New Xbox to be revealed on MTV [Archive]

BadMagick

05-13-2005, 12:58 PM

The Future of Games and Entertainment Revealed

The hugely anticipated video game console unveiled around the globe today

Sydney - May 13, 2005 - Today, across the globe, Microsoft heralded a new era in home entertainment, revealing its much anticipated new console, Xbox 360.

Xbox 360 - the successor to the current generation of consoles - is set to deliver mind-blowing gaming experiences but will now also offer a complete, seamless digital entertainment experience.

Not only will Australians be able to play their favourite games in never before seen \'high definition\' vision, but the Xbox 360 will easily and simply connect with other entertainment devices such as your iPod (MP3 player), digital camera and PC.

Xbox 360 will unleash the greatest game launch lineup ever seen. Amongst them are NBA 2K6, Call of Duty 2, Tony Hawk\'s American Wasteland, Quake 4, The Darkness, Need For Speed: Most Wanted, Tiger Woods PGA Tour \'06, Perfect Dark Zero, Kameo: Elements of Power, Project Gotham Racing 3, Gears of War, Madden NFL \'06, Saint\'s Row and Ghost Recon 3. All the color and drama that gamers expect will be taken to unprecedented heights with Xbox 360 - and it will all be in high definition.

\"Amazing graphics and sound in video games is just the start. This is going to change the way we experience and interact with entertainment in the home,\" says David McLean, Regional Director, Microsoft Home and Entertainment Division Australia and New Zealand.

\"Imagine playing a game of footy on Xbox 360 where you\'re seeing life-like sweat dripping off your opponent and realistic facial expressions. Mood and emotion has never been captured with so much authenticity,\" says McLean. \"Xbox 360 is going to provide a heightened sense of involvement and interactivity.\"

Not only does Xbox 360 promise to deliver the ultimate home entertainment experience, it is also set to bring friends and family closer to home through the addition of real time video and voice chat. Australians can make new friends around the corner or across the globe in an extension of the Xbox Live online service, a worldwide community of nearly two million users.

\"We\'re certain Xbox 360 owners will love the experience of chatting with friends online and actually seeing them at the same time,\" McLean says. \"Imagine easily switching from playing the latest game, to a quick video chat with your best friend, before browsing through your family photos on your TV screen with your mum. Xbox 360 really is the missing link in your home.\"

Xbox 360 will also deliver the most personalised gaming and digital entertainment experience ever seen. \"Xbox 360 will truly be a tailored experience for every individual user,\" says McLean. \"We\'re talking about being able to customise your online identity, as well as the look and feel of the console through snap-on plates much like mobile phones.\"

The Platform and Partners Power the Portfolio

Xbox 360 is the only system designed with a singular vision that combines the most-powerful hardware with intelligent software and service advancements.

Every Xbox 360 game is optimised for 720p high definition widescreen output at a minimum but will provide a smooth and cinematic experience regardless of the television. The Xbox 360 experiences will far exceed anything ever seen or felt in games before.

Xbox 360\'s Guide Button is the hub of the gamer\'s experience, allowing them access to a world that connects them to their games, friends, and music.

When combined with unrivaled XNA software development tools, game creators can produce truly thriving worlds. Gamers will enter worlds where each character on an epic battlefield will have their own lifelike facial and body animations, as well as their own physical and behavioral characteristics.

Decorated game studios such as BioWare, Bizarre Creations, Bungie Studios, Rare Ltd., as well as legendary Japanese game creators Hironobu Sakaguchi, Tetsuya Mizuguchi and Yoshiki Okamoto are harnessing the phenomenal power to create games exclusively for Xbox 360. Equally commanding, publishing giants like Activision Inc., Capcom Co. Ltd., Electronic Arts Inc., Tecmo Ltd., Namco Ltd., Rockstar Games, SEGA, THQ Inc. and UbiSoft Entertainment are amongst those flocking to Xbox 360.

\"Xbox 360 marks the beginning of a renaissance in video games,\" said Don Mattrick, president of Worldwide Studios for Electronic Arts. \"All of the unbelievable Xbox 360 games in development at Electronic Arts will accelerate the industry\'s mission to make video games the preeminent form of all entertainment.\"

\"With Xbox 360, a new chapter in video game history is being written,\" said Kathy Vrabeck, President of Activision Publishing. \"The platform liberates us to achieve new levels of graphics and game play so our audiences connect emotionally with more riveting stories, more believable characters, and more open, living worlds.\"

Xbox Live - New Levels of Service Get Everyone in the Game

Connect Xbox 360 to a broadband connection and get instant access to Xbox Live Silver, available for no monthly service charge with an Xbox 360 system. Players can share their digital identity through their Gamer Profile; connect with friends anytime, anywhere through Xbox Live voice chat; send and receive text and voice message; and access Xbox Live Marketplace to download demos and trailers along with new game levels, maps, weapons, skins, and community-created content to the detachable Xbox 360 hard drive - all right out of the box at no extra cost. Composed of user-generated information such as Achievements (rewards players have earned in games), Gamerzone (style of play), and a custom-created Gamertile (a visual icon to represent the gamer online), the Gamer Profile makes it easy to connect with the Xbox Live community.

Gamers who subscribe to the premium service, Xbox Live Gold can experience the thrill of multiplayer online game play. On Xbox Live, Gamer Profiles will provide a foundation for intelligent matchmaking, so players of similar skill levels and interests can easily connect. The Xbox Live Camera peripheral will let gamers see their friends while they game together and add their own faces into their games. Other Xbox Live Gold features include video messaging, tournaments and ladders, and exclusive, original programming such as playing with celebrities online and joining sponsored tournaments to win prizes. All Xbox 360 owners will kick-start their Xbox Live experience with a free month of the full subscription service, which will let them experience the full power of Xbox Live.

Unlock a New World of Digital Entertainment

Every Xbox 360 has built-in progressive scan DVD movie, CD music and photo playback support. The integration of Xbox Live into the system lets players receive game invites from friends while they\'re watching movies or listening to music. Every MP3 player, digital camera, and Windows XP PC plugs right into the Xbox 360 USB 2.0 ports to stream music and photos through any home-entertainment system.

Additionally, with Windows Media Center Extender functionality, Xbox 360 players can access recorded TV and digital movies, music, video and photos stored on Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs through any Xbox 360 in the house.

As high definition entertainment becomes more pervasive, Xbox 360 will offer more ways to experience high definition TV and movies in any room in the house. Whether dropping an optical disc in a drive, streaming to an Xbox 360, or through broadband distribution, players will have more choices to enjoy their HD content.

\"Today\'s unveiling of Xbox 360 will prove to be the most momentous occasion in the history of the entertainment industry,\" McLean said. \"We are certain Australians will rightfully recognise Xbox 360 as the leading console as we head into the future.

http://www.ausgamers.com/?prid=2296707

http://news.teamxbox.com/xbox/8112/Xbox-360-Exposed/

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