New Xbox 360 Has Built-in Media Center Extender

MEDIA CENTER PC NEWS

May 13th 2005

New Xbox 360 Has Built-in Media Center Extender

Xbox 360 with built-in Media Center Extender

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The Media Center Extender for the Xbox was a useful, if poorly implemented, plugin for Microsoft's console. Now they've gone one better and built it right into the new Xbox 360.

In a launch party televised on MTV last night, Microsoft unveiled details of their new console. Hidden amongst the usual blurb about games (after all, it is a games console) was the news that every unit would have a Media Center Extender included. If you own a Media Center PC, this definitely gives the Xbox 360 an edge over the PS2 or even the new PS3.

Prices are sure to be fairly high on launch, but if the pattern set by previous consoles is repeated, it won't be long before the price of the Xbox 360 drops to around the same price as a standalone Media Center Extender. That's good news even for those of you who don't want an Xbox. Media Center Extender prices will have to drop to compete.

For the record the Xbox 360 itself is powered by a processor with three IBM PowerPC 3.2GHz chips, with a custom ATI 500MHz graphics processor and 512Mb of RAM. The case comes with a disc drawer, two memory card slots, an infra-red receiver for an optional remote control, the power button and two covered USB ports. There is a removable 20GB hard drive. All Xbox 360 games will be formatted for high definition televisions, with a 16:9 widescreen format, 720p or 1080i resolutions and multichannel surround sound.

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