Outer Universe

David Bloom is a Deadline contributor Microsoft finally unveiled the Xbox One, its next-generation successor to the Xbox 360 game console, with an impressive demonstration of a voice- and gesture-controlled device focused more on integrating and controlling all kinds of entertainment and social capabilities far beyond just playing videogames. The #XboxReveal event at Microsoft’s Seattle-area campus included the announcement by Xbox Entertainment Studios President Nancy Tellem that Steven Spielberg will create a new live-action TV show based on the “Halo” game franchise. In a video, Spielberg, a longtime game fan who also oversaw the launch of the DreamWorks Interactive game studio in the 1990s, briefly said “the Halo universe is an amazing opportunity to be at an intersection where technology and myth-making converge.” Related: Nancy Tellem Talks Microsoft’s Xbox Entertainment Studios Microsoft also announced a number of other entertainment-oriented deals, including a new partnership with the NFL that promises side-by-side integration of a viewer’s fantasy football stats with live game broadcasts, as did a partnership with ESPN for broadcasts of other sports. Even the event’s biggest videogame announcement, of the next generation of Activision’s blockbuster Call Of Duty franchise, included Oscar-winning screenwriter Stephen Gaghan (Traffic, Syriana), who helped create the story line. Tellem, a former CBS president, promised that “TV on the Xbox One will immerse you, allowing you to virtually jump into the action. ... Read More »

On occasion I'll get an e-mail from someone who says they've just received a telescope as gift and while they've enjoyed looking at the moon and the planet Jupiter or Venus with it, they really would love to get a view of Saturn.