Microsoft is set to roll out a new dashboard update for its Xbox 360 console tomorrow that places a greater emphasis on its media center capabilities rather than just gaming. It's based on the same Metro design paradigm as Windows Phone 7 and the upcoming Windows 8, using flat squares and live tiles. It'll be a mandatary update, but according to early reviews, that's a good thing. The Xbox has never looked better.
One of the biggest aspects of the update is that it'll bring new Metro-inspired 'apps' from different content partners, advancing Microsoft's effort to conquer your living room and beat out alternatives from Apple and Google. The initial lineup is not too different from what's available now, with Lovefilm and Epix joining options like Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Sky Go. But there's a lot more lined-up for the few weeks and months.
This includes Crackle, Dailymotion, iHeartRadio, MSNBC.com, TMZ, UFC on Xbox Live, VEVO, Vudu, and Youtube later in December, followed by CinemaNow, HBO GO, MLB.TV, and Xfinity On Demand early next year. Non-U.S. Xbox 360 owners can also look forward to a bunch of new content available on their consoles -- check the full international listing after the jump to see what's coming to your country.
The Xbox 360 dashboard update also brings Kinect front and center, allowing users to swipe through screens by waving their hand or find content on their consoles using new voice commands powered by Bing.
It's a big update and Microsoft is pitching it as the start of a new era in entertainment where all your entertainment is together in one place. You can read more in the official press release.
Full list of content partners:
Dec. 6:
- EPIX. United States
- ESPN on Xbox LIVE (ESPN). United States
- Hulu. Japan
- Hulu Plus. United States
- LOVEFiLM. United Kingdom
- Netflix. Canada, United States
- Premium Play by (MediaSet). Italy
- Sky Go (SkyDE). Austria, Germany
- Telefónica España – Movistar Imagenio. Spain
- TODAY (MSNBC). United States
Later in December:
- 4 on Demand (C4). United Kingdom
- ABC iView (Australian Broadcasting Corp.). Australia
- AlloCiné. France (AlloCiné), Germany (Filmstarts), Spain (Sensacine), United Kingdom (Screenrush)
- Astral Media’s Disney XD (Astral Media). Canada
- blinkbox (Blinkbox). United Kingdom
- Crackle (Sony Pictures). Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States
- Dailymotion. Available in 32 countries globally
- Demand 5 (Five). United Kingdom
- DIGI+ (CANAL+). Spain
- GolTV (Mediapro). Spain
- iHeartRadio (Clear Channel). United States
- Mediathek/ZDF (ZDF). Germany
- MSN. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom
- MSNBC.com. United States
- MUZU.TV. Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
- ninemsn. Australia
- Real Sports (Maple Leaf Sports). Canada
- Rogers On Demand Online (Rogers Media). Canada
- SBS ON DEMAND. Australia
- TMZ (Warner Bros.). Canada, United States
- TVE (RTVE.es). Spain
- UFC on Xbox LIVE (UFC). Canada, United States
- Verizon FiOS TV. United States
- VEVO. Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States
- Vudu (Wal-Mart). United States
- YouTube. Available in 24 countries globally
Early 2012:
- Antena 3 (Antena 3 de Televisión). Spain
- BBC (BBC). United Kingdom
- CinemaNow (Best Buy). United States
- HBO GO (HBO). United States
- MLB.TV (MLB Advanced Media). Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
- Telenovelas/Sports (Televisa). Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom
- Xfinity On Demand (Comcast). United States
