At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), Microsoft Corp. world premiered Kinect for Xbox 360, formerly known as “Project Natal,” in a spectacular live performance imagined by Cirque du Soleil. Unlike anything seen or experienced before, Kinect for Xbox 360 opens a new world of controller-free games and entertainment so everyone can have fun.

In addition to Kinect, Xbox showcased new and easy ways to enjoy music, movies and sports with friends and family. It also demonstrated that Xbox 360 remains the only place to play the biggest exclusive blockbusters with “Gears of War 3” and what promises to be the biggest game of 2010, “Halo: Reach.” For its grand finale, the company surprised everyone with the launch of a new Xbox 360 console, designed for the future of games and entertainment. The new console ships to retailers tomorrow.

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The Year We All “Kinect”
Kinect for Xbox 360 brings roaring rapids, wild tigers, mountainous obstacle courses and zooming racecars to living rooms in North America on Nov. 4 and will roll out to the rest of the world thereafter. Uniquely magical and instantly fun, Kinect for Xbox 360 tracks your body movements and gestures. It even understands your voice.

By taking technology out of your hands for the first time, Kinect lets people who have never picked up a game controller join the excitement. See a ball? Just kick it. Want to learn how to dance or get fit? Just follow the moves. With Kinect, all you have to do is be you — no controller required.

Kinect also puts your favorite movies, television shows and music at your fingertips, turning ordinary entertainment into an extraordinary experience.1 Jump right into a movie in instant-on 1080p HD2 by simply saying “Xbox, play.” Browse a selection of millions of songs with just a wave of your hand. Kinect instantly makes playing games, watching movies and listening to music more fun and interactive than ever before, and it is available only on Xbox 360.

The New Xbox 360
Microsoft also surprised the world with a new Xbox 360 console designed for the future. Back in black, the new Xbox 360 is sleek, silent and sexy. Connect in seconds to the always- expanding world of Xbox LIVE through built-in Wi-Fi N and store twice as many games and entertainment on 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 input, 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.