To be honest, there are a couple of thinks that Australian XBox360 games have missed out on in the past, however the upcoming console update due on the 6th December 2011 aims to give us some of that functionality as well as opening the floodgates for all new content regardless of where you live. This pending update will give Australians access to voice control via Kinect for the Dashboard and other features (A functionality that is sorely overdue) as well as making available the first group of new custom applications which I will list in a moment.
Xbox is different – not only with a new look but great new content and voice control as of tomorrow. We are unique in the market and plan to stay that way. When Australians download the Xbox LIVE update, their Xbox 360 will feel completely new – it will feel like the Xbox was redesigned for a new era in entertainment.
- David McLean | Director of Consumer Channels Group, Microsoft Australia
Some of the main applications include the ability to perform Bind text searches and through syncing your Windows Phone with an XBox console, the XBox Companion App will allow you to gain some control of the console through their phones.
We know that so many people have their phones with them in the living room while they watch TV and now Xbox gives them a way to search through Xbox marketplace without interrupting what’s on the screen.
- David McLean
While not all of these may be available in your country, the following is a list of entertainment partners expected to be added to XBox Live over the coming months:
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
This seems to be just the tip of the ice-berg…. how far will they go at brining more entertainment to their console? Only time will tell….
Related posts:
- Sony Computer Entertainment Australia Announce Vodafone Australia as Preferred Partnership for the Playstation Vita
- Quickflix to Bring its Subscription Movie Service to the Playstation 3 in Australia
- My Thoughts on the Whole PS3 3.21 Firmware Update
- Nintendo Australia to Bring $69.95 Games in Time for Christmas!
- Lavender Pink 3DS Console to be Released in Australia
