The breakdown - Microsoft's Xbox 360 versus Google's Nexus Q

Xbox and Nexus Q

In last decade there have been many nifty rivaleries: Tyson Vs. Hollifield, Baggy pants vs Skinny Jeans, Alien VS. Predator - the list merely goes on and on. Now a new fight is brewing: Google's Nexus Q and Microsoft's Xbox 360.

Google has recently announced their new form of media consumption for their users. Information technology'due south small, round, glows like Tron, and looks a bit like the Decease Star. This sphere will go head to head with the Xbox 360. Microsoft has been rebranding the Xbox 360 for the last few years, turning it from an sectional gaming organization to your principal media device. More and more people have been using the console to watch movies, stream music, and to video chat. With Smart Drinking glass coming out hopefully in the autumn, Microsoft volition exist integrating your phone or tablet as both a 2d screen and remote control.

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The Nexus Q is Google's effort to brand a device to stream your content to your stereo or television through the Play make. Let's face it, no matter where you lot look, every OS is putting up walls to make sure you invest in only them. Apple started it, Android is now playing by their rules, and Microsoft is sharing Smart Glass with iOS and Android. Microsoft knows its platform, and people who own an Xbox may ain iPhones or Android phones; they are making a smart move by making it available on all platforms to ensure its success.

Android has a large market share just about Android owners barely use Gmail, let alone the whole ecosytem. Nearly 75 percent of apps in the Android market are free and riddled with ads. Google is trying to expand their services and this device is their attempt. The Nexus Q streams media via tablet or phone. That is, you controll it from your phone, and so it pulls down music from your Google Play account directly to the device, or movies and TV episodes direct from Google. Anyone with an Android phone can sync their media to the Q through wifi -- then long as that characteristic is turned on in the device's settings. Or, if y'all don't want to hear that new Bieber song, but hide your Wi-Fi password.

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Google wants this to exist a social experience, for people to invite friends over share some food, some beverage, and their music. In theory, this sounds similar a fun time. In reality, I accept seen fights break out, relationships stop, and friendships cleaved, all because everyone wanted to play the DJ. That is what I foresee with the Q.

There is no security feature, anyone who has an Android device that is running Android 2.3 Gingerbread (once this affair's officially released, anyway) can put their music or video into your Q and voila, they simply interrupted your sugariness party mix that took you spent all day on. I think information technology is a novel idea, but even Google said, "Hack it." They know this device has promise, but don't know how to expand on their idea. They want the hackers to exercise what they will to make information technology usable. ... Some other page taken from Microsoft.

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The Xbox 360 has been refined to a media device, especially after last fall's Metro update. I dearest using my voice to control my panel to stream music and videos. I grab myself using it more and more for media than actually playing games on it. This is Microsoft'southward goal, to turn their system into the ultimate media consumption device. With Smart Drinking glass, their companion app, the media aspect is amped up to the max, enabling your device to connect to your Xbox 360 and button content onto it while turning the device into a remote or secondary screen with more info.

Microsoft has the advantage considering almost every home has a 360. To brand a gratis app bachelor for not only Windows Phone simply besides iOS and Android is an incredibly smart motility. They have already sold the hardware, so why non requite the software abroad? With Smart Glass, y'all have admission to the content on your device but also what is on your Xbox and Live account.

The Nexus Q is going to sell for $299.99 for a Wi-Fi stereo with built-in amp. The Xbox 360 with 4GB sells for $199.99, a hundred dollars less and you get more than out of the device. The 360 is a gaming system, media device, and with Kinect a personal trainer. (Or you can buy the 360 for $99 with a $15 monthly 2-year subscription).

When you compare both devices, the Q is just a tiny Death Star that volition be destroyed eventually by Luke. The real hindrance for the Q is that information technology only works with devices that have Jellybean. Android is struggling to get Ice Cream Sandwhich on their devices, and that update has been out since Dec. Microsoft will hopefully launch their Surface Tablets and Windows 8 in the autumn, and Smart Glass should be ready when they are.

In my eyes, the Xbox 360 has already won this battle. What do you think?

Top image credit of Nexus Q (back) via iFixit.com

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