14 DAY TRIAL // At the start of the past week Microsoft unveiled a new Natural User Interface (NUI)-based interaction model for its gaming console, as well as the next generation of Xbox 360. Dubbed Xbox 360 S, the new console is already available for purchase from retail outlets both online and “offline.” For gamers that are yet to get their hands on a new Xbox 360, Microsoft is offering a set of wallpapers for download, courtesy of Steve Clayton. The three backgrounds, available at different resolutions can be downloaded from Clayton’s website.
“At Microsoft, we believe fun is a universal magnet, uniting us and connecting us all together,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “We believe interactive entertainment is the greatest form of all entertainment, and it should be open and approachable to as many people as possible. It is this belief that led us to remove the last barrier between you and the entertainment you love. By making you the controller, we will transform how you and your friends experience games and entertainment.”
Xbox 360 S was released at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) and offered for purchase as of July 15th. Concomitantly with the new console, Microsoft also announced that Project Natal, its NUI device allowing gamers to interact with Xbox 360 without using a controller, would be available as Kinect for Xbox 360. The new Xbox 360 S is not only designed to play nice with Kinect, but it also comes with Wi-Fi N and a 250GB hard drive.
“The newly designed console is whisper-quiet, so the silent tension of a game or movie is never broken. The new Xbox 360 system also comes with everything you need to get started, including an Xbox 360 wireless controller, Xbox 360 headset, HDMI output, USB flash drive storage capabilities and more, and a one-year limited warranty on the console, available this week and priced at $299.99 ERP,” Microsoft stated last week.