E3: Xbox 360, ESPN Partner For Exclusive HD Streaming

Microsoft revealed an exclusive partnership with ESPN to stream live and on-demand sports events from the cable channel on Xbox 360s, with features that take advantage of Kinect. This streaming deal, which promises to bring the "ultimate sports experience to your living room", will allow Xbox 360 owners to access more than 3,500 events (in the first year), including college football, college basketball, Major League Baseball, NBA basketball, soccer, and more. Most of those streams will be available in HD, and users will also be able to take advantage of additional features with Microsoft's upcoming controller-free device Kinect -- like pausing/replaying video with voice commands, and verbally answering trivia and other onscreen questions while watching ESPN titles. Microsoft will make the ESPN service free to its Xbox Live Gold members -- a year-long XBL Gold premium subscription is around $50 -- remarkably cheaper than the amount many pay cable providers each month just for access to the sports channel.