Microsoft is making its boldest bid yet to reposition the Xbox 360 as a complete home entertainment hub.

Traditionally seen as the system for hardcore gamers, the Xbox has gained new video and communications functionality that includes Facebook, Twitter and, most impressively Sky TV. Most of these new features require Microsoft’s premium Xbox Live Gold membership, which will set you back around £35 a year. Previously Gold membership only bought you the ability to play games online. Now it’s offering a lot more…

THE NEW STUFF

Sky TV
The PlayStation 3 has its BBC iPlayer, and now the Xbox replies with Sky. The Sky application replicates any Sky subscription you already have, as long as you have their (fiver a month) multiroom option ticked.

When it comes to movies, the console seems even more impressive than the dish. A vast number of movies are listed on the Xbox both by category and in an A-Z list and can be started on demand. If you already have a movie channel subscription, the films are free to watch. If you don’t, you can sign up to a monthly contact which (with movies) works out at around £25 per month. You won’t get Sky’s 1080i HD resolution, or the 5.1 sound but the pictures and stereo sound are at least the equal of (for example) Freeview broadcasts.

The big win here, though, is that Sky subscribers now have a portable option. Students just starting university life could, for example, still enjoy their Discovery Channel (and Come Dine With Me) habit without nailing a dish to their hall of residence.

Sports fans forced to go on holiday during major tournaments might be tempted to slip an Xbox into the back of the car, too. Of course it’s dependent on a fast internet connection but if you’re enrolling in a university or booking a hotel that doesn’t offer at least a 2mb connection you have only yourself to blame.

Zune marketplace
A selection of on-demand pop videos that essentially re-brands functionality that’s been available on the 360 for quite some time. It’s not brilliant, but it is free.

LastFM
The streaming music recommendation service may have taken a dent from Spotify over the last few months but it’s still a potent music delivery method and, if you have your Xbox connected to a sound system, makes a satisfying (and ad-free) alternative to radio.

Facebook
Facebook is a slightly odd addition to the Xbox portfolio. If you have a keyboard hooked up to your console it’s usable, and watching photo slideshows on your TV is a significant improvement on a netbook, but the real advantage of Facebook on the Xbox is being able to see which of your work colleagues and old school friends has an Xbox Live account. Great if you’re looking for new people to join you in online games.

Twitter
Until the Xbox offers a fully fledged web browser Twitter seems a bit of a silly addition. So many tweets contain links to websites, Flickr pages, or other assorted online jollies that looking at your Twitter feed without being able to tell what most people are talking about just seems a trifle daft. Still, it’s there, and it works perfectly well.

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