Game Consoles with Television Features

Game consoles can be used as an alternative to a Freesat television setup. Many current consoles have evolved beyond simply playing games and have become a hub for all sorts of digital media with built in streaming functions and content storage options.

Microsoft Xbox 360
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 comes with a lot of media options built in. As well as HD gaming the Xbox 360 is also capable of HD entertainment; Microsoft’s Zune service gives access to on demand music videos, web series and movies, all in HD. The movies available are often recent releases and can be streamed for a one off viewing or downloaded permanently to keep forever on the Xbox’s internal hard drive. The internal hard drive can also be used to store videos, pictures and music tracks ripped from CDs. The Xbox 360 also has built in support for Last.fm letting you play their massive library of songs through you television.

On the television side of things the Xbox 360 has a version of Sky Player which provides access to Sky’s live broadcasts as well as on demand content such as movies, sport and TV series. A Sky subscription is required to access the features but it is a good alternative to a Sky Multiroom set up.

One final media feature is connectivity with Windows Media Center. If you have a Windows 7 computer or laptop that has a library of video, photos and music stored on it the Xbox 360 can access it through the Media Center and play it through your TV. This is a great feature which means you don’t have to crowd around a laptop screen to enjoy a movie. The Media Center can also be used to stream downloaded iPlayer programmes so the Xbox also has access to the BBC’s expansive library of broadcasts.

Xbox 360 Kinect Controller
There is another big draw for the Xbox 360 which is the Kinect Sensor. This revolutionary input maps your body movements and renders the traditional controller redundant. While the Kinect’s primary use is for playing the growing library of motion games the Kinect can also be used to control the Xbox 360 itself. Voice commands can control videos letting you pause, rewind and play without lifting a finger. You can also use gestures to navigate libraries of content and the Xbox’s menus. The motion and voice controls mean you don’t need to clutter up your coffee table with another remote, instead you are the remote. Microsoft are keen to expand the functions of the Kinect with a chat service, Avatar Kinect, launching soon which will allow you to communicate with friends via your Xbox Live Avatar. Also, as a result of the very active modding scene, Microsoft has announced PC support for the Kinect which makes it a very versatile, and cross platform, input device.

Nintendo Wii & Playstation 3
Nintendo’s Wii is one of the most popular consoles on the market. The revolutionary motion controls wowed many and introduced a huge audience to gaming. As well as games the Wii is also capable of viewing online videos; the Wii has a built in web browser which can be used to navigate the internet. YouTube has realised the popularity of the Wii and has developed a Wii formatted version of their site, this is optimised to work with the Wiimote and provides the exact same library of user generated content that you would find on the regular version. The BBC have also realised that there’s a massive audience of Wii users and have released a dedicated iPlayer “Channel” which is available for free. It gives full access to the BBC’s on demand services and navigating the content and menus to find the video you want is easy to do with the Wiimote. The iPlayer is also available on Sony’s PlayStation 3 console along with streaming access to LoveFilm’s library of movies.