The Xbox One had always had some interesting TV and wider entertainment functionality but, Microsoft executives are saying their TV ambitions are now taking a back seat.

Back when the Xbox One was originally unveiled, the console seemed heavily focused on entertainment and TV functionality, an aspect that gaming fans weren’t too pleased about. The new Xbox was supposed to be the hub for all your TV watching, being a sort of an add-on to your cable box.

But things have changed a lot since then, with many of the people that had backed that idea now being gone from the company. Instead, under the new leadership of Phil Spencer, the Xbox’s gaming chops have been reemphasized and the company’s wider entertainment plans have taken a back seat.

In a recent interview, Phil Spencer seemed to confirm that things would continue to go this way. When asked about the Xbox’s role next to a cable box, Spencer said “I’m not sure we have as much value to ad there in the long run where I think about where the space is going”.

But that’s not to say Microsoft doesn’t want to make the Xbox more useful for non-gamers. A slew of connectors, streaming devices and other add-ons have been recently launched for the console, and Spencer himself hinted that new features were coming soon:

I think there are natural features that you could see where an Xbox could do a god job helping, especially in a world where you have video sources from all over the place

That could obviously be a hint at what’s on the horizon for the Xbox One console. Luckily, with the Gamescom conference taking place next week, and Microsoft planning a big show, we’re bound to learn a lot more about these plans really soon.

Posted: Jul 29, 2015 9:34 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: http://www.neowin.net/news/tv-features-may-be-taking-a-back-seat-on-the-xbox-one