My pal Brian Seitz over on the Zune Insider revealed a brand new (and very awesome looking) Zune yesterday – the Zune HD.

This awesome looking new device comes with an OLED screen with multi touch, an HD Radio receiver, HD video out capabilities, AND a web browser! Find out more about the Zune HD here. The Zune HD will be hitting the market later this year. I’m definitely getting one of these!

Oh and Zune will also be coming to the Xbox 360, taking over the existing video marketplace. Expect to hear more about this at E3 taking place in Los Angeles next week.

You can read the full press release for these 2 announcements here on PressPass.

Brian says there is more news to come. I suggest keeping your eyes on the Zune Insider.

The evolution of technology never ceases to amaze us. For one, not all people have to spend that much to enjoy games that we only get to see in game consoles such as the Playstation or Xbox. But thank it all to game developers who, if they haven’t made a PC version, have come up with game emulators to allow gamers enjoy them from their own PC.

If you will notice, there are no specified hardware requirements. But regardless, PC users know for a fact that if they want to play these games, then they need higher specs as far as video cards are concerned. Did you think that with these emulators you would not have to consider such options as well?

We can turn from games dating back to Street Fighter and Super Mario Brothers. Today we even see the WWE series that can be played on the PC. Classic or not, it just remains that these games are entertainment outlets that make any avid gamer enjoy them at any time that they want to. So if you think you have to buy these pricey game consoles, check out the available emulators. They are a lot cheaper and economical to use.

Many geeks may have tried this already and of course nothing compares to the real thing. But rather than spend hundred of dollars for a gaming console, why not make do with one that can be played on your computer. You can choose to use either your keyboard or mouse. Perhaps even a joystick if you love the game so much. Nothing beats the real thing but at least you can play it without spending additional expenses.

New game in the Halo 3 series was just announced - Halo 3 Recon! Yes, I am a Halo fan boy

If your PC is running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate, you have a great feature set you may not even know about: Windows Media Center.

Windows Media Center can turn your PC from a “plain vanilla” computer into something pretty powerful and impressive: the hub of your entertainment system.  Surprised?  Well (if you ask nicely), I’ll tell you more.

Use Windows Media Center to browse your music collection by cover art or year, organize photos and create albums and jazz up custom slide shows with music.  If you’re a sports fan, you’ll definitely want to check out your favorite team’s scores and stats on SportsLounge (U.S. and Canada only).

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And if you like movies and TV, you’ll enjoy Internet TV Beta. This new feature allows you to play free streaming video content on demand, choosing from more than 100 hours of TV entertainment, music concerts, movie trailers, news, and sports content from MSN Video.

Are you a film buff?  If so, you’re in luck.  Windows Media Center, you can watch movies on DVD and stream or download movies from a growing list of content providers through Online Media-an innovative portal that helps you find movies over the Internet.  If you want a quick glimpse of all the movies you’ve recorded or the movies coming up on TV, check out the Movies Guide. You can see movie jackets, search for films by actor, director, genre, or title, and read descriptions and reviews of the films.

TV features are some of the most exciting in Windows Media Center.  You can watch, pause, and rewind live TV shows in standard and high definition (HDTV available only in the U.S.)1. Schedule recordings with the Electronic Programming Guide and find shows in the Windows Media Center Recorded TV library using picture thumbnails from the actual programs. You can also view live TV through Picture-in-Picture or as a background while performing other activities in Windows Media Center.

Want to save what you’ve recorded?  No problem.  Go ahead and burn your favorite shows to DVD.  Windows Media Center will even create a simple DVD menu, which you can navigate using your DVD remote.

Right about now, you’re probably thinking “Hey, this sounds pretty good - but I’ll bet set-up is complicated.”  Not so!  A TV tuner is all you need to start enjoying live TV on your Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate PC.2  Just plug your TV antenna, cable, or the video output from your satellite set-top box into your TV tuner, open Windows Media Center, and follow the appropriate set-up instructions.  To find out what else you need to perform specific functions in Windows Media Center, take a look at the handy chart here.

Some Windows Media Center users like to stream their digital media throughout the house.  If that appeals to you, Extenders for Windows Media Center are just the ticket.  And here’s a tip:  If you have an Xbox 360, you already have a first-rate extender available.

1 Enjoying live and recorded HD content may require additional equipment, including but not limited to an HD compatible receiver, tuner, set-top box, and TV or other display.

2 Windows Media Center supports as many as two NTSC Standard tuners and two ATSC HD TV tuners, for a maximum of four TV tuners in a Windows Media Center PC but not limited to an HD compatible receiver, tuner, set-top box, and TV or other display.

Just in time for holiday, Microsoft Corp. today released a new Xbox 360^® console that delivers games and content to everyone in the family for an incredible value of $279.99 (U.S. estimated retail price)*. Available in stores beginning today, Xbox 360 Arcade console is the first Xbox 360 console to include five family-friendly games, a wireless controller, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) connection to enable high-definition output if desired and 256 MB of memory useful for storing games and entertainment content. At $279.99, the Xbox 360 Arcade console will include five best-selling games: “PAC-MAN Championship Edition” (NAMCO BANDAI Games America Inc.), “Uno” (Carbonated Games), “Luxor 2” (MumboJumbo), “Boom Boom Rocket” (Electronic Arts Inc.) and “Feeding Frenzy” (Sprout Games).

“As families gather together this holiday, it’s the perfect time to launch a new low-priced, high-value Xbox 360 that plays games, TV shows and music for everyone to enjoy,” said Jeff Bell, corporate vice president of global marketing, Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “In addition to offering an incredible all-in-one package for families to get right into the fun, the Xbox 360 Arcade system features the industry-leading Family Settings, which allow parents to control what their kids are watching and playing — and we know how important that control is to families around the world.”

Karen Dodge, senior vice president and chief merchandising officer at Toys “R” Us, added, “We are excited to offer this new gaming experience to our customers — children and families — who can now enjoy the fun of Xbox 360 together. Many of this holiday season’s hottest items provide Internet connectivity, and with the online entertainment options available through Xbox LIVE^®, Xbox 360 Arcade offers families a great mix of online content and traditional gaming in one console.”

source- Microsoft Press release

Microsoft has admitted that the Halo 3 Limited Edition Game Disc suffers from case scratching problems and has offered to replace the discs free of charge under its disc replacement replacement scheme which they usually charge for. The program will cover the Halo 3 LE game disc essentials disc at no charge until the end of the year.

If, for any reason, you have a damaged Microsoft® Xbox 360™ disc and like to replace it, please review the information below:

THIS PROGRAM IS GOOD ONLY FOR XBOX 360 CONSOLE OWNERS IN COUNTRIES WHERE XBOX 360 IS SOLD AT AUTHORIZED RETAIL LOCATIONS.

NOTE: This program covers the Halo 3 Limited Edition Game Disc and Essentials Disc at no charge through 12/31/07.

News Source: www.xbox.com (via www.maxconsole.net)