Zune Features Grow and Grow

[Wayde]

It won’t be long before you have the opportunity to try out the Zune, Microsoft’s new handheld music and gaming device. The peripheral arrives in North American stores on November 14, just three days before the launch of Sony’s gargantuanly hyped Playstation 3. Over the course of the next few weeks, more details should pour in on the Zune - will it perhaps be the first real challenge to Apple’s iPod? Recently, the Zune’s creators announced that they will allow owners to use Microsoft points, the marketplace system attached to Xbox Live.

For now, the Microsoft points only get the music treatment. Critics might take this as a sign that gaming is hardly a priority for the Zune, as at this time the marketplace system is only being used in a pseudo-iTunes fashion. At this time, users can purchase the points at electronics stores like Best Buy and Future Shop, although according to Microsoft this list of vendors continues to grow. As you might expect, 80 points works out to about $0.99. No surprises there.
Until Microsoft makes future features clear, the Zune remains a 30 GB player with the potential for gaming prowess. Just how much gaming, no one is really sure, but the system should fall somewhere between cruddy cell phone games and a Nintendo DS. Unfortunately, you probably won’t be battling the Covenant as Master Chief (that’s Halo, n00bs), but since Microsoft has proven itself with the Xbox and Xbox 360, there is hope that some significant gaming support will accompany the small device.

Perhaps the best hope for a strong gaming platform comes from the announcement of Microsoft points, which, as mentioned, stem from the Redmond-based company’s Xbox Live marketplace. The points are typically associated with the Xbox 360’s online community, where users can purchase anything from custom avatars to time-honored arcade classics, such as Doom.
There is still a lot of speculation over this Zune and its potentially whacky antics. For now, it isn’t even decided whether Xbox Live owners will be able to access the Zune song list via the online community, the option that might truly integrate Microsoft’s increasingly uniform music and gaming experience. However, this service is hardly a stretch considering the scope of the Xbox Live system, and it should be expected that this kind of media amalgamation should grow and grow.
Regardless, it’s a good idea. However, I don’t expect to soon access the Playstation 3’s online community – however that may work – using my Sony Jellybean Mp3 player.


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