A New Dawn in Home Entertainment Begins Today!

New Xbox Experience ushers in a new era of entertainment

TORONTO, ON. — Nov. 18, 2008 —On Nov. 19, 2008 a new era in home entertainment begins with the New Xbox Experience, as millions of Xbox 360 consoles will transform in an instant through the power of software. A bold new future begins now, where high-definition (HD) entertainment is delivered in an instant, the best games share the stage with the best movies, and every experience is shared with friends and family in the same room or around the world.

By the end of this month, Xbox 360 will reach another industry-defining milestone: 25 million Xbox 360 consoles sold worldwide. It has taken the leading next-generation game and entertainment console just three years to eclipse the total lifetime number of original Xbox consoles sold.

“The future of home entertainment is Xbox 360 — it’s on-demand, it’s high-definition, it’s always social, it’s all in one place,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft Corp. “With the New Xbox Experience, we will reach the next generation of Xbox owners, 25 million and beyond. We are at a watershed moment, backed by the largest entertainment brands, with an incredible lineup of entertainment unmatched in any industry.”

All Your Friends and Favourite Entertainment, One Remote Control

With the launch of the New Xbox Experience, Xbox 360 owners will enjoy a limitless world where the best games and movies are ready to share with friends across the globe through Xbox LIVE:

•Xbox LIVE Party. Xbox 360 allows you to create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. With Xbox LIVE Party, use voice chat while you play games,1 share photos in real time 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 serving as an Xbox LIVE Party host, playing a game of “Scene It? Box Office Smash” or chatting with a friend.

•Your personal game room. Play revived classics such as “PAC-MAN Championship Edition,” “Galaga Legions” and “Portal: Still Alive” alongside games that put your avatars in the action, such as “A Kingdom for Keflings,” “UNO,” “Hardwood Hearts” and “Hardwood Spades,” exclusively for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade. Xbox LIVE members also will be able to access all of Xbox LIVE Marketplace, including Xbox LIVE Arcade, and even queue content to download straight from Xbox.com.

•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 maybe even your next door neighbour, and will be exclusive to Xbox LIVE.

The World’s Biggest Names in Entertainment, All in One Place

No device offers more entertainment than Xbox 360. Major film studios around the world unveiled their plans to offer feature films on Xbox LIVE, truly transforming Xbox 360 into the world’s largest online entertainment center:

•New to Xbox LIVE in Canada: Magnolia Pictures. The studio that released such groundbreaking and award-winning feature films as “The World’s Fastest Indian,” “The Host,” “Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room” and “Ong-Bak: The Thai Warrior” will be bringing its slate of compelling feature films to Xbox LIVE in Canada and the U.S.

•Currently available on Xbox LIVE in Canada: Top movie titles from MGM, Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, Paramount Pictures, Maple Pictures, MPI and The Walt Disney Studios

Xbox 360 Puts You in the Spotlight This Holiday

While Xbox 360 has evolved into a world-class entertainment device, it remains the best place to play games. Along with the launch of the New Xbox Experience, two entertainment heavyweights step into the spotlight, ready to wow audiences across the world. Today is the launch of “Lips” and “You’re in the Movies,” two games that promise to get you on your feet and performing like a star.

•“Lips” is an all-new music franchise exclusively for Xbox 360. “Lips” is the only singing game that offers wireless, motion-sensitive microphones and the ability to sing to a diverse list of included songs representing multiple musical genres, ranging from pop, rock and dance to hip-hop, country and R&B, as well as compatible songs from your music collection.2

•“You’re in the Movies” brings out the movie star in everyone this holiday season with its release exclusively on Xbox 360 coming Nov. 18. It’s the first and only game of its kind that transports players into a magical world of cinema and hilarious improvisations. Using the Xbox LIVE Vision camera, friends and families choose a script, act it out and in minutes watch the often hilarious, always entertaining results.

-Screenshots and article courtesy of Xbox Canada