Microsoft’s second games console was officially publicly revealed last night on the viral marketing website OurColony, and then on MTV in North America, although renders of the console have been online for sometime, and photographs from the MTV program were leaked after the show was pre-recorded.
The console’s name, Xbox 360, has been confirmed along with the white colour (or “Chill” according to MS), wireless controllers, and a removable 20Gb hard drive. All of which was revealed vie reliable sources before.
Technical system specifications (you’ve been warned…) boast three IBM PowerPC processors each at 3.2 GHz, 512 MB of GDDR3 RAM @ 700 MHz, 10MB 500 MHz ATI graphics card, with high-definition out of the box.
Paid for hardware add-ons include up to three extra controllers, a digital camera, and a wireless networking WiFi adaptor.
The WiFi adaptor or a cable will allow the console to connect to home networks. The console will be able to connect to Window XP PCs, and directly vie USB to MP3 players and digital camera to listen to music or view photographs.
Xbox 360’s updated Live online multiplayer service will come in Silver or Gold editions. The Silver is free, but will only allow you to play multiplayer at the weekend. While Gold will apparently allow for transfer of an original paid-for Xbox Live account, with ‘intelligent’ matchmaking based on skill. Both will allow for some type of file sharing and the downloading of free and paid games content.
The star-studied MTV preview show was recorded at a Hollywood night club last week with Elijah Woods, Snow Patrol, the Killers, Robbie Williams, Tony Hawk, Xzibit, Tim Burgess (the Charlatans), and a host of others.
Meanwhile the games industry and associated press are converging on LA for the trade-only E3 2005, where over one thousand games go on display on the show floors and behind closed doors – what is seen as the most important event in at least the calendars of publishers, and the media. The events kick off with the Sony press conference on Monday afternoon, followed swiftly by Microsoft’s Xbox briefing.
Games Toaster will be in LA for the week for on-site coverage, and for the less apparent act of enlightening our selves for the year to come.
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