Microsoft officially unveiled Xbox 360 Thursday night on MTV, a couple of days after camera phone pix from the taping of the show leaked removing some of the element of surprise. The box isn’t due out until the 4th quarter, leaving Microsoft time to make the most of an ad-hoc, global focus group responding to the event. For some consumer react, Engadget’s live blogginghad about 140 comments as of 11 p.m.
Early speculation had people suggesting that the Xbox might work as a much cheaper, un-PC tethered media center. Microsoft’s announcement describes Xbox 360 as a digital entertainment center, not a complete stand-in as much as an extension. Some of the features:
– Media Center Extender functionality in every system, allowing Xbox 360 players access to media on any Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 PCs through any Xbox 360 system in the house.
– high-definition streaming tv and movies; Microsoft said hi-def programming will be available by optical disc, streaming and broadband.
– USB 2.0 support for streaming music and photos from MP3 players, digital cameras and XP PCs.
– built-in progressive-scan DVD, CD music and photo support; integration of Xbox Live.
Subscriber content
?
Subscriber content comes from Gigaom Research, bridging the gap between breaking news and long-tail research. Visit any of our reports to learn more and subscribe.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Comments have been disabled for this post