xMicrosoft announced the first nongame application for its Xbox video game console Monday and touted a handful of high-profile games intended to boost the system"s cachet among hardcore players.
The unveiling of the Xbox Music Mixer was the most striking announcement at the company"s press conference held in advance of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) trade show here. The $40 package, set to go on sale this fall, will include PC and Xbox software that will allow owners to transfer digital music and photos from their computer to the console"s hard drive.
"We have to expand the definition of interactive entertainment," Microsoft executive Ed Fries said during the presentation, promising the music software would "unlock more of the entertainment potential of Xbox."
David Hufford, Microsoft product manager, said before the press conference that the package helps expand the utility of the Xbox by allowing it to become a conduit for running slideshows on a television and for doing karaoke using the microphone included in the kit.