Both Microsoft and Sony have been positioning their consoles as media centers that will serve as the ultimate hub for all of your entertainment needs. While the PlayStation 3 does have a built-in Blu-ray player, its poorly designed online store and lackluster online offerings hardly make it the all-in-one entertainment device that everyone hoped it would be. On the other hand, Microsoft and the Xbox 360 provide a much more feature rich experience, giving users an easy to navigate and intuitive online store, where renting movies and streaming content is super simple. However, Microsoft isn't much closer to ruling your living room than Sony, even with the new dashboard update that is set to launch next month.
While Microsoft is certainly making some fantastic strides in turning the Xbox 360 into the all-in-one media device, they still have a long way to go. Netlfix, ESPN and Hulu Plus were huge wins for the platform, but it still can't take the place of your cable box. Well actually... maybe it can. With the new dashboard update set to launch in November, Xbox TV will allow you to access a whole bunch of different services right through the 360. With support for services like Comcast and Verizon FiOS, there's no need to have your television hooked up to anything but your shiny little Xbox, right?
Wrong. The misconception here is that being an Xbox Live Gold subscriber is enough to score you all this content. Obviously it's not. On top of the $60 you shell out each year to maintain your Xbox Live Gold status, you have to pay for these extra services. So why is Netflix so successful? Because it only costs $8 a month to stream content. On the other hand, a service like Verizon FiOS is around ten times that price each month. Sure, you get hundreds of channels, but what's compelling you to use your Xbox 360 for watching this content? When you join a provider like Verizon, they hook you up with the necessary boxes, wires and controllers. The only benefit I see here is that the Xbox 360 will help you de-clutter your entertainment center by removing the need to have additional boxes. And while this is all fine and dandy, it's not a big enough deal to get people to jump on board who wouldn't have already done so.
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