Xbox 360, Media Center to Connect Up

Microsoft announced at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles on Tuesday that users of its Xbox 360 gaming console and Windows XP Media Center Edition would work together through a free update from the company. Called the Media Center Extender, it will allow users to pull content off their Media Center PCs and play them on the screen where the Xbox is attached.

"Microsoft continues to advance its vision of digital entertainment anywhere," said Will Poole, senior vice president at Microsoft. "By seamlessly integrating Microsoft's premium entertainment devices, we are greatly enhancing the ways in which our customers will experience entertainment in and around their homes."

While only two million Media Center-enabled PCs have been sold since the operating system was released, Microsoft hopes that the new capabilities within Xbox 360 will spur sales for both the console and computers equipped with the operating system.

The Media Center Extender will also allow users to stream high-definition content from the PCs, and will allow the user to receive game invitations or chat with friends while watching recorded or live television. The Media Center experience will be accessible by pressing a green button on the Xbox remote.

"By integrating diverse technology expertise and innovations across the company, Microsoft is able to deliver rich digital entertainment experiences that consumers have been asking for," said Robbie Bach, chief Xbox officer at Microsoft.

The update for Media Center is expected to be available sometime in the second half of 2005 before the launch of Xbox 360, scheduled for this Christmas.