Breaking: Xbox 360 TV

Breaking: Xbox 360 TV

Downloadable TV shows and movies for the 360 were rumored last week and now Microsoft has made it official on "Emergence Day" (the release date for Gears of War). By Christmas, there will be hundreds of hours of entertainment available from a number of sources. [Update 2: We chat with Peter Moore]

Today, Microsoft announced deals with CBS, MTV Networks, Paramount Pictures, Turner Broadcasting System, Ultimate Fighting Championship and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. These agreements will make a plethora of TV shows and movies available for direct download on the Xbox 360 by the end of the year. This marks the first time that a gaming console will have access to standard and high-definition TV shows and movies via digital distribution.

"This groundbreaking announcement is a win for everyone," said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. "It connects our partners with one of the most coveted audiences in entertainment today, and provides even greater value to our Xbox Live community, allowing them to enjoy the games and entertainment they want, when they want it."

These shows will become available November 22, the first anniversary of the Xbox 360. Xbox Live will give "access to full-length TV shows as downloads to own and movies to rent." This includes content from Nascar and Ultimate Fighting Championship available for direct download for the first time.

Among the other shows, there is also Aqua Teen Hunger Force from Adult Swim, CSI from CBS, Chappelle's Show from Comedy Central, SpongeBob SquarePants from Nickelodeon and Hogan Knows Best from VH1. Movies mentioned include M:i:III, Nacho Libre and Jackass: The Movie from Paramount Pictures, and The Matrix, Superman Returns and Batman Forever from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.

[UPDATE] In response to the above announcement by Microsoft, Sony fired back. "PlayStation 3's content is designed for everyone to enjoy right out of the box, no matter which configuration you purchase. We would never shut anyone out of the entertainment experience because they didn't have the money to buy the top of the line system," said Dave Karraker, Sr. Director of Corporate Communications, SCEA. "Both PlayStation 3 versions available on November 17 include hard drives for downloading content."

[UPDATE 2] Following the big announcement we caught up with Peter Moore at the swank BLVD hangout in NYC. First we watched Peter as he danced a round of DDR, which was really a sight not to be missed—its appearance on YouTube is probably imminent. [Here it is!] After showing us his dance moves, Peter graciously sat down with us in a slightly less noisy area in order to answer a few questions.

We tried to pry some price points out of him, but he wouldn't budge. During his presentation, he showed that the content was labeled "free," which he said was "because we haven't figured out what to charge you yet." Nevertheless, the rumor last week suggested a price of about $4 per rental. He explained to us that after you've downloaded a movie, you have 14 days to begin watching it, and once you've hit play then you have 24 hours to watch it as much as you like.

As for why movies can't be purchased, the obvious thought is that the size of the HDD wouldn't be enough to hold many full size feature films, but Peter stated that that really wasn't why. He claimed that it was to protect the content owners/providers. We honestly find that a little hard to believe; after all, MS is allowing TV content to be purchased. But even TV content could fill up the HDD in no time. Moore said that most people wouldn't watch the content many times over and could delete it and then redownload (free of charge) content they've already purchased. But why would consumers want to have to spend time downloading content they own all over again?

It would seem that a release of the rumored 100GB HDD is inevitable. Moore once again claimed that there were no plans for a bigger HDD. We asked him if MS was at least thinking about it, and he replied, "We're always thinking about a lot of things..."

Finally, we asked Moore about his expectations for Gears of War this holiday season, and he said he thinks it will easily sell one million units. He also added that he's very confident still in Microsoft's goal of reaching 10 million Xbox 360s sold by the end of this year.

Additional reporting by James Brightman

by David Radd

Newest Games Shipped and pricing list!

The Shipping News

Return to Ivalice for the Final Fantasy

Here's a list of games that shipped to stores this week:

Final Fantasy XII—PS2—Square Enix—$49.99 (GameStop/EB Games Exclusive Collector's Edition $59.99) Already a raging hit in Japan, Final Fantasy XII finally makes landfall here in the U.S. As Vaan, you must help rescue Dalmasca (and ultimately the world of Ivalice) from Archadian Empire and the powerful Judges. Unreal Anthology—PC—Midway—$29.99 Doesn't get much more Unreal than this. Includes Unreal, Unreal II, Unreal Tournament, Unreal Tournament 2004 and all their respective franchises. ATV Offroad Fury 4—PS2—SCEA—$39.99 Features more than 70 tracks and eight styles of racing. Also allows you to race MX bikes, buggies, trophy trucks and ATVs for the first time in series history. Killzone: Liberation—PSP—SCEA—$39.99 While waiting for Killzone PS3 to reappear on the radar, there's always this to tide things over. Command an A.I. squad mate, and defeat the Helghast invaders from a third-person perspective. Konductra—DS—O~3 Entertainment—$29.99 A variation on the block clearing puzzle formula. Play by yourself or online with Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Power Stone Collection—PSP—Capcom—$29.99 Dreamcast's party/fighter is back. Play in Power Stone 1 and 2, and jump about random wacky environments as you throw everything AND the kitchen sink at your opponents. 1701 A.D.—PC—Aspyr—$39.99 The third game in a franchise, believe it or not. Help found your own flourishing empire during Europe's colonial period. Neverwinter Nights 2—PC—Atari—$49.99 Return to the kingdom of Neverwinter, ye Dungeons and Dragons fans. Features a whole new single-player campaign, extensive character customization and a toolset for creating your own modules. BattleZone—PSP—Atari—$29.99 As the title suggests, an update to the 1980 classic arcade game. Engage in hover-tank warfare by yourself or with friends. The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause—GBA—BVG—$19.99 Perhaps the game of the week if it wasn't for Final Fantasy XII. Ties in with the final movie of the "most epic holiday trilogy ever." Hard Rock Casino—PS2, PSP—Crave—$19.99 (PSP $29.99) The rock and the gamblin' is hard at the Hard Rock Casino. Create a custom avatar and play more than 20 games in over 4 casinos. Dave Mirra BMX Challenge—PSP—Crave—$29.99 Features 17 levels, 9 environments, and 9 bikes to choose from. Options to play with up to 4 players over wireless network. Need for Speed Carbon—PS2, PSP, GCN, PC, GBA, DS, Xbox, Xbox 360—EA—$39.99 (DS, GBA $29.99, PS2 Collector's Edition $49.99, Xbox 360 $59.99, Xbox 360 Collector's Edition $69.99) Winner of the "Largest Alternative Price List in Shipping News" award. Features some plot that involves a lot of racing and using wingman tactics. F.E.A.R.—Xbox 360—Vivendi—$59.99 F.E.A.R. looms over the Xbox 360. Engage in battles with horrific enemies using a "bullet time" ability. Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories—PSP—Rockstar—$49.99 Return to the slick veneer of the 1980s and the pastel colors of Vice City. As Vic Vance, you get to do a variety of missions for a series of colorful characters. Children of Mana—DS—Nintendo—$34.99 Features a story revolving around a magic tree and a holy sword. Play with up to three other people over wireless network. Pokemon Ranger—DS—Nintendo—$34.99 Apparently, based on the movie of the same title. Use the power of Pokemon to protect nature from the bad guys. Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony—PSP—Take-Two Interactive—$39.99 The popular PC action/RPG series goes portable. Hack and slash with your customizable character and your pets and companions. Barbie in The 12 Dancing Princesses—PS2, PC, DS, GBA—Activision—$29.99 Barbie works it out on the floor to save her father the king from her evil Aunt Rowena. Based on her seventh direct to video movie. That's So Raven: Psychic on the Scene—DS—BVG—$29.99 Features over 40 outfits to wear, if you're into that sort of thing. Play as Raven, Chelsea or Eddie in solving various mysteries. by David Radd

ESA: New E3 May Be Smaller than You Think

ESA president Doug Lowenstein has announced that the coming years E3 event will be limited to fewer than 5000.

As an E3 fan, i'm not quite sure how to take this news. I can see where Doug Lowenstein is coming from and the reasons for their decisions. However, letting fans (especially those hardcore fans willing to pay and travel to E3 events) witness the new news and sotfware is a huge edge in my opinion. I wonder what will happen once you take that away from them.....I guess we'll find out the coming year. Check out the article for yourself below and share your thoughts!

ESA: New E3 May Be Smaller than You ThinkThe number of people attending next year's new E3 event may be even fewer than 5,000, according to ESA president Doug Lowenstein (right). Apparently we'll find out soon, as invites are expected to go out within the next month. more...