Xbox One TV Features For US, Japan Only At Launch

We only talked about Xbox One and television just yesterday, yet there is bad news coming out of that division already today. Speaking at Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft’s Sr. Director of Product Management and Planning Albert Penello told IGN in an interview that the Xbox One TV features will only be supported by the US and Japan at their respective launches.

"TV, if you want to continue, would be another criticism. We talk a lot about TV and that’s only going to work basically in Japan and the U.S. at launch where you have HDMI-in scenarios, so you’ll say ‘hey, what if I have a terrestrial over the air?’ We won’t have a solution for that right away, but we still sell it as part of the vision. So it’s honest criticism and you’d love to have the new launch be everything that you had before and more, but unfortunately it’s an untenable [proposition]."

First off, props to Mr. Penello for being so candid in the company’s challenges going forward. We know how easy it can be to get flustered and get a little on edge when talking about such things. However, it is a major disappointment for European fans looking to access the Xbox One TV features in 2013.

It is completely understandable that it would take a bit longer than just launch for the Xbox One TV features to become available across Europe. Even though Sony has some exclusive deals with internet providers in Europe, it is much harder to work with a multitude of television networks across individual markets around the world. The way Microsoft talks about their product they don’t just want to compete with the Wii U or the PS4, they want to compete with Apple TV and get into as many homes as possible. Fortunately, gaming comes first but unfortunately, Xbox One TV will take some time to work for many countries internationally.

The Xbox One will launch worldwide across 13 countries on November 22, 2013. Japan can expect TV features at launch sometime in 2014.