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Sky Player has landed on the Xbox 360. It promises to turn Microsoft’s console from gaming hub into true set-top box replacement. Packing in on-demand telly, movies and even live streaming it sounds good, but does it really have the power to change gamers’ lives? Read our full Sky Player on Xbox 360 review for the full skinny.
Microsoft has been claiming the Xbox 360 is a media powerhouse for some time. From its own efforts in adding a movie store, to letting the Xbox play DivX files and act as a Media Centre Extenter, nobody can claim it hasn’t taken the kitchen sink approach, throwing everything a square-eyed gamer could want at its console. But there’s always been something missing: TV.
Sure, you can watch streamed telly from a Windows PC elsewhere in the house, but that’s a faff, and requires extra kit. OK, you can load it up with DVD box sets, or even download the odd programme to watch via USB stick or networked drive. But, again, it’s hardly convenient. Which is why Sky Player on Xbox 360 doesn’t so much mark an evolution in the console’s purpose, as a gigantic leap forward in usability.
It ushers in hundreds of free movies on demand, starting instantly at the push of a button, as well as the holy grail of console content: live streaming TV.
The performance, although admittedly in standard definition, is staggering. Sky Player leaps into life in seconds, with instant-on streaming and movies that take just two or three seconds to buffer. Murdoch’s minions have achieved greatness here, and given the Xbox 360 an entirely new raison d’être. They really have turned it into a second Sky box.
If we’re honest, we always knew Sky Player on Xbox 360 would have a good selection of content, but its 24 streaming channels and 38 content providers overall have surpassed expectaions.
What’s more, it manages to present that content in a way that’ll make Xbox owners immediately comfortable. Sky has stuck to Microsoft’s interface, meaning it’s easy to dive straight in and start watching without rifling through sub menus and fiddling with settings.
One neat touch is support for Xbox Party features, letting you watch live broadcasts with friends on a virtual sofa. You can chat to them using an Xbox headset in a function that, while too gimmicky for us to use every day, seems destined for greatness when it comes to sporting matches or “event TV”, like The X Factor or Strictly Come Dancing.
If you’re a Sky customer with an Xbox already, there’s no excuse for not taking Sky Player for a spin. If you’re yet to sign up, you can still try Sky Player, just install it and watch Sky News for free, before taking up a monthly subscription starting at £15. That really is a compelling offer, and so far the only let-down has been the (somewhat understandable) lack of HD Content, and a few gaps in the Sky Player’s channel list. For instance, Sky One is conspicuously absent from the live streaming section.
On the whole, however, Sky Player has done an astounding job. We’ll never use our Xbox in the same way again. Sky Player has changed the gaming hub for the better, and we hope, for good.
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