Despite assurances that it is does indeed have a 3D strategy, Microsoft omitted any mention of the merging tech from its E3 press conference press conference. And now it seems that the platform holder has cooled any plans it has regarding future 3D support.
“If you look at the costs of entry into the living room and when that's going to become mass-market, we think the offering with Kinect and the natural user-interface we're bringing, that's a more compelling proposition for consumers over the coming years than maybe looking at 3D at this point,” UK boss Neil Thompson told AfterDawn.
The lack of E3 news at E3 was all the more bewildering considering the confirmation that EA’s Crysis 2 will offer stereoscopic functionality on both PS3 and Xbox 360.
Microsoft’s gamble is a risky one. With Sony placing plenty of resource into the PS3’s 3D push, if the technology does take off it will give PS3 a tangible advantage in the marketplace.

http://www.pcr-online.biz/news/33763/Microsoft-claims-3D-is-too-expensive

ESPN has signed an "exclusive deal" with Xbox Live to bring sports events to Microsoft's console.

The network will bring 3500 live sport events to 360 including Soccer, NBA collage basketball, collage football and more.

The service looked very similar to the Sky service currently available in Europe. A pair of lippy ESPN pundits (Robert Green jokes and all) even showed off ESPN working hands-free with Kinect.

ESPN will be available to Gold members at no extra cost.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=251174?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-General-RSS

Microsoft has revealed Kinectimals, a virtual pet title that - as the name suggests - makes use of the new Kinect controller for Xbox 360.
The title is aimed at young children and features 40 different animals, with up to 30 different activities to take part in.
The game makes use of Kinect's motion and voice recognition capabilities. It was announced during Microsoft's E3 press conference in LA.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39492/XBOX...-coming-to-360

At first we were doubtful that a edgy box appearing in a little Flash ad from Italy last night could be legit, but Microsoft just got real with the new Xbox 360 Elite. It'll launch today priced for $299, while the old Elite will stick around for $249 and the Arcade will drop to $149. The new box is crazy sexy, in our eyes, and it's got integrated 802.11n WiFi and 250GB of storage -- we're told the hard drive is removable, although it's not a standard drive or same drive as the old console, which makes us wonder how upgrading will go. There's also an intriguing new port on the back that looks like an HTC-style ExtUSB port -- we're guessing it's related to Kinect in some way -- and it also seems like the power supply has moved inside the case, which is a welcome change. New Xbox 360 units are shipping to retailers now, with availability expected later this week, and MS conference attendees are actually getting theirs shipped today.

If you're in Europe, don't fret, as yours is coming soon. Microsoft's official Xbox Twitter account has confirmed the console hits there on July 16.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/14/s...y-looks-angul/