Microsoft literally rocked the show floor at the E3 2012 this year and Xbox has got all that the users wanted it to have now. Microsoft has unveiled a series of services at their E3 stage, and here’s a quick roundup of all that which got unveiled at the conference by Microsoft.
Bing Voice search for XBox
Microsoft amazed people with an improved Bing Voice search system for the Xbox consoles today at E3. Mr. Yusuf Mehdi, CMO of Entertainment at Microsoft demoed the feature right there, live in front of the audience with a XBox, searching for movies and music using the improved Bing Voice search in two major languages, Spanish and English. The demo was pretty impressive and we were impressed with the improvements made to the voice search engine of Bing.
The users will be able to search for videos and music on Netflix, Hulu and other major videos streaming services like YouTube using the Bing Voice on XBox. The Bing Voice will support six languages when it launches in the US later this year and will spread to some more countries after its launch.
Xbox is expanding Bing voice search powered by Kinect to an additional 12 countries and six languages (for a total of 15 countries and seven languages). The voice search expansion will allow for genre searches such as comedies, dramas and action. For the first time, voice searching with Kinect will also find user-generated content in YouTube.
XBox Music Service for Windows Phone, XBox and Windows 8
Microsoft today announced the XBox Music Service for XBox, Windows Phone and Windows 8 devices. Yusuf Mehdi announced this cool new service, but the company did not throw light on the cost, streaming facilities and any other details. But Microsoft demoed how the service would look like, and it has got the taste of Windows 8 throughout the application, along with some deep sharing options. Microsoft has also claimed that they have got over 30 million tracks ready for streaming and the service is launching later this year.
Microsoft has also promised that the service will be accessible through any device across any platform. Which includes iOS, Android and Web Browsers. The pricing and other details are still unknown. We will keep you posted about this in the coming weeks.
Nike+ Kinect Training modules announced for XBox
Nike has made exercises completely social and is taking full advantage of their Nike+ Fuel Band. The company today announced that they are bringing Nike+ Trainings to Xbox with a lot of social elements embedded in them. The new module for XBox allows you to compete with your friends remotely with a Kinect attached to the Nike+ Fuel Band.
The points you earn with your Fuel Band will be tied to your existing account and also, the system has a trainer to keep you motivated and trained. The service would launch later this year in the Holiday season to the public. The video is impressive and this is going to be a game changer, again!
Xbox and Nike Team Up to Revolutionize Fitness at Home
“Nike+ Kinect Training” brings a world-class Nike experience into your home.
Whatever your fitness goal, “Nike+ Kinect Training” will give you the tools to get you there. Through the magic of Kinect, the personal trainers within the experience can see how your body moves, assess your physical strengths and athleticism, identify areas for improvement, and create a personalized workout plan to help you achieve your personal best. With real-time feedback to make sure positions and movements are correct, the “Nike+ Kinect Training” custom program evolves as you do, helping you get fitter, faster and stronger.
“By combining Nike’s understanding and knowledge of great athletes with the powerful technology of Kinect, we have created a personal training program unlike anything currently available,” said Yusuf Mehdi, corporate vice president of Marketing and Strategy of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “Kinect becomes the eyes for ‘Nike+ Kinect Training’ instructors, bringing a new level of engagement and personalization to the program that blurs the lines between a personal training session and a game.”
Nike is the leader in sports innovation and has developed new ways to inspire athletes at every level with digital services such as Nike+ and the Nike+ FuelBand. With “Nike+ Kinect Training,” Nike training can be personalized for anyone — from a professional athlete to an everyday athlete or even for someone who is just getting started.
“‘Nike+ Kinect Training’ gives everyone access to the same training that we give our professional athletes. It merges our understanding of the greatest athletes in the world with the amazing sensor technology of Kinect for Xbox 360,” said Stefan Olander, vice president of Digital Sport at Nike. “‘Nike+ Kinect Training’ will make working out at home fun and inspiring, and with its seamless connection to two huge global communities in Xbox LIVE and Nike+, you’ll always find more motivation in someone to train with or challenge.”
Take your training experience further by competing in challenges, sending encouragement to friends, and staying connected with a mobile app that keeps you motivated and on track for your next workout.1 “Nike+ Kinect Training” will be available exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360 during the holiday 2012 season.
Xbox SmartGlass app for Windows 8 and Mobile Devices announced
Microsoft today announced the Xbox SmartGlass app for Windows 8 and other mobile devices, which allows the users to interact and perform some actions with the content on the Xbox. The app basically serves as the remote control for performing actions on the console. You can also start a video on one of the app and carry on to another seamlessly. Well, there is one more feature that’s really impressive. The SmartGlass app acts as a secondary screen to the actions you are performing on the Xbox 360. The app can show controls and other essential information about the video or the game you are playing on Xbox.
Microsoft demoed the Game of Thrones, for the SmartGlass app. The app showed an interactive maps on the device for the game you were playing on the console. Microsoft is also opening an API to the developers to make use of this amazing app for their games. The app will be available for Android and iOS in the coming weeks.
Xbox Makes Entertainment More Amazing on Phone, PC, Tablet and TV
Xbox SmartGlass will deliver new ways to enjoy entertainment in the home and on the go.
To kick-start the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft Corp. today unveiled a bold new vision for enjoying entertainment at home and on the go with Xbox SmartGlass. Launching this year, Xbox SmartGlass is an application for Windows 8, Windows Phone, and other portable devices that connects phones, PCs and tablets with your Xbox 360 console to make your entertainment smarter, more interactive and more fun.1 The intelligence of Xbox SmartGlass makes your entertainment more engaging, Web surfing more effortless, and playing games more immersive by delivering companion content and control to enhance your TV experience.
“Xbox is on a mission to make the entertainment that you love even more amazing,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “With Xbox SmartGlass, we are lighting up entertainment across your phone, tablet, PC and TV in a completely new way. If you love to play games, watch TV and movies, surf the Web, or listen to music, there has never been a better time to be on Xbox.”
Two years after the launch of Kinect for Xbox 360, Microsoft unveiled the next step in its journey to make Xbox synonymous with entertainment by unveiling Xbox SmartGlass, Internet Explorer for Xbox, and new TV, movie and music offerings.
The Web Transformed for TV
Microsoft will launch Internet Explorer for Xbox this fall in all countries where Xbox and Xbox LIVE are available. Through the power of Xbox, the magic of Kinect and the intelligence of Xbox SmartGlass, you will be able to surf the Internet using your voice on your Xbox 360 and navigate using your mobile devices for an incredibly easy Web browsing experience on the television.2Whether it is a new website you want to check out on the big screen, an HD video you want to share in your living room, or your favorite website you check daily and want to view in the 10-foot experience, you will have the power of the Web now on your TV.
Entertainment Keeps Getting Better on Xbox
Last year, Xbox added voice search powered by Bing and the power of Kinect, making it easier to find the entertainment you want. This year, voice search is expanding to 12 additional countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland.
Adding to the current catalog of customized sports, TV, movies and music apps from world-leading TV and entertainmentproviders, this year Xbox will continue to deliver all the content you care about in unique ways.
o Your home for sports. Microsoft announced more must-have sports experiences and content coming to Xbox this year, further establishing it as the home for sports fans everywhere.
– NBA Game Time with NBA.com League Pass Broadband (U.S.) and NBA League Pass (outside of the U.S.). Fans who subscribe to NBA.com League Pass Broadband will have access to hundreds of out of market live games (blackout restrictions apply in the U.S. and some international markets), plus highlights from around the league and up to the minute stats of your favorite players.
– NHL GameCenter LIVE™ (Worldwide except Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden). Hockey fans will be able to enjoy every moment of the live action as it happens on the ice, with live games (out-of-market and blackout restrictions apply), more in-game interactivity, and replays and highlights on demand any time.
– ESPN (U.S.). Later this year fans will enjoy 24/7 live programming through WatchESPN from ESPN Networks – ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and ESPN U. All the favorites, including “SportsCenter,” “SportsNation,” “The Mike and Mike Show,” as well as ESPN’s coverage of the NFL, MLB and the NBA, will be live on Xbox.
Xbox also announced regional sports provider SPORT1 coming later this year to Austria, Germanyand Switzerland.
o More TV and entertainment. Today, Microsoft announced more than 35 new content partners launching on Xbox over the next 12 months, including:
o Absolute Radio – U.K.
o Ameba TV – Canada, U.S.
o BreakMedia – Australia, Canada, India, Ireland, Singapore, South Africa, U.K., U.S.
o Comedy Central Stand Up – U.S.
o Comoyo – Denmark, Norway, Sweden
o Corus Entertainment’s Franklin the Turtle – Canada
o GameSpot TV – Australia, Canada, U.K., U.S.
o Headweb – Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden
o Indie Flix – U.S.
o Machinima – All Xbox LIVE markets
o Napster – Germany, U.K.
o Nickelodeon – U.S.
o Paramount Movies – U.S.
o Picturebox – U.K.
o Quickflix – Australia, New Zealand
o Rakuten ShowTime – Japan
o Revision3 – Canada, U.K., U.S.
o Rhapsody – U.S.
o RTL XL – Netherlands
o Slacker Radio – Canada, U.S.
o SnagFilms – U.S.
o Terra (Sunday TV) – Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico
o The AOL On Network – Australia, Canada, Netherlands, U.K., U.S.
o The Weather Channel – U.S.
o The Whistle – U.S.
o TOU.TV – Canada
o TV3 – Spain
o Twitch TV – U.S.
o Univision – U.S.
o Wuaki – Spain
o Youzee – Spain
o Xbox Music revealed. Microsoft showed a sneak peek of Xbox Music, an all-new music service coming to Xbox 360, Windows Phone and Windows 8-based devices.
Xbox on Windows 8
This year Xbox will bringpremium entertainment experiences to more than 180 new countries around the world when Xbox on Windows 8 launches, featuring four Metro-style apps: Video, Music, Games and Xbox SmartGlass.3
With Xbox on Windows 8, you can play games with friends and earn achievements, listen to music, and enjoy your favorite TV shows and movies wherever you go.4 And with Xbox SmartGlass, you can start a movie or TV show on your Windows 8 device and finish it on the big-screen TV.
Internet Explorer for Xbox announced with Kinect and SmartGlass support
Microsoft has announced the availability of Internet Explorer for Xbox with SmartGlass and Kinect support. Microsoft also told that keyboards are not meant for living rooms and things gestures and voice commands would make browsing a pleasure. The browser would now support gesture recognition and other features that Xbox has. Quiz Microsoft about Adobe Flash, and they did not reveal anything about that. While this looks exciting for some, the developers are going to be hating the fragmentation now!
P.S.: These are just the features and the enhancements that Microsoft Unveiled. The list of new games that came along will follow up in a separate post. You can also follow all of the E3 unveilings here.