New Xbox experiences reinvent home entertainment

New Xbox experiences reinvent home entertainment, and everyone is invited
Xbox 360 promises best and broadest entertainment line-up ever; more fun, social and simple-to-use experience.

LOS ANGELES — July 14, 2008 — As Xbox 360 readies for the next wave of audience expansion, Microsoft Corp. today announced a new Xbox experience that will reinvent home entertainment from the inside out, changing the way we play games and use multimedia applications. It all begins this fall with a bold new look and feel that is fun, social and simple to use.

The announcement was made during the E3 Media and Business Summit in Los Angeles. Also on the docket: The best and broadest entertainment line-up the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system has ever seen with blockbuster games “Lips,” “Rock Band 2,” “Scene It? Box Office Smash” and “You’re in the Movies.”

“We’re entering a new age in entertainment, and Xbox 360 is uniquely positioned to become the heart of the living room,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.

“This year more than any other, Xbox 360 has something for everyone — whether you love playing games with friends or are simply looking for the best in entertainment,” Mattrick said.

The New Xbox Experience
The new Xbox experience represents the first time in history that a mass market consumer electronics device has been reinvented through free software, giving people more fun and intuitive ways to interact, play and enjoy entertainment.

“Xbox LIVE is the world’s fastest-growing online social network on TV,” said John Schappert, corporate vice president of Interactive Entertainment LIVE, Software and Services Business at Microsoft. “We doubled our membership the past two years, growing from 3 million to 6 million, and then from 6 million to 12 million. And today, we are adding a new member every five seconds. With the best and broadest social entertainment experiences launching this fall, the future is limitless.”

Some of the features that make the new Xbox experience groundbreaking are the following:

• Entertainment without limits. Bring your favourite games and pictures to life by sharing those experiences with friends, wherever they are around the world. Xbox 360 is the only console that can connect a Friends List with other users’ game experiences.

• Express yourself. With the new Xbox 360 experience, gamers can personalise their entertainment like never before. They can create their own avatar, designed exclusively by Rare Ltd., and jump into a party with friends from around the world.

360 Degrees of Entertainment
The 2008 Xbox 360 entertainment line-up of games is its best and broadest ever. Whether for fans of action, role-playing, racing, sports, strategy, party or action-adventure games, Xbox 360 has the biggest blockbusters and the most exclusive content in 2008 and beyond:

• Blockbusters. Xbox 360 is the only place gamers can play the year’s biggest games, such as “Gears of War 2,” “Resident Evil 5,” “Fable II” and exclusive “Grand Theft Auto IV” episodes.

• Music. Xbox 360 is the preferred stage for all 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,” “Scene It? Box Office Smash” and “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise.”

• Sports. Xbox 360 remains the best place to play sports titles, including leading franchises like “Madden NFL,” “Tiger Woods PGA Tour,” “NBA Live,” “NHL 2K” and more.

• TV and movie entertainment. Xbox 360 isn't merely the most powerful gaming system in existence - it's also a full-fledged media center delivering unique digital entertainment experiences. Watch DVDs and stream movies with Media Center.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a premier video game and entertainment system. The digital centre of the living room, Xbox 360 blends content, including personal pictures and music, with a unified online social network to create an entertainment experience that can be shared at home or across the globe. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox LIVE connects more than 12 million members across 26 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, TV shows and movies in the United States as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favorite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

ENDS

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