With Zune 2.0, Microsoft can now afford to go all out to the extreme. The Redmond company announced that Zune would act as the exclusive digital media sponsor at 2008 Winter X Games. In this regard, Zune will be on location between January 24-27 in Aspen/Snowmass, Colorado, as an accessory to the premier extreme sports event worldwide. Microsoft will try nothing more than to steal the show away with its digital media player, as the event will be saturated with Zune advertising across a variety of media from print to TV and online materials.

"Attendees can visit the Zune interactive village booth, where they can try out the new Zune wireless media players and take part in special giveaways and promotions. On display will be 10 customized Burton snowboards featuring Zune Originals artwork that have been created exclusively for the Winter X Games. Zune Originals gives individuals the option to customize their own Zune player with laser-engraved designs and personal text via an online store, where they can choose from a collection of artwork designed exclusively for Zune by 18 internationally recognized artists," Microsoft revealed.

Microsoft will strongly emphasize the universe of content built around Zune. First off, the focus will be placed on the Zune Originals customization options made available especially for the event. And on top of this, the Redmond company will also push to the foreground Zune Social, the social networking hotspot that has had a community of over 1.5 million since its debut in late 2007.

"Through Zune Social, people can view friends' Zune Cards or those of others in the community to see what they are listening to and discover new artists and bands. Since it was introduced in November, over 1.5 million people have signed up for the Social," Microsoft added.

And the 2008 Winter X Games participants, that will also give Zune the time of day, will be able to enjoy the advances introduced by Zune Client software, version 2.3. On January 22nd, Microsoft has updated Zune Client software introducing a range of improvements from marketplace fixes to setup enhancements, resolving synchronization problems and library issues. Microsoft Zune 2.3 is available for download here.