Microsoft has announced another attempt to turn its XBox console into a multimedia centre. This time the console will convert the living room into a packed, smoke-filled bar in order to allow gamers to sing. The XBox Music Mixer will offer a variety of options for all the would-be American Idols and will also make some money for its parent company by allowing users to download music, for Karaoke purposes, from its official web site.
Apparently Microsoft have decided that gamers need to sing based on a recent survey, conducted by independent research firm StrategyOne, which revealed that roughly one in five American adults sings karaoke at least once a year. The same survey indicated that more and more Americans let loose by singing tunes with their family members and friends. The survey also showed that 49 per cent of American adults usually sing with their families and that having fun with friends is the No. 1 reason to sing karaoke: Sixty-two per cent of American adults sing karaoke to make their friends laugh. Since
XBox is still, mainly, a male pass-time so the fact that one out of five men responded that they would sing more karaoke if they had a wider selection of songs, further encouraged Microsoft. With Xbox Music Mixer, the song selection is limitless. Songbirds can showcase their vocal talents, or lack thereof, by singing along to 15 of the most-requested karaoke songs, ranging from I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor to Love Shack by the B-52's. In addition, if users want to perform freestyle and take it to the next level, Xbox Music Mixer's digital lyric-stripping technology allows them to remove the vocals from any of their favorite CDs and PC audio files, making nearly any karaoke request possible. And, finally, through Microsoft's alliance with Eatsleepmusic Corporation, users can choose from more than 20,000 song titles online from the official web site.
The Mixer Mode function allows users to customize playlists, add 2-D and 3-D on-screen visualizers, and utilize audio effects and transitions. The interactive media player brings the club experience home, allowing users to mix, match and shuffle their favorite songs. All-in-all the music mixer will offer owners a wide variety of options but gamers will be left with the question that is also in our mind, do we really need this?
Follow the download tab above to get more information on XBox Music Mixer.
