For years I’d rejected the idea that I actually needed cable. I’d stand in my apartment’s hallway impressed by the relentless viciousness with which major cable providers like Verizon and DirectTV attempted to con me into picking up their television services and bundles. I smirked carelessly as I shredded letter after letter inviting me to get Comcast’s Triple Play packages.
I’m not like other guys who don’t have cable. It isn’t that I’ve grown weary of cable packages and rising rates. I’ve never had cable so I don’t have any prior pricing to compare today’s packages with. I don’t think of cable cutting as some natural progression or something that makes me more money-savvy than others. I also don’t hate cable companies. To be clear, I despise them.
Since getting my place in 2007 I’ve made it my mission to keep away from live television. That’s because live television, as conventional wisdom tells us, is expensive and dangerous. I’ve heard horror stories of hidden feeds and large blocks of channels that air nothing anyone with half a brain might actually want to watch.
I’m a child of the internet age. My first household expense wasn’t a Blockbuster card. I didn’t make a decision to purchase video services from anyone who threw a rebate card at me first. No, I have an Xbox, Hulu and Netflix.
Also, I now have cable.
Also, I now have cable. Yeah, you read that right.
So how did I get cable? Why did I get cable? I owe my new cable subscription to the Xbox One. You see, I’m sort of aggressive about upgrading my devices. Also, once I upgrade I like to use all the console’s features.
So the weekend after the Xbox One release I found myself on the phone with a Comcast representative investigating how much cable would cost. I wasn’t exactly excited about seeing Nick’s Big Time Rush as much I wanted to see how seamless integrating live television with the rest of my entertainment would be.
By the end of the weekend I was walking up to my television telling it I wanted to “Watch Teen Nick” and asking it “what’s on BBC America.” It’s cable television and more made easier.
That’s it. There was no aha moment. At no point did I have some big moment of clarity that made me want to go out and pick up a cable subscription. The Xbox One treats television just another way to get information and stay occupied. It’s this “seamlessness” that I somehow find comforting. Do I necessarily need more entertainment options? Eh, maybe not. However, I have that extra option should I ever need it and the Xbox One makes it easier than ever to use.
I suppose that’s the real value proposition for the Xbox One’s entertainment features. These giant expensive boxes aren’t necessarily meant to replace different entertainment mediums as much as meant to make those mediums easier to interact.
If my experience is indicative of what others are seeing in their homes I suppose Comcast owes Microsoft a thank you.
