Microsoft lives up to ‘Entertainment Evolved’ title with innovations to Xbox media centre

In a keynote titled 'Entertainment Evolved,' Microsoft sought to highlight not just video games, but the full breadth of entertainment capabilities offered by the Xbox 360 and the Microsoft Kinect. While Xbox SmartGlass will likely dominate much of the non-gaming entertainment news from the keynote, there were other announcements by Microsoft that are worth noting.

Continuing the work Microsoft has already done on integrating Bing voice search for movies and television shows, Xbox users will now be able to search by genre. New languages and region-specific content will be added to their media navigation, allowing for more people to use the Kinect-enabled voice command features.

Microsoft will be introducing more than 35 new providers to its current roster of content suppliers, including Nickelodeon and Paramount, as well as bringing NHL and NBA games to Xbox. ESPN will also be extending its presence on Xbox, giving Xbox 360 users access to 24-hour, seven-day-a-week content from ESPN 1, ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and ESPN U.

There are clearly other big developments on the horizon for Xbox's sports coverage, although exactly what they will be is yet to be known. The Xbox Sports video showed several exciting options for sports enthusiasts, from being able to get phone reminders of upcoming games to watching games in split-screen.

The new Xbox Music service by Microsoft was also teased during the presentation. While there weren't many specifics given on the service, the video suggests it will be highly integrated with other multimedia devices, specifically tablets and smartphones. Similarities to the iTunes music service were evident in the video, with services like "Smart DJ" briefly shown, but with the sleek block look that has now become synonymous with Windows 8.

Finally, Microsoft included one addition to their fitness lineup — refreshing following the heavy emphasis on fitness in their 2011 presentation. Nike+, having already offered numerous devices and measurement tools for professional and amateur athletes alike, announced a partnership with Microsoft called Nike+ Kinect Training. Users can get live feedback on how they are progressing on their training, will send reminders to the user's phone, and update the user's progress every six weeks. The 'game' has a really sleek look, showing a pixilated outline of the player instead of an avatar, which looks like it may give a more accurate idea of how the user is moving.

For all the latest gaming news this week, check out our E3 2012 page.