THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIAN HOME ENTERTAINMENT<\/p>\n
Sydney, October 26 2011 – Microsoft Australia today unveiled the next phase in home entertainment with the announcement of voice command coming on Kinect for Xbox 360. Microsoft also announced Zune Music Pass launching across Xbox, Windows Phone and PC in Australia.<\/p>\n
By mid-December, Australians will be able to use their voice to command their entertainment applications such as Zune Movies via Kinect on Xbox 360.<\/p>\n
Voice control within games will be available in Australia from tomorrow with the launch of Kinect Sports Season Two1. People can compete in sports like golf, skiing, football, tennis and darts with controller-free gestures and use \u201csay as you see\u201d voice commands while they play, including asking a caddy to \u201cchange club\u201d in a round of golf.<\/p>\n
Commenting on voice command on Kinect for Xbox 360 today, David McLean, Director, Consumer Channels Group, Microsoft Australia, said: \u201cThere is no question that voice control brings a new dimension to entertainment. We want to create more enjoyable experiences around people interacting with their entertainment by making the technology invisible. Imagine a world where it won\u2019t matter if you lose the remote control or run out of batteries because you won\u2019t need them!\u201d<\/p>\n
Voice command on Xbox LIVE2 will be available to Australians by mid-December. This will allow people to action commands in their entertainment including pause, play, fast forward and stop, as well as navigate through menu items and across Xbox LIVE entertainment services, all with the sound of their voice on Xbox LIVE.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople have been communicating with voice and gestures for thousands of years and now we are connecting people to their digital entertainment in much the same way,\u201d McLean said.<\/p>\n
Microsoft also announced the launch of Zune Music Pass3 in Australia on November 16. The \u2018all-you-can eat\u2019 subscription will give Australians access to more than 11 million tracks on their Windows Phone, PC and Xbox 360.<\/p>\n
Subscribers will not only be able to stream tens of thousands of music videos through the Zune PC software and on Xbox 360 but be able to download onto their Windows Phones and PCs. Consumers can pay a monthly subscription fee of $11.99 per month or $119.90 per year to gain access to Zune\u2019s entire music library.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic is such an integral part of entertainment and we are thrilled to be bringing Zune Music Pass to Australia, enabling people to explore more than 11 million tracks at home or on the go.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also revealed at today\u2019s exclusive event in Sydney was a raft of games to be available on Kinect for Xbox 360 in time for Christmas including Kinect Sports Two1, Dance Central 24, Kinect Disneyland Adventures5, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary5 and Forza Motorsports 46.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIAN HOME ENTERTAINMENT Sydney, October 26 2011 – Microsoft Australia today unveiled the next phase in home entertainment with the announcement of voice command coming on Kinect for Xbox 360. Microsoft also announced Zune Music Pass launching across Xbox, Windows Phone and PC in Australia. By mid-December, Australians will be able to<\/p>\n