Just as it did
earlier this year, Microsoft has opened the preview program to let the most hardcore of Xbox 360 owners poke around the updated dashboard -- presumably with access to all the
1080p instant-on streaming, Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm add-ons we've been expecting -- ahead of its official release in order to shake out any remaining bugs. While worldwide console owners should scrape together console IDs, make & model of your TV, router and more in hopes of receiving an invite next week, a little more concrete news is in order for the UK, with the console launch of
Sky TV nailed down for October 27. You'll have to wait until then to find out exact pricing and channel line up availability, 'til then it's a matter of finding out who on your friends list is most suited for the inevitable football viewing party.
[Via
Joystiq &
NeoGAF]
Read - Xbox Live update Preview Program
Read - Xbox.com - Set a date for Sky Player!
posted Oct 14th 2009 7:36PM
So Xbox users are little boys and girls with big heads ?
Yes, yes we are. we also like popcorn and Chinese inscriptions in our sweaters.
I bet you get a lot of dates with that walkie-talkie face of yours...
@ tikiteko
you've been on a role today with owning people (rf your ownage on my profile pic a few articles back). well played, my friend, well played.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is XBOX Live
a little bit of Twitter in my life
a little bit of Facebook by my side
a little bit of 1080 is all I need
a little bit of SkyTV is what I see
Bimbo #5?
I hate you so much.
dang! why? what did I do? cuz I am black?
Hey baby, wanna come over to myspace so I can twitter your yahoo till you google all over my facebook?
Oh man, you got me. Yeah, it's because you're black.
Even though there way no way for me to know that you were black, that is the correct reason.
It's not because you're comment was stupid and the song you were parodying is stupid. Nope, that's not it.
It's because you're black and I am a super racist. So much so that I can tell when people are black from just the text they post on gadget blogs.
Yep. I'm totally not being sarcastic, by the way.
@total NO, thanks. Leave me alone or I'll sidekick yourTube to make you Sprint away from me.
You aren't?
Nextel me a story about a Dragon who doesn't like to wear Dr Sholes on long hikes.
Hmm, wonder why Last.fm is not included in the preview..
It is.
"instant-on" Really? Is it instant?
Yes.
If you have a 8-10Mbps connection, that is. It will start playing in like 3 or so seconds.
If you have a slower connection, it'll buffer, like Netflix Instant Streaming.
Just wondering, are you the moore as in MOORE'S LAW! OMG IM SO HOME|RED! BIG FAN OF YOUR WORK!
No, that's Gordon E. Moore, co-founder of Intel.
Pretty damn close to "instant". Smooth Streaming is impressive.
Just applied, found the process to be somewhat shorter than last time around. I got in last time, and although the new features weren't as noticeable, the hard drive installs were nice to have.
The Facebook feature is going to force some interesting conversation during my lunch breaks...
Prediction.
Call of duty 6 will shatter all video game sales .11-10-09.
Gamestop near my house already has 850 reservations.
Sick dude.
you mean modern warfare 2?
no such thing as call of duty 6 buddy.
Hey, that's totally relevant to the topic at hand!
Hey Peter, shouldn't you be getting October 27th tattooed on your arm or something?
Hey Esat, I don't work for Microsoft.
If you did, your tattoo would be "Property of S. Ballmer"
Ah, off course I remember now. Good to see you've kicked the habit., you're running out of space on your arms.
The Truth has Spoken!!!
Bring some live TV to us for free Microsoft the INTERNET COMMANDS YOU!!
would be awesome if the SkyTV thing was international, sure would love it here in Mexico, even if I'm just going to watch BBC all day long.
I still have not updated to summer 09, I want to be able to hack my xbox.
Am I the only one who will only use Facebook? The rest of the update is irrelevant to me.
Yes. The whole update is irrelevant to me. Isn't the whole thing for Gold users? Who uses any of those things anyway. Once lastFM made it difficult to block their ads and still function, I quit using them on the PC anyway.
Live TV? What's the point? Why would I want to bother when it's a simple matter of turning off my 360 and changing the channel?
that's what im sayin.....g
I don't have a tv in my room, just a monitor with no aerial. We also have a sky subscription. This feature is therefore relevant to my interests.
And we would care about that..... why?
Well firstly it was a reply to iFargle, and secondly you are on a technology blog, posting a comment on the 'forum' where other like minded people give their opinions regarding the technology related article.
I fail to see how your comment is of any use.
Will Americans get the Sky update as well?
NO sky is a UK company.
It makes me sad. I wish they'd stream to the US so we could get all the Premiership matches on SKY. I'd pay $50 a month for that.
I wonder if you can spoof your ip? Maybe after hacking?
Thanks for the note Engadget...
I got myself into the program just right now because of this article :P
Suck on that b1th*s :P
last.fm I'll try out, and the 1080P Instant streaming. Which I hear will be ALL of the movie that are on LIVE. Not just a select few, and in 720P. I really don't give a flying F at twitter or facebook. On the other hand a lot of people do, and this looks like a PLUS for those people. I wish I could like turn those features OFF so I don't have to scroll though them, but other then that, there's a little something for just about everyone.
Oh, and the whole Sky TV. See something the UK gets this time that the U.S. doesn't!!!! I'm all for it. I think it's a great addition to the 360 for the people over there. It's also more sales for MS because of that. If MS can add more features to the 360 for a Particular country, they should do it if possible.
I just hope... M$ will ban those playing HACKED console again...
They better not!!! Well, it depends on what you are talking about. If you are talking about the Drive firmware... no; just no. I use it to play copies of my games that get that horrid Mixed media disc and "Please insert this disc... " errors. Not everyone uses it for piracy.
the microsoft website says that this update may impair the use of your console, and may render it inoperable. would they cover the cost to repair it if it were unable to download patch through xbl??
tbh i dont think sky player is that great. I mean, isnt there only like a dozen channels on it. Although having said that i think i think MS are on the right track to total entertainment domination. Im hoping one day xbox will be the only box you need. Switch back and forth from your pc to live tv to your actual gaming xbox.
Oh ye i see some of the americans saying they would love sky player. I tell ye, i would swap sky player for netflix anyday, you dont know how lucky you guys are. Then again i am a bit of a movie buff.
Netflix is very nice and id like that too but Sky player is hardly a dozen channels.
Netflix does the job for me, if anything microsoft should net a deal with DirectTV or DishTV for the US because cablevision/comcast/time warner is wallet rape!
I'm all for them ensuring the user experience is consistent, but there are "dodgy memory cards" and then there are reliable non-Microsoft memory cards, and then there are stupidly expensive Microsoft ones.
Which are they making sure work? If it's just the Microsoft ones then it seems rather anti-competitive to me.