Xbox 360 Update to Add 1080p Support

Microsoft's November update to its Xbox 360 game console will include support for 1080p games and movies and support for the Xbox 360 HD DVD player.

Beginning tomorrow—October 31, 2006—Xbox 360 users will be able to download a free system update which adds significant new features to the company’s standalone gaming console. Chief among the added capabilities: support for games and movies at native 1080p resolution, support for Microsoft’s forthcoming HD DVD drive for the Xbox 360, and the ability to play stream WMV video from Windows systems running Windows Media Connect or Windows Media Player 11—or from CD, DVD, USB storage device, or connected PC.

The November update also adds numerous enhancements to Xbox Live Arcade (including auto-download of new demos, an improved leaderboard, new categories, and faster listing of games), support for Zune media streaming, wireless headset support and support for amateur games built using Microsoft’s XNA Game Studio Express.

The update will be distributed via Microsoft’s Xbox Live service and will be free for download to all members (Silver and Gold!) with no hard drive or disc required. Microsoft has posted a list of all 85 enhancements included in the update.