Rumor: Patents Show Next ‘Xbox’ Will Also Be A DVR.

Microsoft is continuing to push their Console-As-Set-Top-Box. They have FiOS access currently, they’re adding Xfinity soon, and if these patents are being interpreted correctly, their next console will double as a DVR.

Kotaku:

Xbox 3, Xbox 720, NextBox… whatever you call it, lots of rumors are being floated about Microsoft’s next home console. Some say it’ll output Avatar-level visuals while others say it’ll lean heavily on cloud architecture. But the latest hint as to Microsoft’s gaming future point to their ever-increasing ambition to fuse TV, film and gaming content.

On December 27th, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office granted a patent to Microsoft for a device that would serve as both a game console and a digital video recorder. Patent # 8,083,593 gets described thusly:

A digital video recorder (DVR) application running alongside a television client component allows users to record media content on the gaming console. The DVR application also integrates itself with the console menu. Once integrated, users can record media content while playing games. Alternatively, users can record content when the gaming console is turned off. The recorded content can include television programming, gaming experience (whether local or online), music, DVDs, and so on. When in the recording state, users can also switch between various other media modes, whether gaming, television, and so on

Fuck, I’ll take it. If my next Xbox can double fully as a cable box and I can stop paying the extra $15 a month for my HD/DVR box I’ll be stoked. Let’s do this.