CES 2011: Who will rule your living room – could it be – Microsoft?

One of my first posts as TechDadCentral was about the battle for control of your living room/media center between your TV and A/V Receiver. While these two tussled, a stealth entrant – the set-top box (disguised as a gaming console) – snuck through and is now the leader … and the story of how it got the lead took even TechDadCentral by surprise.

Xbox consoles have been around since 2001 and the current version, the Xbox 360, has been available since 2005. Many of you have one (or more) at home and it’s probably dominated by your game-obsessed offspring. As a game-playing console, it’s top of the food chain – but how is this going to rule your living room?

First some numbers – here is what’s already installed:
– 50 Million Xbox consoles
– 30 Million are connected to the Xbox Live service
– 8 Million already have a Kinect attached to them

Now add two critical components to the Xbox nation – a broader range of content for all ages and the Kinect operating as a Universal Remote Controller (URC). Suddenly, the Xbox/Kinect combo becomes the centerpiece of your home media system .

Content:
With a teenager at home, I know all about  Xbox games , but I did not realize how extensive the online media line-up had become:

Sports – the ESPN3 online offering is available plus ESPN highlights. It’s also interactive and games can be watched in “party mode” with remote friends.

Movies – Netflix, enough said.

Music – Zune (don’t laugh!) and Last.FM. Not as strong as AppleTV but still there.
This content line-up now covers all members of the family.

Kinect:
The game-playing aspect of the Kinect is well-known, but here are two twists worth noting.

Video Calls – The Kinect turns your TV screen into a video conferencing system

URC – This is a future, but you can see it coming. Today the Kinect turns your body into a giant remote control for the Xbox. Fast forward and you can see how Microsoft will extend this to becoming a URC – able to control your entire multimedia set-up with your hands, arms and voice.

So the battle for control is now joined – Roku, AppleTV, Wii, Xbox – with the already massive Xbox installed base, who do you think will win? From a Dad’s view, if Microsoft manages to wrestle NFL Sunday Ticket away from DirecTV and onto the Xbox, it’s game over.

Ron Remy