I'm late with this as I've been working on the Official PlayStation Magazine all day and couldn't blog. Anyway, Microsoft has had a busy CES featuring exciting speculation, new hardware and superstar keynotes. The fun started yesterday when confirmation of an Xbox 360 update hit technology site Engadget. The upgraded machine, codenamed Zephyr, is apparently set to offer the re-sized 65nm processor as well as an HDMI port and a 120GB hard drive. Due out later this year, Zephyr has pretty much everything fans have been asking for from a re-thought machine - HDMI, of course, gives the platform full 1080p HD compatibility at last, while the larger HD makes sense given the console's new role as a storage dept for downloaded movies.
And that's not all.
Today, Microsoft revealed that a new version of its IPTV technology would be engineered for Xbox 360 in time for next Christmas. The service delivers broadcast TV across broadband networks and features a digital recording function. Keynote speaker Robbie Bach, Microsoft's head of entertainment, talked about expanding the Xbox 360 market - although surely working on a Guitar Hero or SingStar competitor would have been cheaper and easier?
Never mind. You can read more on Technology Blog and yet Seattle PI. Bill Gates' vision of a converged, connected home with digital entertainment streamed about wirelessly from room to room takes one step closer to realisation whether we understand/want it or not.
Finally, the company unveiled lots of Vista stuff that I'm not really interested, as well as one bit I am - there have long been plans to connect Windows and Xbox 360 gamers online, allowing them to compete against each other. Today Microsoft, was showing off the first two titles to support the concept - Microsoft Game Studios' Shadowrun and Mattel's UNO.
There was also a bit of news about Vista's collection of downloadable casual games, including conversions of Bliss Island, Luxor 2 and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved.
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