The NFL Sunday Ticket package has long been one of the only reasons people decide to get DirecTV, but that could possibly change with Sunday Ticket being available on the Xbox One and PS4 without the need of a satellite dish.

For the past few decades, the only reasonable way to watch any sporting event consistently is through cable and television packages with the latter offering more features at a higher premium. With the evolution of the internet and video game consoles, cable and television packages could eventually be challenged seriously by Microsoft’s and Sony’s machines. With every device in the known universe (Except maybe the Gizmondo) having access to Netflix and its ever-varying library, one of the major reasons to own a Cable/Satellite package is accounted for. With the NFL being as popular as it is in the United States, having the capability of watching games without any input from outside providers is massive. The Xbox One has already attempted to add a more full multimedia experience with the UI changes placed upon it from their last gen effort, and while it is very dependent on the Kinect to maintain a smooth means of navigating, it still remains better than the PS4. The Xbox One already offers television support and is not afraid of letting people know, but one can only imagine of consoles begin offering their own television packages and how effective it would be.

Having one box capable of doing just about everything has continued to stick around as a goal for console developers, starting as early as the Philips CDi, continuing through to the Playstation 3, and finally with the Xbox One. All three consoles have one similar thread linking them together: they were all disappointments early in their lifespans. Making a full push towards an all encompassing living room experience is risky and history shows that the heftier price inevitably attached to such devices isn’t worth it. Though as technology perpetually moves forward and consoles become more sophisticated, an all-in-one device may be the mutual choice of action for both Sony and Microsoft. If organizations like the NFL, or the NBA, or major broadcasting companies begin offering packages à la carte to owners of video game consoles it could eventually compete viciously with providers like Dish or Comcast. Knowing these providers however, it’s more likely that they will begin offering services through the console in order to replace the eventually archaic cable boxes. A future where consoles can literally do whatever they want isn’t too far away, it’s simply a matter of Microsoft and Sony managing to not make glaring mistakes on their way to that future. Knowing both of their pasts though, that’s very hard to believe.

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