Microsoft has acquired Skype for $8.5 billion according to a statement by Microsoft Tuesday morning, and it will be for $8.5 billion in cash. This seems to be part of a larger strategy, as Microsoft mentions Skype will support devices like Xbox, Kinect and Windows Phone.
If Kinect for Xbox 360 isn’t on your holiday wish list it just may be after seeing these awesome videos. Xbox’s new controller-free gaming experience not only looks cool on its own, but since its launch it has inspired a major hackathon, with computer geniuses making the Kinect do all sorts of amazing things, from controlling old school Nintendo games to recognizing objects and more. If you are already a fan of Kinect these videos are a must see, and if you aren’t, these videos are sure to make you go crazy for Kinect.
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Blip.tv is jumping on the interactive video ad bandwagon with a new pre-roll ad unit that lets viewers click to download free game demos to their Xbox consoles. As online video is becoming more popular and more advanced so are online video ads, and innovation and interactivity are becoming increasingly important. Blip.tv is joining a variety of other ad networks and companies, such as Innovid who we interviewed earlier this week, in making video pre-roll ads more interesting and more engaging. Find out more after the jump.
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These days, virtual goods mean social games, and we tend to forget about platforms like XBox Live or Gaia Online, who’ve been dealing with microtransactions as well. AT E3 this year, Microsoft revealed that the XBox Live transactions business is growing steadily, and sales of virtual goods like movies, music, clothes and accessories for players’ avatars have surpassed their subscriptions business.
Rumors of Hulu’s integration with Xbox and iPad have been permeating the Web and if the rumors are true then the integration will be an integral part of the video site’s future as a competitor in the Web video arena. With the announcement of Google TV, growth of Apple TV and the migration of companies like Netflix towards Xbox, iPad and other devices it is extremely important for Hulu to expand into devices if they want to remain competitive.
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News has recently been trickling out from Microsoft news sources that the XBox 360 may be introducing Hulu to their online service, and if they combine that with a great hand-waving interface it could become the most important television set-top box in the home. Imagine sitting on your couch and waving your hands to access Hulu, then typing “The Office” on an onscreen keyboard and being presented with the 5 latest episodes of The Office, viewable immediately. You make a little point gesture and the show begins to play. If Microsoft achieves this experience they may be able to do to on demand television what Apple did for digital music.
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In another example of cross-platform gaming, the XBox and PS3 racer Blur is now integrating Twitter to facilitate challenges. While early reports had suggested that there would be some sort of technology that linked the game into the challenges, the CEO clarified recently that the technology would simply mean that users could send Twitter messages from within the game.
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