• June 2, 2011

With access to Netflix, Hulu and social media sites, the Xbox has become about more than simply games. And Microsoft is about to start marketing it as such.

Writing on the company's official blog, vp or corporate communications Frank Shaw says the device has become about being a center of a household's entertainment, from playing games to streaming music, tv shows and other content. Indeed, Shaw writes, 40% of all Xbox activity is non-game related, and the company is seeing an average of 30 hours of video consumption per month. As such, the Xbox will be marketed more as an entertainment brand this year (beginning with the company's presentation at E3 next week) than a gaming console.

"Put simply, Xbox = entertainment and is core to our entertainment strategy," Shaw writes. "Around the world, the Xbox connects more people to online content and communities through the largest screen in the house than any other device."