At the hour-long event in Richmond, Washington, Microsoft unveiled an ambitious vision for the new Xbox. It remains a games machine at heart, but Microsoft's broader aim was clear: to make the Xbox an all-in-one entertainment solution, funneling live TV, video-on-demand and web chat, and allowing users to swiftly and easily move between all three.
The integration with television goes deep: Microsoft announced a deal with the NFL to integrate coverage of the sport with game-like elements such as a Fantasy Football app, allowing viewers to manage their own fantasy sides while watching the real thing in action.
The announcement that Stephen Spiellberg will be producing a TV series based on the best-selling Halo games, exclusively avalable on Xbox One, indicates Microsoft sees itself as a content maker as well as a platform provider.
