Microsoft announced several new Xbox Live features today at the E3 video game conference. The features are designed to expand the number of content options available and new ways to discover them as well. The Xbox Live service will soon make millions of new videos all available through partnerships, including one announced with YouTube. With a revamp to the Xbox Live experience, users will be able to navigate through the service and all of the new pieces of content with voice control powered by Microsoft’s Kinect and search powered by its Bing search engine. Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President for Xbox Live, Marc Whitten, earlier at the live press conference mentioned that Xbox Live would ramp up video content over the next year, increasing the number of content partners ten-fold and increasing the number of video assets available from hundreds of thousands to millions of titles. The biggest step toward that goal is the addition of YouTube to its content library, which also includes Netflix, Hulu Plus, and last but not least, the Zune Marketplace. Whitten also said that Xbox would increase the number of live TV options available through the Xbox Live service, following on partnerships it already has with SkyTV in the U.K, Canal Plus in France, and Foxtel in Australia. While he didn’t announce any new partnerships, Microsoft did say more live TV would be available throughout the console over the next year. To provide some discoverability, Microsoft is adding a unified search powered by its Bing search engine. The unified search will enable viewers to search across available game content. The unified search will enable viewers to search across available game content, videos from various content partners such as Netflix and Hulu Plus, and even live TV. To ease the navigation, Xbox Live is pushing voice control of the service. Using the power of voice, Whitten said all users will be able to easily and intuitively navigate Xbox Live. That means they will be able to speak controls and content queries, rather than having to control them through a controller or Xbox Kinect’s gesture control. Another feature that Microsoft boasted about were beacons. Beacons are a way for people to broadcast what games they are interested in playing to friends and family allowed users to connect and organize games together for a more enjoyable experience. Microsoft boasts that it will make it easier for users to share and discover games and multiplayer opportunities with friends on Xbox Live. Some of the games that current Xbox 360 users have to look forward to include the new Star Wars Kinect game, Halo 4 which was announced and previewed, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, Forza 4, Mass Effect 3, Dance Central 2, Kinect Sports Season 2, Street Fighter x Tekken, BioShock Infinite, and a slew of Xbox Live arcade games coming up this summer which include the following: Summer of Arcade Kicks off July 20th Starting July 20, enjoy five consecutive weeks of the season’s most highly anticipated downloadable games, including: “Toy Soldiers: Cold War” (Signal Studios/Microsoft Studios). Jump into the fray with playful ’80s combat action in “Toy Soldiers: Cold War.” Bring your favorite action toys to life and wage war against the red menace. Need backup? Call in a friend for co-op campaign action on the couch or over Xbox LIVE. Take a break from the main battle with Survival mode and playful minigames. When you beat your LIVE friends’ scores, they’ll be gunning to reclaim the top spot! “Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet” (Fuelcell/Microsoft Studios). This side-scrolling, 2-D, action-adventure game takes players on a journey through the curious Shadow Planet worlds, unique environments filled with twisted life, surreal ecologies, hostile creatures and environmental hazards. Players explore the depths of several interconnected themed areas, fighting swarms of enemies, battling bosses, solving mind-bending puzzles and acquiring power-ups to unlock new parts of the map. “Fruit Ninja Kinect” (Halfbrick/Microsoft Studios). The worldwide gaming phenomenon “Fruit Ninja” is now coming to Kinect for Xbox 360 in its juiciest form yet — YOU are the ninja! Your arms are now blades, and the battle against the world’s most delicious produce is just beginning. “Fruit Ninja Kinect” is an amazing evolution of the slice-em-up genre created by Halfbrick, utilizing next-generation precision power for the juiciest combat ever! “Bastion” (Supergiant Games/Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment). “Bastion” is an action role-playing experience that redefines storytelling in games, with a reactive narrator who marks your every move. Explore more than 40 lush hand-painted environments as you discover the secrets of the Calamity, a surreal catastrophe that shattered the world to pieces. Wield a huge arsenal of upgradeable weapons and battle savage beasts adapted to their new habitat. Finish the main story to unlock New Game Plus mode and continue your journey! “From Dust” (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft). Discover a unique Modern God game in which nature is the star. “From Dust” is the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of “Another World.” Behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. Beware the danger of a world that is constantly changing under your command. Control the destiny of a tribe struggling to survive and help it recover its ancestors’ lost powers. Immerse yourself in a world as exotically beautiful as it is dangerous. A universe where nature reclaims what is hers and you are your people’s only chance of survival. Stay tuned for more news and info on the topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed. Authors: