The posting has since been edited to remove any mention of the home console, but not before some sharp eyed internet dwellers caught hold of it.

 

Silverlight is Microsoft's answer to Adobe's Flash Player and is already used on the Xbox 360 for the odd animated advertisement, and of course on the PC.

 

Silverlight is also extensively used on the new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system, and this is where it gets interesting. As the software supports Microsoft's "big three", the Xbox 360, Windows Phone 7 and Windows for the PC, it stands to reason that the company is aiming to bring out applications that are compatible with all three systems, meaning cross-platform apps.

 

There are already a couple of services on the Xbox 360 which basically function as apps, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook and Last.fm. According to Gizmodo, with Silverlight Microsoft may be pursuing a more open third-party led app development plan, possibly aiming to go up against services such as Google TV.

 

Silverlight for the Xbox 360 could also have other implications, thanks to its cross-platform functionality it could be used to make games for both the Xbox 360 and Windows Phone 7 for example.

 

It's of course possible that Silverlight for the Xbox 360 is completely unrelated to any of this, but we sure hope to see some apps on the Xbox Live dashboard in the future.