Xbox One Isn’t About To Revolutionise TV In Australia


Microsoft this morning revealed the first wave of entertainment apps coming to the new Xbox One console at launch, and given the fuss it’s making about watching TV on the Xbox, you’d expect them to be pretty compelling, right? Not so much in Australia.

Here are the TV and entertainment apps that Australia will be getting on November 22:

• Crackle
• Machinima
• MUZU TV
• Network Ten’s tenplay
• Quickflix
• SBS On Demand
• TED
• Twitch

Let’s compare that to the list in the US, shall we?

North America:

• Amazon Instant Video
• Crackle
• The CW
• ESPN
• FOX NOW
• FXNOW
• HBO GO (coming soon)
• Hulu Plus
• Machinima
• MUZU TV
• Netflix
• Redbox Instant by Verizon
• Target Ticket
• TED
• The NFL on Xbox One
• Twitch
• Univision Deportes
• Verizon FiOS TV
• VUDU

Admittedly, it’s not Microsoft’s fault that a lot of these services will skip Australia: it’s the fault of the services themselves for not setting up shop here. It’s a nice reminder, however, that when Microsoft says you’ll be using the Xbox One as the centre of your home entertainment life that there’s a little asterisk clarifying you’ll need to be in North America for that to be true.

Every user around the world will get access to these apps:

• Xbox Fitness
• Xbox Video
• Xbox Music
• Internet Explorer
• Skype
• SkyDrive
• Upload

Would you buy an Xbox One as a home media centre? [Lifehacker]