Add another notch to Hulu's belt. The catch-up TV service officially has rolled out its premium cousin, Hulu Plus, on Microsoft's Xbox... and, it comes bearing gifts: a free week to try it out.
So, fire up that Xbox and try it out because after Friday it'll cost you $7.99 a month in addition to your Xbox Live membership (unless you have a .edu email address in which case you get to try it out through final exams--OK, for a month).
Early reviews have been mixed, with some fans raving that being able to change your selections by waving at the TV via Microsoft Kinect is very cool, but that you can exhaust yourself as you scroll through the endless catalogue of shorts, since Hulu Plus on Xbox has no search function.
What it does have, however, is the Criterion Collection of films, which isn't available on Netflix, and content, which competing game center PS3 and its kin Qriocity can't deliver because the Sony network remains down following its April 17-19 hack and subsequent suspension of service.
Hulu has taken longer to land on Xbox than expected; the game platform was mentioned as a possible launch pad for the premium service back in June.
For more:
- see this Christian Science Monitor article
- see this Hulu blog post
Related articles:
Hulu Plus drops beta tag, looks to expand subscriber base
Online video sales help push Xbox 360 to over $1B in revenue
Rumor mill: Paid Hulu service for the Xbox
Let's get ready to rumble: TiVo, Roku get Hulu Plus