Microsoft E3 Announcements [HUGE THREAD]

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New Avatar Material.



Quote:
Microsoft announced today that the Xbox 360 Avatars will be getting an upgrade, with new items, known as Awards and Props, coming soon to add further personalization to your New Xbox Experience character.

That includes free items, add-ons and outfits that you can win, as well as Avatar items that you can purchase from the Xbox Live Marketplace. Xbox general manager Marc Whitten showed off some of these new items, much of them placeholder, that will be coming to the Xbox 360. These included outfits based on Halo: ODST and pom-poms for your avatar.

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Quote:
Whitten didn't date the release of the new Xbox 360 Avatar upgrades, but did say that those won as awards and purchased through Marketplace would be launched simultaneously worldwide.



Twitter & Facebook


The Xbox 360 will be added Twitter and Facebook to its list of web services, Microsoft announced today, with some of those social networking services interact with the console's game library.

Microsoft's Facebook implementation on the Xbox 360 looks to offer much of what's available via a regular web browser: status updates, photo sharing, email and more. The interface follows the established New Xbox Experience format, with Avatars integrated into profile and news feed menus. Looks like more of the things one can do with the core Facebook service, installable apps notwithstanding, will be present in the Xbox 360 version.

What's new is the option to save screen shots from Xbox 360 games, then let players upload those game moments via Facebook Connect to show off online. The first game to support that option will be EA Sport's Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. Xbox general manager Marc Whitten said this feature will be added to the Xbox 360 SDK, but wasn't clear on whether this option could be added to older titles via software update.

Xbox 360's version of Twitter looks very much like the Web interface, letting Xbox 360 owners update their personal status from the dashboard and favorite tweets.

Microsoft also announced the addition of Last.FM to the Xbox 360 at its press conference today.





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Last.FM & Videos in 1080p HD

Starting this fall, movies and television shows from Zune Video will be playable on the Xbox 360 in 1080p HD.

Microsoft says that video start up using their new service will be "as close to instantaneous as possible" by transitioning between many different bitrates and resolutions of video. What that means, Microsoft says, is that video will start up at a low bit rate for fast download and then shift to a higher bitrate and quality as the download kicks in. The process, they say, will allow them to deliver 1080p video with little to no download delay.

Another cool feature being added is the ability to host an Xbox Live party and have your friends all gather in the virtual room as avatars to watch the real movie or TV show on their television.

The service relaunch will also include a better search function and is being expanded form eight to eighteen countries.

In addition to the current eight markets ***8211; US, Canada, UK, France, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain ***8211; Zune video will launch along with Xbox LIVE in Austria, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.



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Microsoft and Last.FM are making sweet, sweet music on the Xbox 360 this year, with the music listening and discovery service available free to Xbox Live Gold members.

A relative surprise delivered as part of Microsoft's 2009 E3 press conference, popular music community service Last. FM will be available as a free download for Xbox Live Gold subscribers later this year, allowing them to browse and listen to music, discovering new artists based on their preferences. As McWhertor put it in our live blog of the press conference:


Having Last.fm on Xbox Live is something I didn't know I wanted. Now I do. Good get.
My sentiments exactly. This is exactly the sort of thing I can turn on and fall asleep to, and if there's one thing I need it's more excuses to fall asleep in front of the television.



Downloadable Xbox 360 Games & Project Natal

Microsoft will be offering full retail games like Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect as downloadable games via Xbox Live Marketplace Games On Demand starting this August. They'll boot straight from your hard drive, just like installable games.

That's all great. But some games don't quite work as intended when played from the hard drive. Games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Halo 3 don't perform up to par, because they were designed to be streamed from a DVD. And Microsoft may be addressing that problem when it launches Games On Demand.

Microsoft reps said that any game planned for a Games On Demand will go through a "rigorous" QA process to make sure they work precisely as intended when played from a hard drive.

And mega blockbusters like Halo 3 and GTA IV may need to be "fixed" to become a Games On Demand, something Microsoft seems willing to do.

Oh and one other thing. Those Xbox 360 games you can buy as Games On Demand downloads will be available for purchase via the Web Marketplace, but not through Amazon.com.

While it may have been discussed in the MS press conference thread, I just wanted to hear some thoughts about it from people.

I do think it seems cool and all, but I really can't envision a lot of fun shooter games where I would want to use it. Sure wii sports is fun for party game type shit and joking around with people, or maybe tiger woods could get pretty in depth, but for the most part I play video games to sit on my ass and chill while having fun in an interactive way. Pretty much why tablet type things have their minor uses, I see this being the same way. No hardcore games can really use this function.

The voice command part though could be interesting for like ghost recon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oACt9R9z37U

Announced Games List:

Rock Band: Beatles
Modern Warfare 2
Final Fantasy
Metal Gear Solid: Rising
Joy Ride
Shadow Complex
Tony Hawks: Ride
Alan Wake
Splinter Cell Convictions
Halo:ODST
Halo:Reach
Crackdown 2
Left 4 Dead 2



I linked to some pictures as you are only allowed to post 5.

[Windows2kServerEdition]

I like the movie theater thing they have.
Sounds promising. xD

[Jello]

I own a PS3, but I think Microsoft's E3 was wayyy better than Sony's tbh.

We're getting a PS3 GO, which I doubt anyone will buy... -_-

[Windows2kServerEdition]

Originally Posted by Jello

I own a PS3, but I think Microsoft's E3 was wayyy better than Sony's tbh.

We're getting a PS3 GO, which I doubt anyone will buy... -_-

Sir, that's obvious.
Sony sucks a lot of penis.

[Steve]

Looking forward to:

Modern Warfare 2
Project Natal
Mass Effect 2
Uncharted.
Red Faction
Halo:ODST
Halo - Reach

and possibly other games I cant think of atm.

Originally Posted by Mezala

Hah last.fm, i always go on that site at school for teh musikz.

Avatars;useless
Facebook and twitter shit;faggotry

sir, playlist.com better than last.fm by a ton, also unblocked.

[Brian]

Me likey me 360 alot more now :)

you should sir.

[Siyico1]

The natal wont be as good as made out... peter molyneux is the biggest lier in gaming history.

there's a video, it's already passed my expectations.