The software is free, and is installed automatically onto any Internet-connected Xbox 360. But of the 55 million or so Xboxes in the world, only about 10 million are linked to a Kinect device, which costs an extra $100, and allows users to play motion-controlled games like Dance Central 2. But Microsoft always intended the Kinect and the Xbox to be all-purpose entertainment hubs, and the new software is a big step in the right direction.
Remember Google TV, and its misbegotten effort to let you search the Internet for all kinds of entertainment options? Thanks to Kinect, and a customized version of Microsoft’s Bing search engine, the Xbox does it much better. Ask it to find, say, the venerable TV series “The Office,’’ and up pop links to three different Internet services where you can see old episodes: Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Microsoft’s own Zune service. If you subscribe to any of these services, you’re in.
Verbal cues appear on the screen, telling you what words to use. Say “next,’’ and the Xbox will scroll through the episode list from Season 6. When you see something you like, call out the episode’s name, and it starts to play. Want to pause, fast forward, or skip to a different episode? Just say the word.
The same goes for music. Ask Bing for, say, R.E.M., and you’ll get listings of the band’s songs stored on Zune. For $9.99 a month, you can listen to “Shiny Happy People’’ whenever you want.
If you need a little exercise, try issuing commands with your hands. The Kinect’s motion-tracking camera lets you scroll across multiple screens with a wave of your arm. Point at your selection, and it runs.
Links to major cable TV companies aren’t available yet, but Microsoft says that in coming months, it will offer hookups to a selection of programs from Comcast Corp.’s Xfinity TV service and Verizon Communications Inc.’s FiOS. Also still pending is access to everyone’s favorite Internet video service, YouTube.
