Microsoft was recently granted a new patent that explains a new feature that could have a nice number of people very excited. The Next Xbox console will apparently substitute as a DVR! This seems like a likely step given Microsoft‘s recent implementation of live TV to the Xbox 360 and with the next generation Xbox rumored to be announced at E3 this June, it seems like Microsoft is really looking expand on the Xbox being a multimedia monster.
The patent, which was granted by the U.S. Trademark and Patent office just a short while ago, details “an integrated gaming and media experience… including recording of content on a gaming console,” and goes on to explain how TV programming can be recorded in the background as you play your games. The patent also details how the console could potentially record your gameplay, which is becoming a very popular feature with the rise of YouTube and sites like TwitchTV over the past few years. Many of the diagrams also show us that the TV features recently brought to the Xbox 360 were actually in the works for many years.
The patent was filed on January 5, 2007, so many of the diagrams and examples shown in the patent feature shots of the Xbox 360’s original “Blades” dashboard, but it would seem to me that Microsoft’s plan as of now is to implement this for the next generation Xbox seeing as the 360’s life-span is currently slowing down in anticipation of the next-gen. I also don’t see this feature coming to the 360 as this is definitely a feature that will sell consoles. It would surprise me if these features came to the 360.
The diagrams also shows the feature running on the Xbox 360’s tri-core processor, which again shows this feature was created with the Xbox 360 in mind.
“When in a recording state, users can also switch between various other media modes, whether gaming, television, and so on.”
These patents were submitted 5 years ago and only granted recently, so the potential for the hardware specs and even the idea of Xbox having DVR to have changed is entirely possible. Just know this, the next Xbox is going to be multiple times more powerful than the Xbox 360 and I can only imagine what sort of things Microsoft still has in store for us. The one thing I would love to be able to do is listen to Last.FM while playing my games.
While much of the patent is spoken in technical jargon, if you would like to look at the patents yourself, check them out by clicking here.
What are your thoughts on all of these new details? Let us know in the comments below. Keep checking back as we’re expecting lots of new details on the next-gen consoles to begin emerging in the coming months as we approach E3 in June!
