Microsoft ‘Xbox TV’ Set-Top Box Future Still Uncertain
Microsoft's "Xbox TV" has been floating around rumorville for quite some time, with the company even reportedly having created a handful of prototypes. The idea is that the product would be released as a step below the Xbox 720/Infinity/Next/Fill-in-the-Blank. Instead of playing games, it'd be solely a media center - and given the way the progression of the Xbox 360 has gone, a product like this wouldn't be the least bit surprising. After all, not everyone out there is a gamer. In fact, many people I know who own either an Xbox or PlayStation have been using their consoles more for media than anything else these past few years.
Unfortunately for those who would be interested in such a product, the Wall Street Journal has reported that Microsoft is still unsure about it, and that its future is "uncertain".
The real question is, would an Xbox TV even succeed? There are a multitude of media players out there, many that support Hulu, Netflix, YouTube and other online services. These generally cost around $100. An Xbox set-top box doesn't strike me as something that would cost a flat $100, so where's the appeal? Microsoft could add some perks, such as Smartglass functionality, and maybe, just maybe, release special games for that.
If Microsoft released an Xbox TV, would you be interested? If not, what would it take for you to adopt it?