Microsoft launches Xbox Music Service coming to Xbox 360 Tomorrow

Microsoft announced the launch of Xbox Music, a new all-in-one music service that gives you the freedom to stream custom-created playlists for free, subscribe to all the music you want or download-to-own your favorite songs. Xbox Music service will go live tomorrow (October 16th) on the Xbox 360, then to the masses with Windows 8 on October 26th.

Xbox Music launches with a global catalog on par with iTunes, offering 30 million tracks from some of the leading music labels around the world. The all-in-one Xbox Music service includes the following:

• Free streaming music on Windows 8 and Windows RT. Enjoy on-demand access to tens of millions of songs for free on all Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets and PCs. Discovering and enjoying free music on Windows 8 and Windows RT is as easy as typing an artist or song name and hitting “play” — songs are instantly available to stream and for you to create an unlimited amount of playlists.
• Xbox Music Pass. Want unlimited access to the songs and artists you care about, including offline access? Get an Xbox Music Pass for ad-free, unlimited playback of any track in our subscription catalog across your tablet, PC, phone and Xbox 3601 for US$9.99 per month.2 Xbox Music Pass also unlocks unlimited access to tens of thousands of music videos on your Xbox 360.
• Xbox Music Store. Want to own the music you love? The Xbox Music Store is a comprehensive MP3 marketplace giving you the opportunity to purchase a single track or entire album on your Windows 8 or Windows RT tablet or PC and Windows Phone 8.
• Smart DJ. Creating a new form of artist-based radio, the Smart DJ feature is a quick and dynamic way to personalize your collection, discover new favorites and create ultimate playlists by launching instant mixes based on your favorite artists. With unlimited skips and a view of the full recommended music stream, Smart DJ puts you in control of your Internet radio experience.
• Cloud Storage. Available in the coming year, a scan-and-match feature will take you beyond the 30 million tracks globally offered through Xbox Music. It will add all the music you own to your Xbox Music cloud catalog, including music acquired through other services. This means you can add almost any content you have to your personal Xbox Music collection, even if it’s not available in the Xbox Music catalog.
• Social Music. Xbox Music will add unique social features in the coming year that let you share your music experiences with friends and family.
• Platform Expansion. Xbox Music will become available on other platforms in the coming year.

Free streaming on Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets and PCs launches October 26 in 15 markets worldwide. Xbox Music Pass will be available for Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 in 22 markets worldwide; it will begin rolling out tomorrow on Xbox 360 in the same markets. Xbox Music Store will also be accessible on Windows 8, Windows RT and Windows Phone 8 in 22 markets worldwide as devices become available.

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Amazon Instant Video Now Available on Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE Gold Unlocked - June 1st to 3rd

Amazon and Microsoft introduced a new Amazon Instant Video app for Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers that gives customers access to movies and TV episodes on their Xbox 360 console. The app also offers access to Prime Instant Video, a service with more than 17,000 movies and TV episodes available to Prime members at no additional cost. Customers who are Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers can find the free Amazon Instant Video app in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360.

Other customized entertainment apps are available on the Xbox LIVE service:-

Antena 3. Spain

All the TV shows, all the programs and all the characters of your favorite series can be found on the Xbox Antena3 app. You can follow and enjoy all your programs when you want and how you want.

MLB.TV. Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Taiwan

With today’s MLB.TV expansion, fans around the world in 26 countries can now designate their favorite teams to ensure the live games, recaps and highlights they care about most are at the forefront each time they turn on their Xbox. International audiences are able to watch every regular season Major League Baseball game without blackout restrictions live in HD with MLB.TV. That’s 2,430 games live or on-demand—almost 100 games per week during the regular season, right on your Xbox 360. And with Kinect, you can even play, pause, and rewind the game with your voice or a wave of your hand.

MUZU.TV. Australia, New Zealand

MUZU.TV, love music love video. Over 40,000 music videos at your command using the power of Kinect. Videos and brand new releases from the world’s biggest and up and coming artists, great music videos from every decade, and the latest music news and interviews.

Microsoft also unlocking Xbox LIVE Gold subscription service in various regions from Friday, June 1st through Sunday, June 3rd – no Xbox LIVE Gold membership required for this time. Through this promotion, anyone In the U.S., Japan, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia and Chile with an Xbox will be able to enjoy multi-player gaming experiences featured on the Xbox LIVE service.

Additionally, in the U.S. only, the below customized entertainment apps will be unlocked:

• Amazon Instant Video
• IGN
• Manga Entertainment
• MUZU.TV

Source:- Major Nelson, Amazon

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2010 The Biggest Year in Xbox History

The debut of Kinect and smash-hit games like “Fable III” and “Halo: Reach,” drove Xbox to the biggest year in its history in 2010.

More December 2010 highlights from NPD, an independent market research firm, include:

• Xbox 360 was the only console to show year-over-year growth at 42 percent, making it the fastest-growing console in 2010.
• With $6.2 billion spent at retail, more money was spent on Xbox 360 than any current generation console in 2010.
• December Xbox 360 console sales remained strong, with 1.9 million units sold, our biggest month ever in the history of Xbox 360.
• During December, three of the top 10 console game titles were for Xbox 360, including “Call of Duty: Black Ops,” “Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood” and “Kinect Sports.”

Last week at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Microsoft ended the year with 50 million Xbox 360 consoles sold worldwide since launch, 30 million active Xbox LIVE members and 8 million Kinect sensors sold in just the first 60 days on the market.

Due to hit the market in 2011: the highly anticipated game title “Gears of War 3,” new Kinect entertainment experiences such as Hulu Plus and Avatar Kinect and more.

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Kinect for Xbox 360 brings Voice Control to Entertainment

Microsoft announced the launch of an all-new Xbox 360 experience including the first group of new, custom applications from world leading TV and entertainment content providers on Xbox LIVE.

Beginning today and over the coming weeks, Bing on Xbox voice search will initially be available in English in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. for Zune video, Xbox LIVE Marketplace and select content partners. For those who do not have a Kinect for Xbox 360, text search will be available in Xbox LIVE markets.
And as far as entertainment is a concern, Microsoft now rolling out the following new entertainment partners and apps

December 6:

• EPIX. United States
• ESPN on Xbox LIVE (ESPN). United States
• Hulu. Japan
• Hulu Plus. United States
• LOVEFiLM. United Kingdom
• Netflix. Canada, United States
• Premium Play by (MediaSet). Italy
• Sky Go (SkyDE). Germany
• Telefónica España – Movistar Imagenio. Spain
• TODAY (MSNBC). United States

Later in December:

• 4 on Demand (C4). United Kingdom
• ABC iView (Australian Broadcasting Corp.). Australia
• AlloCiné. France (AlloCiné), Germany (Filmstarts), Spain (Sensacine), United Kingdom (Screenrush)
• Astral Media’s Disney XD (Astral Media). Canada
• blinkbox (Blinkbox). United Kingdom
• Crackle (Sony Pictures). Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, United States
• Dailymotion. Available in 32 countries globally
• Demand 5 (Five). United Kingdom
• DIGI+ (CANAL+). Spain
• GolTV (Mediapro). Spain
• iHeartRadio (Clear Channel). United States
• Mediathek/ZDF (ZDF). Germany
• MSN. Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom
• MSNBC.com. United States
• MUZU.TV. Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
• ninemsn. Australia
• Real Sports (Maple Leaf Sports). Canada
• Rogers On Demand Online (Rogers Media). Canada
• SBS ON DEMAND.Australia
• Sky Go (SkyDE). Austria
• TMZ (Warner Bros.). Canada, United States
• TVE (RTVE.es). Spain
• UFC on Xbox LIVE (UFC). Canada, United States
• Verizon FiOS TV. United States
• VEVO. Canada, Ireland, United Kingdom, United States
• Vudu (Wal-Mart). United States
• YouTube. Available in 24 countries globally

Early 2012:

• Antena 3 (Antena 3 de Televisión). Spain
• BBC (BBC). United Kingdom
• CinemaNow (Best Buy). United States
• HBO GO (HBO). United States
• MLB.TV (MLB Advanced Media). Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Columbia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States
• Telenovelas/Sports (Televisa). Brazil, Chile, Colombia, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom
• Xfinity On Demand (Comcast). United States

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Microsoft released a new Xbox Development Kit

Microsoft has released a brand new Xbox Development Kit that is designed to increase efficiency and reduce cost for Xbox 360 development teams of all sizes. It will feature additional RAM for development purposes, built-in flash memory, larger hard disk drives and a smaller form factor at a significantly reduced price from its predecessor.

The new XDK console gives developers the option to license a Sidecar attachment that enables debugging and disc emulation. Not all members of a development team need these capabilities, so this new Sidecar option offers greater flexibility for studios. The Sidecar can be shared among multiple XDK consoles, removing the need to license additional higher cost debugging consoles. These changes will reduce the overall price to create, test, debug, and release an Xbox 360 or Xbox LIVE Arcade game.

The new XDK and Sidecar will be available to all developers who have existing licensing contracts with Microsoft. When the new XDK console launches, it will become the standard kit when fulfilling new orders.

Independent developers without publishing contracts who are interested in creating games for Xbox 360 should look into XNA Game Studio, which can be used with standard retail Xbox 360 consoles. XNA Game Studio is available to download for free on App Hub at http://create.msdn.com. By becoming members of App Hub, developers can launch their titles on Xbox LIVE Indie Games without a publishing contract.

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VUDU Launches on Xbox 360

Walmart today announced the launch of its popular VUDU entertainment service on Xbox 360. Xbox LIVE customers can now shop VUDU's library using new, interactive features such as voice search, voice control and Kinect gesture commands to rent or own the latest Hollywood hits, TV shows, cinema classics and independent gems in standard or high definition.

To encourage customers to try VUDU on Xbox, VUDU is offering a $4.99 credit toward their first rental or purchase. Also, through today only (11:30 p.m. PST) at Walmart.com, customers can get free shipping to home on Microsoft Xbox 360 consoles, games and accessories and still receive in time for Christmas.

Kinect for Xbox 360 offers customers the ability to become the controller, using their body and Bing voice search to browse VUDU's expansive catalog, and their voice to play, pause, fast forward or rewind content. Because VUDU is a cloud-based service, content purchased via the Xbox LIVE service is viewable on other VUDU-enabled devices or platforms including game consoles, Internet-connected Blu-ray players and HDTVs, tablets, computers, Walmart.com and more. Also, content purchased on any of these platforms can be viewed on the Xbox LIVE service.

 

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Xbox.com Makeover "in coming days"-Adding new Social features, Beacon, Videos

Microsoft in a blog post on Xbox.com forum announced a "significant update" for Xbox.com in the coming days. The old My Xbox is being superceded by the new “Social” section which lets you see at a glance what your friends are up to and also gives you early access to one of the coolest features coming in the next Xbox 360 dashboard update. Xbox.com users can check out Beacons which lets you mark games you want to play with others, making it easier to find friends who want to play the same games.

The new update also revamped the Video section that lets you browse the Zune video catalog and purchase movies and TV shows to watch later on your Xbox 360, Windows Phone, or Zune media player. Hit the source link below for additional details.

Source:- Xbox

 

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2012 Xbox LIVE Update Public Beta Now Available

Microsoft today announced that the 2012 Xbox LIVE update public beta now available which includes select dashboard features including: Internet Explorer for Xbox; Personalized dashboard recommendations and Enhanced category search and discovery features. Xbox LIVE subscribers who want the latest updates on their consoles can sign-up for public beta update (you can find the link at the end of this post) by agreeing to a non-disclosure agreement for confidentiality reasons.

If you’re selected as a tester, an update will be pushed to your console once the public beta kicks off. The update will contain select dashboard features, including:

• Internet Explorer for Xbox
• Personalized dashboard recommendations
• Enhanced category search and discovery features

Note: A console in the program is expected to remain fully compatible with standard retail consoles not in the program.

Signup for 2012 Xbox LIVE Update Beta

Source:- Major Nelson

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White Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle Announced

Microsoft announced the new Xbox 360 Special Edition 4GB Kinect Family Bundle which includes a glossy white Xbox 360 4GB console, glossy white Kinect sensor, white Xbox 360 wireless controller and a copy of two of the most popular Kinect tiles: Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures as well as a three month subscription to Xbox LIVE Gold and will be available while supplies last for US $ 299.99.

In addition, a special edition White Xbox 360 wireless controller will be available for purchase separately for US $49.99 and available with the bundle.

Both the controller and the white Bundle begin shipping today to retailers in the US and around the world starting today, and will be available in Europe and Brazil in the next few months.

Via

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Voice Search Coming to Xbox LIVE

Microsoft at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) announced voice search with Bing on Xbox 360. Bing on Xbox searches Netflix, Hulu Plus and ESPN, as well as music, video and Xbox LIVE Marketplace to find exactly the entertainment you want to enjoy. With Bing on Xbox and Kinect for Xbox 360, you can effortlessly find the games, movies, TV shows, sports and music you want.

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Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 console bundle Announced; up for pre-order

Microsoft revealed the Xbox 360 Limited Edition Halo 4 console bundle  and is now up for pre-order and will arrive in stores with the launch of Halo 4 on November 6th, 2012 for $399.99.

This bundle contains an exclusive, custom-designed console and two exclusive controllers inspired by the game, a standard edition copy of Halo 4, a wired headset, a 320GB hard drive, built-in Wi-Fi, and Xbox LIVE tokens for exclusive "Halo 4" in-game and avatar marketplace downloadable content. The “ring of light” on the console, as well as the Xbox Guide button of the controller will showcase a glowing blue color to match the overall "Halo 4" color scheme.

In addition to the limited edition console bundle, Microsoft and 343 Industries are releasing a standalone Xbox 360 "Halo 4" Limited Edition Wireless Controller. The graphics on this controller will feature the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) emblem on a dark grey translucent body, and will include an Avatar T-shirt as exclusive downloadable content. The Halo 4 Limited Edition Wireless controller will also feature the "Halo 4" glowing blue Xbox Guide button. This product will be available by November 6th, 2012 and is priced at $59.99.

Source:- Amazon, Major Nelson

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Hulu Plus now Available on Xbox Live

Hulu Plus is now available on Xbox Live letting you watch hit current TV shows, classic series, and acclaimed movies anytime. The Hulu Plus service will be available to all Xbox Live users for free from April 29 through May 6. After that, only Xbox Live Gold members — i.e. those that pay a yearly subscription fee — will be able to access Hulu Plus on their game consoles. That’s $60 a year in addition to Hulu Plus’s $7.99 a month subscription cost.

Hulu Plus Xbox 360 Review