14 DAY TRIAL // The team at Microsoft in charge of the Xbox One is announcing that it has entered a new partnership with Hauppauge in order to add over-the-air tuner functionality to the home console, which means that gamers can get access to a range of new content for their devices.
Fans of the platform have long requested the feature using the official feedback page, and at the moment, the new service is allowing users to get access to channels like CBS, FOX, NBC, and PBS, all without paying a subscription.
The new over-the-air tuner for the Xbox One can also be linked to the Sling TV service in order to get access to even more content.
At the moment, the tuner is only offered to those who are engaged in the Preview program for the Xbox One in the United States and in Canada, but there are plans to expand it to other territories.
The official Xbox Wire announcement explains that users need to get "the Hauppauge WinTV-955Q (MSRP $79.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, GameStop and Micro Center), and an HDTV antenna. In the next few months, Xbox will be partnering with Hauppauge to release a lower cost version of this tuner, the Hauppauge TV Tuner for Xbox One, retailing for MSRP $59.99, and available to everyone in the U.S. and Canada."
Over-the-air TV for the Xbox One also includes features like OneGuide, snap use, pause live TV, favorite channels, Kinect controls, and streaming to a SmartGlass device.
Xbox One is also expanding its digital TV tuner services
Microsoft is also announcing that preview program members can also get access to the digital TV tuner for the home console if they live in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland.
Retail versions of the feature will be added later in the year.
Entertainment services like television, delivered either digitally or over-the-air, are important for the Xbox One in the long term because they give it an advantage over its rivals.
At this point, the Microsoft platform is not as successful in terms of sales as the PlayStation 4 from Sony, even if it is outpacing the older Xbox 360.
Phil Spencer has recently said that more cool features will be added to the Xbox One Preview program in the coming months.
