Microsoft XBox 360

Xbox 360 sets a new pace for digital entertainment. More than just a cutting-edge game system, Xbox 360 also integrates high-definition video, DVD movie playback, digital music, photos, and online connectivity into one sleek, small tower, and in the process puts true Next-Gen power right at your fingertips.

Under the Hood

Xbox 360 is much smaller than its predecessor--it measures approximately 3.3 by 12.2 by 10.2 inches and weighs 7.7 lbs. It's powered by custom IBM PowerPC-based CPU with three symmetrical cores each running at 3.2 GHz. It also carries a custom ATI graphics processor loaded with 10 MB of embedded DRAM, 48-way parallel floating-point dynamically scheduled shader pipelines and Unified shader architecture. This is powerful enough to draw 500 million triangles per second. In other words, it makes for great looking games in standard TV definition, and even better thanks to built-in support for HDTV 1080i televisions. It also supports the widescreen 16:9 format.

The unit has a 12x dual-layer DVD-ROM drive, which plays both the game media and progressive-scan DVD movies right out of the box. For game-save and media storage, users can choose between the detachable and upgradeable 60GB hard drive, or a separately sold 64MB flash Memory Unit. Along with storing files, the hard drive will make the Xbox 360 backward-compatible with part of the existing Xbox game library.

Control your Gameplay

Xbox 360 uses a refined button layout for its controllers. Back and Start buttons sit at the center of the controller and between them is a new Xbox Guide button, which instantly takes the user to the Xbox 360 user interface. From there, they can check for friends online, access personal digital content like photos and songs, and more. The black and white buttons of the first Xbox controllers have been replaced with new shoulder buttons placed above the left and right triggers. Xbox 360 can accommodate up to four wireless controllers and has three USB 2.0 slots to use for wired controllers or for streaming your digital media from digital cameras, MP3 players, and any Windows XP-based PC. Microsoft has also created a video-conferencing camera, sold separately, that will work with the system.

The Media Experience

All Xbox 360 titles can be played in either standard or high-definition resolution in 16:9 widescreen, with anti-aliasing for smoother graphics. Game designers will be able to take advantage of the system's multi-channel surround sound. The Xbox 360's digital media allows users to supplement any game's music from tracks in their own personal library.

Go Live

A built-in Ethernet port allows users to connect their system to a broadband connection for access to Xbox Live. The Xbox Live Silver Membership included with the console lets anyone create a Gamertag and gamer card to express your online identity, chat live with voice chat, and connect to the Xbox Live Marketplace to buy expansions, maps, and other digital items for your games. You can also update to a Xbox Live Gold Membership at anytime for even more benefits. The separately sold wireless adapter supports the common 802.11a, -b, and -g standards.

New Xbox Experience Arriving November 19th

It's been coming for some time but at this week's Tokyo Game Show, Microsoft finally announced that its much anticipated Dashboard revamp, or pompously named New Xbox Experience, is arriving on November 19.

We've already covered most of what you'll get, including the cool Wii-like avatars which, unlike the Wii versions, will let you create far more detailed avatars. And they can burp, apparently, which should keep the kiddies happy.

Want the marketing blurb? here it is:

Xbox LIVE Party. Xbox 360 allows you to create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. With LIVE Party, voice chat while you play games, share photos in real time2 and entertain friends all over the world.

• Personality plus. Create a customizable, animated avatar and literally jump into the world of Xbox LIVE. Your avatar is your game-face throughout the New Xbox Experience and represents your personality -- whether you are a LIVE Party host or chatting with a friend. With custom avatars created by the more than 14 million members worldwide, Xbox LIVE will have as many avatars as Tokyo has residents.3

• On-demand entertainment. Xbox 360 is home to the best TV and movie entertainment, including more than 12,000 exclusive films and TV episodes from Netflix Inc., and a large online library of on-demand high-definition TV shows and movies from partners such as Constantin, Disney, MGM, NBC Universal Inc. and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.4

• Games for the community, by the community. For the first time in the history of console gaming, thousands of games developed by the creative community will be available to the public. The Community Games channel on Xbox LIVE will include games made by students, hobbyists, and average people all around the world and will be exclusive to Xbox LIVE.

When the New Xbox Experience launches this fall, it will join the best and broadest Xbox 360 entertainment lineup of games ever. Whatever your passion, Xbox 360 has games for you. Only on Xbox 360 can you unleash your inner diva with "Lips," live your favorite movie moments with "You're in the Movies" and "Scene It? Box Office Smash," and find Xbox LIVE Arcade favorites such as "Castle Crashers" alongside indie favorites like the smash hit "Braid."

• Music. Xbox 360 is the preferred stage for the best music games, including "Lips," "Rock Band 2," "Guitar Hero® World Tour" and "DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3."

• Family. Xbox 360 gets the whole family playing with titles such as "Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts," "Dig Dug Stylish Edition," "PacLand" and "Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise."

• Sports. Xbox 360 remains the best place to play sports titles, including leading franchises such as "Madden NFL," "Tiger Woods PGA TOUR," "NBA LIVE," "NHL 2K" and more.

• Blockbusters. "Final Fantasy® XIII" will be available on Xbox 360 at launch in North America and Europe. And Xbox 360 is the only place gamers can play the year's biggest games, such as "Gears of War 2" and "Fable II".

Not so much a list of new features but a list of what you can mostly do already. While it's nice to have a new interface and cutesy avatars, I wish Microsoft would stop screwing around and launch today's rumoured external Blu-ray drive

Courtesy of Gizmodo UK