It’s really turning out to be a bad few weeks for Sony’s Playstation 3. Last week they fell victim to a massive attack from hackers who have stolen the personal information and (possibly) credit card information of their nearly 77 million users, but they’ve had to shut down the Playstation Network entirely while they investigate and rebuild the system with better security in mind. On April 29th, Hulu Plus streaming, a long time game console exclusive for PS3 owners, became available to owners of the XBOX 360. The timing is coincidental, but it really does seem like poor Sony’s getting repeatedly kicked in the crotch while when they’re already down.
Nonetheless, Hulu bringing Hulu Plus to the 360 is great news for TV lovers not already rocking a PS3, Roku box, or one of the other (relatively) few devices that can stream Hulu’s premiere service to a television screen. Following in the footsteps of Netflix, the Hulu Plus app for the XBOX is controllable via Kinect, Microsoft’s fancy new motion control. Early reports are indicating motion control of Hulu Plus doesn’t work all that well, but anyone hungry for more things to do with their holiday purchase other than Dance Central and Kinectimals will want to give it a whirl.
Those already paying the $8 per month fee can start start taking advantage of Hulu Plus on the 360 right away. XBOX Live members, both Gold and Silver, who don’t already subscribe to Hulu Plus (my guess is that’s a lot of them) can use the service completely FREE until Friday, May 6th.
Go give Hulu Plus a spin on the 360 and let other TV addicts know what you think of it. How was the quality? Were the Kinect controls good or bad in your opinion? Are you going to subscribe to Hulu Plus now that it’s on the XBOX 360?
Satisfy your inner geek while fueling your TV addiction… TV Tech Fix is a column by Matt Whitlock, editor of the TechLore.com Consumer Electronics Community (plus several other gadget-focused community websites), and lover of both technology and TV. In this column, he’ll cover a wide variety of tech topics aimed squarely at the TV addicts of the world – from tips and tricks to help you better your TV experience, to gear recommendations, to the impact technology is having on the TV shows we love.