It might not seem like it, but it has been ten years since Microsoft launched their console endeavor in the Xbox. While that system was aimed at hard core gamers, the use of the Xbox platform has evolved over the years.
“Just for starters, we ve sold more than 53 million Xbox 360 consoles, and Xbox has been the top-selling console in the last year,” writes Frank X. Shaw Corporate Vice President, Corporate Communications, Microsoft. “There are more than 30 million Xbox LIVE members. And more than 10 million Kinects have sold to date. Those are pretty big numbers for a device that, until recently, had primarily been purchased by hardcore gamers. But something interesting has happened in the last few years. While people are still playing a ton of video games, 40 percent of all Xbox activity now is non-game. Put another way, we re seeing an average of 30 hours of video consumption per month per Xbox, a number that is growing fast. And people are expecting more more options, more games, more videos, more entertainment.”
Shaw promises that the Xbox platform is at the core of Microsoft’s entertainment strategy. He promised that more revelations will be coming to that effect at E3 2011.
“The vision for Xbox is straightforward: All of the entertainment you want. With the people you care about. Made easy,” said Shaw. “That is why you ve seen us invest in partnerships with ESPN, Netflix and Hulu. That is why we ve baked social directly into the experience with Xbox Live connecting gamers, friends and families across the globe. That is why you ll see Xbox marketed more as an entertainment brand this year. And that is why we’re investing so much in Natural User Interface technologies (speech, touch, gestures) to make the entertainment experience that much easier and more fun. With Kinect, we ve made NUI real for millions of people, and we ve only begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible.”
Source: Microsoft Blog
