Instant Messaging comes to Xbox 360

Instant Messaging comes to Xbox 360, expanding the
largest social network on television

Xbox 360 owners can connect with more than 260 million Windows Live Messenger users on Xbox 360, Windows-based PCs and Windows Mobile-powered devices beginning the week of May 7

AUCKLAND 11 April 2007 – Your Xbox LIVE® friends list is about to get a whole lot bigger. Microsoft Corp. announced the launch of Windows Live™ Messenger on Xbox 360™, connecting friends across Xbox 360 consoles, Microsoft® Windows®-based PCs and Windows Mobile®-powered devices. With this update to Xbox 360, friends and families can easily connect and chat directly from their television using Windows Live Messenger, a network of more than 260 million active accounts.

Beginning the week of May 7, 2007, the Xbox 360 Autumn Update will provide Xbox 360 owners worldwide with access to Windows Live Messenger features, broadening the communication options on the Xbox LIVE social network. Members of the six million-strong Xbox LIVE community currently send more than two million text and voice messages a day and can now use Windows Live Messenger to text chat with up to six people on their contact list at one time, while playing games, listening to music or watching movies. Text chat adds to the variety of options friends and families already have to communicate with on Xbox LIVE, including voice and video chat.

Current relationships on Windows Live Messenger and Xbox LIVE will be unified on Xbox 360 and users will see at a glance if their existing friends on Windows Live Messenger have gamertags, instantly expanding the breadth of connected experiences they can share online.

Tom Hunt, Xbox NZ Product Marketing Manager, says, “This is an awesome development. Xbox LIVE is already the largest online console community, with more than 6 million gamers connected worldwide. The integration of Windows Live Messenger will further enhance the social experience Xbox 360 provides.”

He adds, “All New Zealand Xbox LIVE gamers will be able to enjoy the full benefits of video, voice and text chat with their Messenger contacts, as the full service is accessible for both Gold or Silver members.”

This winter Microsoft will launch a QWERTY text-input device, a new accessory that will connect directly into the Xbox 360 controller to support text and instant messaging. Users of Windows Live Messenger on Xbox 360 will also be able to text chat using the virtual keyboard accessible on Xbox 360, or by connecting a USB keyboard to the console.

Beyond Windows Live Messenger, the Autumn Update for Xbox 360 includes hundreds of new features and enhancements including the following:
• A richer Achievement notification pop-up will showcase the name of the unlocked Achievement and the gamerscore value without needing to leave the game to check the Achievements list.
• Enhanced family settings features for Xbox LIVE communications enable different defaults for video chat and voice chat.
• A new Xbox LIVE Marketplace blade lets Xbox LIVE members access the content they seek from one place on Xbox LIVE.
• Updates to Xbox LIVE Arcade allow owners to quickly see which Xbox LIVE Arcade games their friends are playing and join in the fun. Xbox LIVE members can also compare progress of leaderboard scores and Achievements directly with all friends on their friends list. Expanded ‘Tell a Friend’ capabilities make it easier than ever to boast about Achievements and high scores.
• A new option in Auto Downloads provides faster access to the entire collection of free, trial-version Xbox LIVE Arcade games.
• New progressive download controls provide easy access to optimal viewing options by letting people fast-forward, rewind, pause and resume as their video is downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
• Extension of the background download functionality will allow owners to set their Xbox 360 console to turn off automatically after downloads are complete.

The Autumn Update is free beginning the week of May 7 and is easily accessible to every Xbox 360 owner through Xbox LIVE or on Xbox.com.

For further information, please contact:
Jen Ferguson, Pead PR, 09 918 5558, jen@peadpr.co.nz

About Xbox 360
The powerful Xbox 360 video game and entertainment experience delivers amazing games, the next generation of the premier Xbox Live online gaming network, and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 now boasts a catalogue of over 160 high-definition games and is expected to be available in nearly 40 countries by the end of 2007. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Xbox LIVE
Xbox LIVE is the first and only 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 millions of members across nearly 25 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox LIVE Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos, and movie trailers, as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favourite retail games. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/en-us/live.

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