Xbox LIVE to get UFC, YouTube, more

At their E3 media briefing, Microsoft announced their next step for Xbox LIVE. With an aim to turn Xbox 360 into the ultimate entertainment device, Microsoft is bringing UFC and YouTube to Xbox LIVE, this year.

UFC, shown off at the briefing, allows Xbox LIVE users to call fights, stream live matches, classic fights, and interviews.

A new dashboard, dubbed as “simpler, cleaner, [and] easier to navigate,” was also revealed at the show. It’ll include Bing, to search for Xbox LIVE games and other marketplace content, beacons, which allow you to connect with your Xbox LIVE friends, cloud storage for game saves, and will fully support Kinect.

A new title, Kinect Fun Labs, was made available on Xbox LIVE today to all Xbox users. It allows Kinect owners to create their own innovations using functionality such as people scanning, finger tracking, and object capture. Gadgets in the program, all running on Unreal Engine 3, include: Kinect Me, Bobble Head, Build A Buddy and Kinect Googly Eyes.

“With Kinect Fun Labs we are introducing the newest innovative experiences with Kinect for Xbox 360, and Unreal Engine 3 is a great engine with which to make games for Kinect and Xbox 360,” said Shannon Loftis, studio head for Good Science Studio, Microsoft Studios. “We carefully select the industry’s best game development tools to create these pioneering experiences and we’ve only just begun to show its potential.”

Xbox LIVE looks poised for another year of new features.