In what is being viewed by rivals as a key acquisition, Microsoft has acquired R2 Studios. The studio was founded by Slingbox creator Blake Kirkorian back in 2011, and R2 studios is described as a home entertainment start-up company.

It is believed that R2 has been developing technology that is targeted at the advanced distribution of digital media. This, of course, is an area that Microsoft would like to continue to expand, and it is believed that it is an area that the company is looking at growing on the next Xbox, which is likely to be announced and released later this year.

The biggest prize of the deal could be the electronic control-related patents that Microsoft gains as a result of the deal. Rumors had circulated that the company had been in discussions with both Apple and Google prior to coming to an agreement with Microsoft.

The team at R2 will become part of the Xbox team in Redmond.