Tag archive: ESPN

Here at Digital Trends we love our gaming consoles. They let us do more than just play games, they have become an entertainment system, unlike anything that has come before them. This year Microsoft reported record sales during the week of Black Friday, so odds are many of you are now the proud owners of an Xbox 360. With that in mind, we want to make sure that those of you who received a shiny new console under the Christmas tree get the most… Read More

According to a recent study from Strategy Analytics, gaming consoles have become the preferred method within U.S. households for watching online movies, television and Web video on televisions. Approximately 12 percent of U.S. households (15 million) use a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 to consume online media. This percentage of people is much higher than consumers hooking up a PC to a television or third-party, set-top box solutions like the media… Read More

At 9 a.m. U.K. time this morning, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop kicked off Nokia World 2011 by unveiling six new phones including its first two Windows Phone 7.5 handsets: the Lumia 800 and the cheaper Lumia 710. Unfortunately for those of us in the States, they won't be coming to the U.S. until sometime in 2012.  Below is a breakdown of each device and some of Nokia's additions to the Windows Phone platform. These devices are already… Read More

Unofficially leaked by a YouTube user last month, Microsoft officially released information about the next planned update to the Xbox 360 dashboard earlier this week. One large change to the dashboard includes a higher level of integration with social networks. Using the new Social tab within the interface, users will be able to set a “beacon” to alert friends on Facebook about playing a specific game. This “beacon” also… Read More

Foursquare announced it will officially bring an event check-in feature to its users. Now instead of simply broadcasting your location, Events will allow users to inform friends about what they're doing and perhaps even entice others to join. This new check-in feature is a move that simply formalizes what users have been doing already. However, the formalization means less clutter, is less time-consuming and possibly more informative than… Read More

ESPN was a cool addition to Xbox Live when it launched last year, but the range of features are admittedly limited in comparison to what you can get online or through your TV. That's all going to change when the network launches ESPN 2.0 on Xbox Live, which was detailed in a new preview over at Gizmodo. The revamped Xbox app launches on August 25, timed to coincide with the September start of the college football season. All of the… Read More

Similar to the level of integration that seen on CNN, ESPN is planning to ramp up Twitter usage both on and off air. In the past, they have used Twitter to follow prominent athletes and figures for breaking news as well as promoting stories on the ESPN site through official Twitter feeds. However, ESPN would like to reach the fans that are watching Twitter feeds while watching a television show like Sportscenter. Tactics include taking a more… Read More

Although the NFL season may be in jeopardy of a lockout, the show must go on—or at least the show must go on for EA and the upcoming Madden release. As the negotiations continue to go nowhere between the NFL players and owners, one of the many victims of a potential lockout will be EA, who stand to lose a substantial amount if fans choose to skip buying the next Madden game. But don’t cry for the poor multi-billion dollar EA. The publisher… Read More

Sony is a bit behind the curve when it comes to the online side of the PlayStation 3. Yes, Sony fans, it is still a great online experience, and the people are fantastic, and the console is better, etc., etc., but the sad fact is that Sony is playing catch-up with Microsoft.  The Xbox 360 has been airing video clips for years, has a full selection of music and videos to rent and buy, has begun to broadcast ESPN on Xbox Live (and also just… Read More

Although Sony’s PS3 is expected to overtake the Xbox 360 sometime this year, Microsoft is not about to go down without a fight. Soon the partnership between ESPN and the Xbox 360 will take a giant step forward when the service begins to air 32 of the college football bowl games, including the five BCS. The run will culminate in the National Championship game on January 10, between Oregon and Auburn. To access the service you will need to… Read More

Microsoft has reportedly entered into talks with media companies like Disney and HBO to offer a pay television service through its device platform, including the XBox 360, but possibly extending to other devices like Windows 7 PCs and even Windows Phone 7 devices. Although no official comments or announcements have been made, Reuters reports that Microsoft has put several options on the table, including enabling customers to pick what premium… Read More

Do you love video games and ESPN and feel generally unsatisfied with cable companies? Then Microsoft (might) have just the thing for you! An Engadget source has released an image of the rumored ESPN-branded Xbox 360, claiming it was found on a Microsoft server. Aside from the photo, there's little more than speculation to support the reality of the console, and this all could be an idea Microsoft forfeited long ago. But if the rumor is… Read More

After all the hype, it may be that there was little substance to ESPN’s 3D coverage. In an interview, the company’s own director of technology, Jonathan Pannaman admitted in a press conference in Europe that the sports network has not seen a clear return on investment. Even so, ESPN isn’t quite ready to give up on it. But halfway through its year trial, shouldn’t there be some indication of whether or not it will succeed? Is there really no way… Read More

If you ever sit around wondering where all the hours in the day went, it appears that there is a good chance that they went directly to Microsoft. In a new batch of figures released by Major Nelson, he confirms that Xbox Live is doing kind of ok. Assuming you consider people spending a billion hours online ok. Which you should, because it is a staggering figure. Another surprising figure is the amount of time spent watching movies and TV shows… Read More

  Everybody likes an upgrade, and the Xbox Dashboard is due. Today, Microsoft released its fall Xbox 360 Dashboard update. In the next day or so, Live users will be prompted to update their consoles. The release visually upgrades the 360 interface, speeds it up, and introduces a number of other new services and features. The list of updates is fairly substantial: ESPN:  Gamers can now stream sports games, clips, and shows from ESPN and… Read More