Microsoft revealed this week that its answer to Apple isn't an attempt at an iPhone killer but more of a somewhat decent competitor to the lighter weight iPod Touch. The Zune HD, due this fall, adds an OLED touchscreen, WiFi, HD Radio, Web browsing and HD video output (with an optional HDMI dock that hooks to your TV).
What does this have to do with games? Not much since there still aren't announced games or apps for the device (beyond those few titles available free with the current generation). The level of Xbox Live integration is vague (expect more details next week at E3) but we know that there will be a prominent Zune section added to Xbox Live Marketplace where you can buy/rent movies and TV shows for video playback on your Xbox 360 and/or Zune portable.
This sounds like a "too little, too late" answer to the iPod, but you never know how millions of gamers will respond to sudden exposure to a new brand on their consoles (particularly if there is reasonable subscription pricing, which seems probable) and whether the price and feature set of the Zune HD will be competitive enough to sway a significant chunk of fence sitters.
This news almost certainly means you won't be seeing a decent Xbox Live Friends app on the iPhone anytime soon - not that there was ever much hope for that...
Leave a comment