Sony is widely expected to reveal its next-generation PlayStation gaming console next week, but there's some new updates on Microsoft's end too. It's beginning to look like Microsoft will be pushing the 'ecosystem' mentality even more, complete with its own TV content as well.
Microsoft will be aggressively attacking traditional television with its own slew of content, apps, and interactive features, according to Microsoft's entertainment and digital media president Nancy Tellem, who will be heading up a team of over 100 people in Los Angeles responsible for the content.
"We're looking at all forms of content for every member of the family. So that certainly covers live events, reality, game shows, documentaries and scripted comedy or drama. We'll cover it all. We're figuring this out as we go. But we certainly intend to produce things with high production value, with the same breadth of storytelling that you see on traditional TV," Tellem recently told The Hollywood Reporter.
The emphasis will be on interactive content because it's "a natural extension of what they [young people] do." There's no date on when Microsoft will begin releasing the content, except Tellem hopes it'll be by the end of 2013.
Microsoft does not have its own TV platform, so you can bet this will piggyback on the next-generation Xbox console. It should rely heavily on Xbox Live, which is said to be getting a major facelift and be a necessity for the always-online Xbox 720. The Xbox 720 is also rumored to come with a TV input for DVR-like recording capabilities - sounds perfect for Microsoft content doesn't it?
Bear in mind that the content will also probably find its way onto the Windows 8 platform (which could run on the Xbox 720) as well.
The development falls right in line with the Microsoft ecosystem we mentioned earlier. Connectivity is becoming an increasingly important factor, with Sony and even famed video game developer Hideo Kojima believing it to be the single most important selling point of next-generation consoles. There's no word on how Sony is approaching this, but it's highly doubtful that the company is setting up a full-fledged studio in the heart of Los Angeles. Microsoft is also said to be working on an Xbox tablet and a possible Xbox smartphone, which when teamed up with Xbox SmartGlass, should make the Xbox 720 one potent hub.
What do you think of Microsoft taking the steps to create its own TV content - is it a natural extension of gaming, which is now a major entertainment industry alongnside television and the movies?
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