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With the latest Xbox Live dashboard update, Microsoft and Netflix have made their partnership exclusive, meaning the Xbox 360 is the only gaming console that lets users watch Netflix movies directly on the console.
The Netflix exclusivity is a boon for Microsoft and the Xbox and a strong competitive advantage against rival gaming consoles such as the Sony Playstation3 (PS3) or the Nintendo Wii. The exclusivity also comes as speculation circles around both PS3 and Wii getting their own Netflix functionality.
Microsoft's and Netflix's reinvigorated partnership builds on a pairing the two companies forged last November when the duo initially launched a service that lets Xbox 360 users download an application from Netflix that streamed movies directly to the Xbox 360 gaming console.
"This exclusive partnership offers you the ability to instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via Xbox 360," Microsoft said. "Xbox 360 will be the only game console to offer this movie-watching experience, available to Xbox Live Gold members who are also Netflix unlimited plan subscribers, at no additional cost."
Along with locking up the exclusive deal with Microsoft's Xbox and Netflix, the two companies also added a host of new features available through the Xbox Live dashboard update.
One feature, the Netflix Instant Queue update, lets Xbox 360-using Netflix subscribers update their Netflix rental queues directly from the gaming console instead of via a PC. Users also can browse movies for new releases or by genre.
"From the Netflix Web site, simply add movies and TV episodes to your Instant Queue, which will appear automatically on the TV screen via Xbox 360," Microsoft said. "Once selected, movies will begin playing in as little as 30 seconds. In addition to instantly streaming Netflix movies to the TV, Xbox Live Gold members can browse and rate movies, fast forward, pause and rewind, all using either their Xbox 360 controller or universal remote."
Microsoft and Netflix also worked together to improve the playback experience for Xbox users, making the service adaptable to changes in the home network while a movie is being watched.
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