Xbox 360 ESPN update going live in late August
updated 03:10 pm EDT, Thu July 28, 2011
ESPN on Xbox Live gets new UI, split screen
Microsoft after a long delay said Thursday that its ESPN app for the Xbox 360 would get an update in late August. The new version will add the requisite voice control through Kinect as well as much more in multitasking. A college football scoreboard is always available, and a split screen mode lets fans either keep the scoreboard up during another game or even watch two events at once.
The revamp lets fans tag certain teams or whole sports to make it faster to get to them as well as receive a customized news feed. Reminders are options for live games, and a mini guide provides a quick preview of what's going on as well as a way of jumping to that event in mid-session. ESPN BottomLine is new to the Xbox and provides an overview of news and scores across all sports ESPN covers.
Accessing the ESPN service is free, including for live ESPN3 shows, but only for those who are on an Internet provider whose parent company has a deal. Both majors like Comcast, Cox, and Verizon are included along with many regionals, but Time Warner Cable is a notable exception from the list.
