Xbox 360 update adds IM - First Take

Michael Gartenberg | April 08, 2007, 08:30 AM

I've written in the past about the changing nature of the console and how the Xbox has moved from just a game console to a consumer portal in the living room.

The new spring update for Xbox 360 takes the console even further in that direction. The most notable new feature is support for Windows Live Messenger. Yep, your console will now support IM. There's been a clear goal in this generation of consoles to move beyond the hard gamer in the home to get other family members engaged. Microsoft's first approach was using XBox live Arcade to get more casual titles into the market and the ability to use the console to stream content from PCs, connected media players and the iPod and to be used as a Media Center Extender. This was followed by the addition of video marketplace last year to enable downloadable content for purchase and rental.

This new addition takes the console even further in that direction. While the purchase driver for the console is still going to be about games first and foremost, these additions will likely change consumer perception over time as to what the role of the console in the home is likely to be. As the TV further evolves in the home (what I call a TV and what my Dad called a TV are two very different devices) the devices that connect to it are also evolving as well. It wasn't that long ago that my game consoles had no overlaps with with any other function in my home. But then of course, my PC was only about productivity applications as well. All that's changed and it's the interrelationship of these devices and the functionality overlap are what's going to be the important things to watch over the next eighteen months.