New Xbox Experience ushers in a new era of entertainment with LIVE parties, avatars and more

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - November 19, 2008 - A new era of entertainment begins today. Millions of Xbox 360 consoles worldwide will be transformed through the power of software, offering a bold new future for the Xbox 360, where experiences are shared with friends and families, in the same room or around the world.
By the end of this month, Xbox 360 is scheduled to reach another industry defining milestone; 25 million Xbox 360 consoles sold worldwide. It has taken the leading next generation game and entertainment console just three years to eclipse the total lifetime number of original Xbox (version 1) consoles sold.
"Xbox 360 is getting a whole new look," said Andrew Jenkins, Xbox 360 Product Marketing Manager for games and LIVE. "From today Xbox owners are able to download a new user interface for their consoles, effectively updating their Xbox through Xbox LIVE. Xbox 360 now boasts a more user-friendly look and allows users to create online parties, chat with friends, share pictures, create avatars of themselves and much more," added Jenkins.

Entertain friends and enjoy your favourite entertainment

With today's update Xbox 360 owners will enjoy a highly interactive world ready to share with friends across the globe through Xbox LIVE:

• Xbox LIVE Party: Allows you to create a virtual party on your TV with up to seven friends. With Xbox LIVE Party, finding and interacting with friends via voice chat while you play games, as well as sharing photos in real time and entertaining friends all over the world has never been easier.
• Personality plus: Create a customisable virtual representation of yourself (avatar) and literally jump into the world of Xbox LIVE. Your avatar is your game-face and represents your personality - whether you are a LIVE Party host, playing a game of "Scene It? Box Office Smash" or chatting with a friend.
• Your Personal Games Room: Revive gaming classics like "PAC-MAN Championship Edition" and "Galaga Legions" alongside games that literally put your avatars in the action like "Bomberman LIVE," "Hardwood Hearts" and "UNO," exclusively for download from Xbox LIVE Arcade. Xbox LIVE members will also be able to access all of Xbox LIVE Marketplace, including Xbox LIVE Arcade, and even queue content to download straight from Xbox.com.