Microsoft Corp.’s Xbox 360 video game console will be able to stream thousands of movies by the Web, thanks to a deal announced Monday with Netflix Inc. that highlights the way gaming devices are expanding into all-purpose home-entertainment hubs.

The arrangement, revealed at the E3 Media & Business Summit in Los Angeles, will let Netflix subscribers stream 10,000 movies and TV shows to Xbox consoles for viewing on television sets, beginning that fall. Xbox had movies and shows available for

download before, but only half as many.

“This generation of consoles will change the face of home entertainment more than any other generation before,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s interactive entertainment division.

As Microsoft vies for a stronger foothold in the living room, so is rival Sony Corp., which has tried to manufacture its PlayStation 3 into a broader entertainment device by including Blu-ray high-definition DVD players in […]

Orginal post by Top Tech News