Peter Kafka questioned Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, to kick off this year’s D:Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California. Alongside Mehdi was Nancy Tellem, corporate vice president at Microsoft LA Studios, and both were questioned about the company’s Xbox and how it is transforming from a gaming console into an entertainment hub.

“At present, the install base is up to 76 million (up from around 70 million at the close of September 2012), with U.S.-based users using the console for some 87 hours per month. In fact, [Mehdi] stated that 18 billion hours of entertainment have been consumed on Xbox,” reports Engadget.

As far as the Xbox’s evolution, Mehdi wants the console to have voice control, interactivity, and “other stuff that’s big and beautiful.” Additionally, Tellem noted the company’s intentions to invest in premium content for the console.

When she was asked “if Microsoft was planning to fund its own shows (much like Amazon and Netflix are doing), she seemed open to the idea, but also noted that Microsoft will absolutely partner with existing studios and content creators in order to give them yet another outlet (read: not pay-TV) to get people hooked,” writes Engadget.

Tellem noted that Microsoft’s desire to churn out original, interactive entertainment is a way to both “move consoles, create new relationships with consumers and to expand [Microsoft’s] audience,” and from a higher level, to create the next generation of TV and “have it be a hit.”