Those leaks sure were thoroughThose of you who caught Microsoft's Xbox 360 special on MTV last night should already be fully briefed on the new Xbox console, due in North America, Europe and Japan by the end of this year.?It pretty much confirmed what most of you already discovered regarding the console in name and appearance thanks in no small part to the number of Xbox 360 leaks this past year, and Microsoft simply helped put things in writing with final specs on their official Xbox site.?The?actual Xbox 360 site meanwhile is right here.
"Xbox 360 will unleash the greatest game lineup in the history of video games when it launches in North America, Europe and Japan this Christmas holiday. The games that captured the color, drama and fun of high-definition gameplay at the MTV unveiling included 2K Sports' "NBA 2K6"; Activision Publishing Inc.'s "Call of Duty 2" and "Tony Hawk's American Wasteland", along with id Software's "QUAKE 4"; Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL 06," "Need for Speed Most Wanted" and "Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06"; Majesco Entertainment's "The Darkness"; Microsoft Game Studios' "Perfect Dark: Zero," "Kameo: Elements of Power," "Project Gotham Racing 3" and "Gears of War"; THQ Inc.'s "Saint's Row"; and Ubisoft Entertainment's "Ghost Recon 3."Every Xbox 360 game is designed for high-definition, wide-screen televisions. Regardless of the television Xbox 360 connects to, gamers will experience smooth, cinematic experiences that far exceed anything they've seen or felt in games before. And these experiences are never more than a click away. The Xbox Guide Button is the launch pad that connects gamers to their games, friends and music from the wireless controller.
With more than one teraflop of system-floating point performance, a three-core PowerPC-based CPU for the most-advanced artificial intelligence and physics processing, a custom ATI graphics processor, and more than 512 MB of memory for the ultimate in visual fidelity, the Xbox 360 hardware is a perfect blend of power, elegance and balance. Xbox 360 also features software so smart it remembers what gamers have achieved, continually evolving and enhancing the game experience. When the system is combined with unrivaled Microsoft XNA software development tools, game creators can produce truly believable, thriving worlds."
Microsoft has re-iterated Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PC support, made possible through the console's built-in "Media Center Extender".?By connecting PCs with Media Center Edition 2005 to the Xbox 360 through USB 2.0, the console will be to access and stream digital media content stored on the PC for delivery onto your television.?Naturally, the Xbox 360 will have HDTV covered.
In addition, Microsoft has revealed new details regarding the upgraded Xbox Live service for the new console.?Gamers with a broadband Internet connection will receive instant access to "Xbox Live Silver", a free service that provides the basic online community benefits like Gamer Profile management, voice chat and access to the "Xbox Live Marketplace" where a host of bonus content can be downloaded onto a detactable Xbox 360 hard drive.
Those of you willing to pay a monthly fee will be entitled to Microsoft's "Xbox Live Gold", which includes additional features like Xbox Live camera peripheral support for video messaging, online tournament/ladder management and "exclusive, original programming".
