Two of Microsoft’s biggest hardware successes have (thus far) targeted gamers: the popular Xbox 360 game console and Kinect accessory.
Clearly, Redmond has worked quite hard to make the Xbox 360 more of an entertainment hub than simply a mere console in an effort to lure buyers who whose primary interest may not be gaming.
Microsoft has managed to achieve this feat by continually evolving
the Xbox as an interactive entertainment platform.
Microsoft has also worked to tweak the versatile Kinect for more than gaming. For example, there are multiple software titles aimed at helping users get back into shape via the Kinect.
And now Microsoft has rolled out a new dashboard for the Xbox 360 console dubbed the Kinect PlayFit. As the name suggests, the platform aggregates data across all fitness themed games on the Xbox 360 – effectively tracking items like calories burned in Dance Central 2 or even Kinect Star Wars.
Anyone who has played a game on the Kinect with lots of action and motion involved knows you actually exercise quite a lot while doing so. Fortunately, the new new PlayFit dashboard allows users to earn Kinect PlayFit Achievements, Gamescore, and Avatar Awards. There will also be leader boards to track scores against other Xbox Live members along with global rankings.
The PlayFit dashboard is a free download and available to all Xbox Live members in the United States starting today. The dashboard is expected to launch outside the US later this week.
