New USB tuner unlocks clever Xbox One TV features for UK gamers

If you’re looking jealously across the pond at gamers whose Xbox One controls their TV too, Microsoft’s new £25 USB Digital TV Tuner (which converts to about $42) allows you to enjoy more of the console’s clever TV features — including changing the channel by talking. The Tuner will be available only in the UK and some European countries this fall.

The next-generation Xbox One games console was launched by Microsoft with much fanfare as a device that could do more than play games. Microsoft wants to place it at the heart of your living room with the ability to control all your entertainment options, including your television services.

Microsoft Xbox One
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The problem is, the different types of TV services in different countries mean that the clever features trumpeted by Microsoft don’t necessarily work for everybody. You can plug your Sky box into your Xbox through the HDMI connection, for example, but features like voice command don’t work.

With the Digital TV Tuner, the European Xbox One will take a step closer to being the multimedia marvel enjoyed by Xboxers in the US. Out in October, the tuner plugs directly into your console’s USB socket so you don’t need a cable or satellite set-top box connected to the HDMI port.

The tuner supports free-to-air DVB-T, DVB-T2 and DVB-C television standards, which means it shows the Freeview channels on your console without changing TV inputs. That means you’ll get game invitations and notifications while watching TV too.

You can watch live television in Snap mode, showing live shows in the corner of the screen as you play a game, talk on Skype or use another app on the main part of the screen, just like TV’s Aaron Paul, yo.

With the tuner plugged in, TV listings are added to the console’s OneGuide. You can record your favourite channels in the OneGuide to quickly get to your favourite programmes. And if you have a Kinect, Microsoft promises you’ll be able to casually say the name of a channel to switch to it immediately. Ask, “Xbox show guide, what’s on BBC One?” and the console will show you the relevant channel listing.

You can also change channels using the Xbox SmartGlass app, using your phone or tablet as a remote control.

The Tuner goes on sale in late October in the UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain. In the UK the tuner costs £25, and on the continent €30.