X-Box 360 partial iPod Support - Video Games Forum

XBoxMarksTheSpot · #1 (**permalink**) 11-06-2005, 06:18 PM

Suprisingly

Microsoft and Apple could not come to an agreement for the X-Box 360 to have official support of the I-Pod. So Microsoft has tweaked in their own support as much as possible.

X-Box iPod Compatibility

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Microsoft's Xbox 360 offers partial support for Apple's iPod digital music player, but because Apple is not officially backing the interoperability of the devices, songs downloaded from Apple's iTunes Music Store will not play on the Xbox. Jeff Henshaw, Xbox digital-entertainment executive producer said Microsoft tried to "engage" Apple in a partnership that would have enabled the Xbox to officially support the iPod, but Apple rejected the offer, according to a report from News.com. "So we went in and built all of the support we could," Henshaw said. The Xbox can stream any standard MP3 or AAC file from an iPod, but not protected songs purchased through the iTunes Music Store, which will appear grayed out, according to the report. One analyst, Richard Doherty, president of Envisioneering, predicts that Apple will fight Microsoft once the new Xbox launches on November 22nd.

"We expect Apple will have some retaliation ready within days or hours of the Xbox 360 shipping. If you have iTunes prior to last May, it may work with the Xbox 360 forever, but if you accept updates (from Apple), it may work differently," Doherty said.

Apple is attempting to collect royalties from makers of any accessory device that interfaces with the iPod through the dock connector, via its "Made for iPod" program. Henshaw said that the Xbox is working around Apple's dock connector by using a standard USB port for connectivity. Neil Benson, the creator of iPodcopy, said making a connection to the iPod is more complicated than Microsoft is making it out to be.

"The trick is finding the right files," Benson said, noting that iPods scatter music files across random directories and renames them. "It would be unfortunate to see Apple inhibit people's ability to enjoy their own music," Henshaw said.

XBoxMarksTheSpot · #2 (**permalink**) 11-06-2005, 06:24 PM

Found some additional info on this talking about the 360's support for almost all MP3 players.

X-Box 360 Support for MP3

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Microsoft has officially announced that the Xbox 360 can stream music from just about any MP3 player.

Some interesting news coming out today about the Xbox 360 game console. If you play the video game "Project Gotham Racing 3" on the new Xbox 360, Microsoft invites you to use tunes straight off your iPod as an alternative to the game's soundtrack.

Xbox 360 can stream music from just about any MP3 player, and the game console will auto-detect if it's there. You can then browse by artist, album, genre, or even create a custom playlist.

The Microsoft Xbox 360 streaming capabilities is one part of being a multi-entertainment system, it's unclear how long consumers will be able to import MP3s from their iPods. There is a great possibility that Apple will fight back once the new console launches.

However, if you look at it a different way, the two companies actually compliment each other.

Apple will argue because of the iPod's digital rights management software. The Xbox 360 cannot stream songs purchased from Apple's iTunes Music Store.

Xbox 360 is able to stream from iPod because of standard protocols such as USB mass storage is enabled on iPod support.

Apparently, Microsoft tried to partner with Apple in a venture that would have officially
made the iPod interoperable with the Xbox 360, but Apple rejected the offer.

Apple has been pitching a very different approach for those who want to connect to its popular music player. Through its so-called "Made for iPod" program, the Cupertino, Calif., company is attempting to collect royalties from the maker of any accessory device that interfaces with an iPod through its "dock connector."

However, iPod owners will be able to connect their digital music devices through one of the Xbox 360's three high-speed USB ports. They'll be able to access an Xbox menu that will let them scroll through songs, artists, genres and the like and select songs to play in games' backgrounds. Users will also be able to stream photos off their iPods for playback of slide shows on the Xbox 360.

Microsoft is also working around Apple's assertion of control over the iPod's dock connector by making the Xbox 360 use a very