Xbox Gets 1080p Upgrade for Halloween

JogjaTechno - What does Microsoft’s Halloween upgrade to Xbox Live hold in store for gamers? The upgrade has more than 80 new features and enhancements, including support for the much-vaunted 1080p high-definition standard.

According to Microsoft, silver and gold members of the Xbox Live service can download a firmware update to upgrade their Xbox 360 consoles to 1080p HD, free of charge. As long as gamers have a monitor or TV that supports 1080p, as well as a VGA connection, they can then view 1080p games, DVDs, or HD-DVDs, with no additional hardware.

The Pressure’s On

It’s a move that Microsoft had to make, according to Steve Kovsky, who keeps an expert eye on consumer electronics for market-research firm Current Analysis.

“I think they’re under a lot of pressure to come up to the standard that’s being set by the new PlayStation 3 in particular,” he said.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 offers native 1080p support and is expected to be released within the next month, assuming recent delays can be overcome.

Microsoft also plans to release a high-definition DVD drive for use with the Xbox 360, sometime in November. The Xbox Live upgrade includes support for the high-def drive as an add-on.

1080p: Heat or Hype?

1080p is a high-definition standard that offers the highest resolution available for today’s TV screens and computer monitors.

And while it offers superlative quality, there’s still little 1080p content to be had. According to Kovsky, Sony’s impending release of the PlayStation 3, which has 1080p titles in queue, is one of the largest supplies of 1080p content.

“It’s kind of a Catch-22,” says Kovsky. “People think 1080p is cool, but there isn’t really a compelling reason to buy 1080p products yet, because there hasn’t been much to watch.”

Beyond 1080p

That doesn’t mean that gamers and gadget lovers won’t flock to 1080p in time for the holiday season, said Kovsky.

And Microsoft has given them other features to whet their interest, too. The Halloween upgrade includes the ability to stream Windows Media video from a PC running Windows Media Player 11, Windows Media Connect, or Microsoft’s new Zune, as well as the ability to play video from mass storage tools such as USB flash drives.

Support for the Xbox 360 Wireless Headset is also part of the upgrade, as are improvements to the Xbox Live Arcade, where users can now sort games by category or by recently played titles.

There’s also a Friends Leaderboard that lets gamers compare their scores, as well as improved voice quality in Dashboard chats and enhancements to the Xbox 360’s German, Japanese, and Spanish translations.

All this comes just before the looming release of Sony’s PlayStation 3 and Nintendo’s Wii, which, according to Kovsky, forced Microsoft’s hand.

“They’re trying to pre-empt and steal the thunder of the PlayStation 3,” he said.

Tagged Computer News

// October 31st, 2006