Xbox 360 promises best and broadest entertainment lineup ever; more fun,
social and simple-to-use experience.
LOS ANGELES, July 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 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, watch movies and TV shows, and even become
contestants in game shows. It all begins this fall with a bold new look and
feel that is fun, social and simple to use.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)
The announcement was made during the E3 Media and Business Summit in
Los Angeles. It came amid the unveiling of an exclusive partnership with
Netflix Inc. that will give Xbox 360 users instant access to more than
10,000 feature films and television shows with a click of a button.
Also on the docket: The best and broadest entertainment lineup the Xbox
360 video game and entertainment system has ever seen. In its strongest
broadening play yet, Xbox announced Xbox LIVE Primetime, the next evolution
in game shows slated for Xbox LIVE this fall; TV shows and movies from
world leaders in entertainment including NBC Universal, Universal Studios
Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel and USA Network domestically and
Constantin and MGM internationally; and blockbuster games "Lips," "Rock
Band 2," "Scene It? Box Office Smash," "You're in the Movies" and the much
anticipated "Final Fantasy XIII."
"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. "The new Xbox experience offers more content than you can find
from any device that connects to the television. That convergence of
entertainment and gaming will bring new people and more families to the
category, driving a record year for the games industry."
"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.
Netflix Jumps In With Entertainment for Everyone
The exclusive partnership offers Netflix subscribers the ability to
instantly stream movies and TV episodes from Netflix to the television via
the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system. Xbox 360 will be the only
game console to offer this movie-watching experience, available to Xbox
LIVE Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers at no additional cost.
From the Netflix Web site, subscribers simply add movies and TV
episodes to their instant Queue, which will appear automatically on the TV
screen via Xbox 360. Once selected, movies will begin playing in as little
as 30 seconds. In addition to instantly streaming Netflix movies to the TV,
Xbox LIVE Gold members can browse and rate movies, fast-forward, pause and
rewind, all using either their Xbox 360 Controller or remote.
Netflix on Xbox 360 will launch this fall with the release of the new
Xbox experience, a new generation of games and entertainment experiences
that will be available for Xbox 360 this fall.
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. With LIVE Party, bring your favorite
games, TV shows, movies and pictures to life by sharing those experiences
with friends, wherever they are around the world.
-- Express yourself. With the new Xbox 360 experience, gamers can
personalize 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.
-- "Must See TV" and much, much more. The biggest names in
entertainment worldwide, such as Netflix, NBC Universal, Universal Studios
Home Entertainment, SCI FI Channel, USA Network, Constantin and MGM are
bringing their content to Xbox 360.
360 Degrees of Entertainment
The 2008 Xbox 360 entertainment lineup of games, movies and TV shows 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:
-- The new game show. The new Xbox LIVE channel Xbox LIVE Primetime
represents an all-new way to play. A collection of virtual game shows such
as "1 vs. 100," Xbox LIVE Primetime allows thousands of gamers to become
contestants from their living rooms, playing together simultaneously, live
with content that is always fresh and relevant. The global phenomenon "1
vs. 100" is created by Endemol, the world's largest independent production
company and the producer of the hit show "Deal or No Deal." Xbox LIVE
Primetime is available in North America, France, Germany and the U.K.
-- Blockbusters. "Final Fantasy XIII" will be available on Xbox 360 at
launch in North America and Europe. 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(R) UNIVERSE3."
-- Family. Xbox 360 gets the whole family playing with titles such as
"Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts," "Scene It? Box Office Smash" and "Viva
Pinata: 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 is home to the best TV and movie
entertainment, including exclusive games such as "You're in the Movies" and
"1 vs. 100," exclusive films and TV from Netflix, and the world's largest
online library of on-demand high-definition TV shows and movies.
About Xbox 360
Xbox 360 is a premier video game and entertainment system. It is home
to the best and broadest games plus more standard and high-definition
movies and TV shows on demand than any other device connected to the TV.
The digital center of the living room, Xbox 360 blends unbeatable content,
including personal pictures and music, with a unified online social network
to create a limitless 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.
SOURCE Microsoft Corp.
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CONTACT:
pr.mspx./ /CONTACT: Evan Parker,
+1-323-202-1052, evan.parker@edelman.com, or Lana Odintsova,
+1-206-505-6565, lana.odintsova@edelman.com, both of Edelman, for
Microsoft Corp.
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