add-on, so why not allow people to stream or view from the Xbox? If it was me, I’d say the best way to introduce this is as an application. You buy a USB dongle from your local electrical or game store which plugs into your 360. The dongle has your antenna input built in so you plug your ariel into the dongle and your Xbox will automatically download a Freesat application just like anything in the marketplace. You then run it as if it was a game, only it loads up a Freesat TV interface, tune in your channels and away you go.
Anyway those are just my ideas, whether it is technically possible or not is a different matter entirely. What are your thoughts on these suggestions and what would you like to see? Leave your comments below or discuss in our forums!

Sometime this Autumn, the Xbox 360 will be rolling out yet another dashboard update, which will include Twitter, Facebook, and Sky TV (for those in the UK). These are two amazing things for me as I’d love to be tweeting as I game, but my iMac and my Xbox are in separate rooms. However, I feel that the Xbox could have many more features added.

Here is my list of five features I’d like to see added to the Xbox 360 dashboard.

5. Spotify
Spotify is one of my favourite applications to use for music along with iTunes. The reason I love Spotify is because you don’t download songs, you stream them from the internet. It’s as easy as typing in a band name or song and clicking play, and best thing of all… it’s free! This would be such a cool little add-on for the Xbox 360 as I’m sure quite a few of you listen to your own MP3’s during games with tiresome soundtracks, such as the bane of my life, Kingdom for Keflings. Spotify just makes things a lot easier and you could potentially just search for the songs you want and listen to them. Better still… what if on the computer you make a Spotify playlist and access it from the Xbox? It makes sense as Spotify works on user logins, that’s how songs are stored.

4. Internet Browser
Now there are already web browsers built into the other consoles on the market. The PS3 has their browser and the Wii has their (newly made free!) Internet Channel add-on, and these are excellent for quickly looking up a walkthrough or a review online without having to leave your seat. However, having used the internet channel on the Wii I only ever used it for YouTube, but seeing as I put YouTube as my number 3, this would seem pointless. It would be very good for the above reasons though and maybe even some Quake Live support? Imagine playing your favourite browser based games on your consoles. I doubt that would ever happen even if a browser was on the cards, but now that would be a reason to have an internet browser on the 360! Also it’s hard to believe that the developers of one of the major internet browsers, hasn’t yet implemented this on their console.

3. YouTube
Wouldn’t it be cool to watch YouTube videos on the big screen using YouTube’s new XL service? If you are not aware of this just click here. YouTube XL is designed for big screens and multimedia PC’s, so why can’t Microsoft create a section on the dashboard to act as a mirror to the XL site and display it in big screen? They could partner up with YouTube and create a separate channel altogether? Or… (sorry, ideas are pouring out of my head here) devise some way of recording your gameplay action on your screen and directly upload to a Gamertag associated YouTube account and share those headshots and killing spree’s with the world!

YouTubeXbox

My mock-up of how youtube could work!

2. BBC iPlayer
Many people are using this BBC service with its new release onto mac, Wii and PS3 platforms, what is stopping the Xbox 360 getting in on this? iPlayer was a revolution for TV broadcasting as it meant so many people could catch up on their favourite shows and even download them for faster and better quality viewing. I would absolutely love to come home after a lecture or a lesson and chill out to some BBC HD, or maybe the latest episode of Dragons Den on my TV instead of on my mac.

The concept would be simple: Look at the Inside Xbox tab we all have on our dashboard, now take that and replace the trailers and SentUAMessage episodes for BBC programmes. It’s obvious that the 360 has video streaming capabilities so why has this feature been left out?! Sort it out Microsoft!

1. Freesat
If you are unaware of Freesat, it is basically Freeview but in HD. Each Freesat box costs around £100 but is free to view thereafter, and delivers amazing HD pictures.

The reason I included this is because not everyone will be able to pay £40 a year for Xbox LIVE, then an additional £20 a month for a SkyTV subscription for the new add-on, so why not allow people to stream or view from the Xbox? If it was me, I’d say the best way to introduce this is as an application. You buy a USB dongle from your local electrical or game store which plugs into your 360. The dongle has your antenna input built in so you plug your ariel into the dongle and your Xbox will automatically download a Freesat application just like anything in the marketplace. You then run it as if it was a game, only it loads up a Freesat TV interface, tune in your channels and away you go.

Anyway those are just my ideas, whether it is technically possible or not is a different matter entirely. What are your thoughts on these suggestions and what would you like to see? Leave your comments below or discuss in our forums!

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