Microsoft’s Xbox One app store doesn’t have the hundreds of thousands of pieces of software that you would find on iPhone. It only has around 200, but it’s getting 34 more soon … so that’s something.
The company revealed today that the Xbox One will soon have access to apps like Twitter, Vine, and HBO Go. This means you can finally watch Game of Thrones, record a six-second video reaction to a character death, and tweet it all from the same machine you use to play Titanfall. Those are just a few of the new services that Xbox One owners can download to expand the functionality of their gaming machine in the near future. While some of these apps will hit the system in the next month, others aren’t due out until the end of “this holiday season.”
Microsoft notes that with the addition of these new programs, the Xbox One will have 225 total apps in its store. Microsoft built its latest console to work well with multitasking, which only makes sense if players have access to a number of different things they would want to do at the same time.
“Xbox fans are spending more time than ever on the console,” Xbox marketing boss Yusuf Mehdi said. “They’re spending more than five hours a day on Xbox One. Today, as we announce new commitments from dozens of our partners, including deep integration with experiences like Twitter and Vine, we hit an important milestone in our journey to deliver unique experiences on Xbox.”
Microsoft is making an especially big deal out of its Twitter integration. People love to tweet along with shows, and the Xbox One will enable you to see what people are saying on one section of your TV screen while your favorite sitcom or drama airs on the other side. The Twitter app will automatically detect what you’re watching and surface messages about that program. I know I can’t wait to see “OMG!!!” 500 times a minute anytime anything happens in 24.
“People turn to Twitter every day to enjoy and engage in the real-time conversations about their favorite TV shows,” Twitter vice president of business development Jana Messerschmidt said. “We’re enhancing that experience on the Xbox One with a unique ‘Watch with Twitter’ integration. It will now be easier to discover what shows are trending in real time on Twitter, tune-in, and follow the conversation right from within the Xbox One interface. We are excited to work with the Xbox One team and continue to deliver unique entertainment experiences.”
Check Microsoft’s blog for the full list of new apps worldwide, or look below to see what U.S. gamers can expect:
- Comedy Central
- Crunchroll
- Encore Play
- Epix
- Filmbox Live
- Frightflix
- GoPro
- HBO Go
- iHeartRadio
- Infinity
- KDrama
- MLG
- MTV
- NBA
- NHL
- Popcornflix
- Sky News
- Starz Play
- SyFy Now
- Target Ticket
- TuneIn
- USA Now
- VH1
- Vine
