Next Xbox Might Have DVR Functionality Thanks to New Microsoft Patent

Microsoft has just been granted a huge patent by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, which covers the creation of a device that can function both as a games console as well as a digital video recorder (DVR).

Microsoft wants to turn its current Xbox 360 into a true entertainment hub, offering not just gaming functionality, but also TV on demand and other such services through various applications made by its partners, ranging from HBO to YouTube or cable providers like Verizon.

Now, it seems that the successor of the Xbox 360, the so-called Xbox 720, might bypass the need for apps by having DVR functionality built in, at least according to a new patent that has just been granted to Microsoft.

Check out the description of the new patent, number 8,083,593, via Kotaku, below.

“A digital video recorder (DVR) application running alongside a television client component allows users to record media content on the gaming console. The DVR application also integrates itself with the console menu. Once integrated, users can record media content while playing games. Alternatively, users can record content when the gaming console is turned off. The recorded content can include television programming, gaming experience (whether local or online), music, DVDs, and so on. When in the recording state, users can also switch between various other media modes, whether gaming, television, and so on.”

This new patent will prevent any other company from packing DVR functionality into a console, while allowing Microsoft to continue investing in such a project, which has been rumored some time ago.

The company has yet to comment on its brand new patent, however, so who knows what Microsoft has cooking within its research and development laboratories.

The next Xbox is set to be announced in the next couple of years, according to quite a few rumors and speculations, so perhaps we’ll know more about its built-in capabilities at that time.