Microsoft is set to launch the new Xbox 360 dashboard today – December 6 – which will feature further Kinect integration and a streamlined interface that is similar to Windows Phone 7. Kinect owners will be able to swipe through menus with their hands or use new voice recognition to issue commands. Further, they’ve added Bing search functionality.
The voice technology is pretty neat. For instance, you can say “Xbox. Show. Movies” and the system will bring up places to buy or rent movies, including the Zune Store, Vudu and Netflix. Most of the content requires a Xbox Live Gold membership, which is $50 for a year. Other content partners for Xbox Live Gold include Hulu Plus, ESPN 3, Ultimate Fighting Championship, YouTube and Comcast’s on-demand service.
“A new era in entertainment begins where all your entertainment is together in one place,” said Don Mattrick, president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “With this update, Xbox 360 system owners will experience Kinect voice control integrated with Bing search, making your TV and entertainment experiences more social and personal than ever.”
