News from Microsoft Ireland: Consumer

Microsoft Lowers Xbox 360 Estimated Retail Price in Ireland

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:34:51 GMT

With Estimated Retail Pricing From €179.99and the best line up of Games and Entertainment For Everyone, Xbox 360 is aiming to win in Europe

Dublin: 16th September 2008 - Imagine if friends and families had the ability to instantly watch movies and share pictures, live out their musical fantasies through “Lips” (iNiS Corp./Microsoft Game Studios) and “Rock Band” (Harmonix/MTV Games) and star in their own Hollywood classics with “You’re in the Movies” (Codemasters/Microsoft Game Studios) — all from one console, starting at an estimated retail price (ERP) of only €179.99. That is the Xbox 360™, and Microsoft today announced the new lower ERP for its Xbox 360 family of consoles in Europe. Now with an entry-level ERP of €179.99 and offering a plethora of exciting and broad entertainment in the living room, Xbox 360 is the true home of mass market entertainment with something to offer for every interest and budget.

From Friday, 19th September, Xbox 360, which includes a 60GB hard drive and one wireless controller, will have an ERP of €239.99. The Xbox 360 Elite, which comes with a massive 120GB hard drive enabling consumers to store huge quantities of content downloaded from Xbox LIVE™ Marketplace as well as their own music, will have an ERP of €299.99. The Xbox 360 Arcade console, perfect for those wishing to make their first foray into the gaming and entertainment world of Xbox, will have an ERP of €179.99.

The new ERPs are part of Microsoft’s ongoing strategy to open up the ultimate in high-definition gaming and entertainment to an even wider audience, with something for everyone. A major part of this strategy is a new Xbox LIVE online experience coming to Europe this autumn that will reinvent home entertainment from the inside out, with a bold new look and feel that is fun, social and simple to use. It’s the first time in history that a mass market consumer electronics device has been reinvented through free software, changing the way we play games, watch movies, and even become contestants in game shows. Along with the new Xbox experience, the Xbox 360 platform is offering a stunning games portfolio for all ages and interests this Christmas, with new titles for music lovers, family-friendly games, and exciting blockbuster titles for the committed gamer.

“We’re proud to be expanding the reach of Xbox as the first next-generation console to break the €200barrier, making the platform up to €200less expensive than competitors” said Chris Lewis, Vice President, Microsoft Interactive Entertainment Business Europe. “History shows that the majority of console sales happen after this price point has been breached, and we’re well positioned to take advantage of this mass market pricing. We’re passing on the benefits of being the first console to sell over 20 million units worldwide, and of the ever-expanding ecosystem of Xbox, to consumers. We offer a large library of games and family entertainment for Xbox 360, with 90 titles coming between now and Christmas alone, and we’re redefining what people can expect from entertainment with the new Xbox LIVE experience debuting later this year. Plus, with well over five million consoles sold to date the combination of the strongest games line up this Christmas, really innovative entertainment experiences and these groundbreaking new price points will ensure we continue to enjoy fantastic momentum in Europe.”

Bringing Music Games to Life

Whether you’re an aspiring groupie, songbird or big-haired rocker, this Christmas Xbox 360 transforms your living room into a thrilling soundstage for you and your friends. No other system connects you with all the music you love:

· “Lips” (iNiS/Microsoft Game Studios). “Lips,” an all-new music franchise exclusively from Xbox 360, is the only singing party game that offers wireless motion-sensitive microphones and a robust and diverse list of songs representing multiple musical genres, ranging from pop, rock and dance to hip-hop, country and R&B.

· “Rock Band” (Harmonix/Electronic Arts). “Rock Band” is the next-gen music game that lets you live out your rock-and-roll fantasy. Embark on a solo career as a guitarist, bassist, drummer, or singer, and rock out to some of the biggest rock anthems of all time.

· “Guitar Hero^® World Tour^” (RedOctane/Activision). The latest instalment from the No. 1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, “Guitar Hero World Tour” will transform music gaming by marrying the exhilarating guitar gameplay of “Guitar Hero” with a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless instruments with revolutionary new online and offline gameplay modes.

Xbox 360 Is the Life of the Party

Xbox 360 truly gets the party started with a wide-ranging portfolio of exclusive games for the whole family, including:

· “You’re in the Movies” (Codemasters/Microsoft Game Studios). Get ready for your close-up. “You’re in the Movies” brings the cool factor to kitsch as you live out your dreams of becoming a scream queen, zombie or kung fu fighter. Premiering exclusively on Xbox 360 this holiday season, “You’re in the Movies” is the first and only game of its kind to literally transport players into a magical world of cinema mixed with the hilarious world of improvisation.

· “Scene It? Box Office Smash” (Krome Studios and Screenlife/Microsoft Game Studios). “Scene It? Box Office Smash,” the revolutionary movie trivia game on Xbox 360, will ignite your game night this Christmas with totally new questions, movie puzzles and more high-definition (HD) content from real movies including some of Hollywood’s latest blockbusters. With the New Xbox Experience, players can literally put themselves into the game through custom avatars that respond to play and react to one another throughout the course of the game. Movie fans in France, Italy, German, Spain and the U.K. have even more to love, with content from some of their favorite local films included in versions of the game sold in their countries.

· “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” (Rare Ltd./Microsoft Game Studios). Available exclusively on Xbox 360 in November, from the creative masterminds at Rare, “Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts” is an action-adventure game that breathes new life into a franchise that has entertained people of all ages for a decade. In a platform genre first, players create their own abilities by building vehicles for Banjo to pilot over land, sea and air in a variety of Challenges where their choice of vehicle and tactics determines the course of the adventure.

· “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” (Rare Ltd./Microsoft Game Studios). In this sequel to the colourful sleeper hit “Viva Piñata”, players can venture outside the boundaries of the immersive and ever-changing garden to retrieve exotic piñata species from two new lands, the Dessert Desert and the Piñarctic. Developed by Rare, “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” allows up to four players to work together to create the ultimate online garden via Xbox LIVE.

The Biggest Blockbusters of 2008 and Beyond

With the most blockbuster, million-selling games and some highly- anticipated titles in 2008 and beyond, Xbox 360 is the pre-eminent place to play all the big titles that gamers thirst for, including the following:

· Fallout® 3 (Bethesda Softworks). Included in “Fallout 3” is an expansive world, unique combat, shockingly realistic visuals, tons of player choice, and an incredible cast of dynamic characters. Every minute is a fight for survival against the terrors of the outside world—radiation, super mutants, and hostile mutated creatures.

· “Fable II” (Lionhead Studios/Microsoft Game Studios). This Xbox 360 exclusive action role-playing game offers players an epic storyline and an unprecedented level of freedom and choice. Every decision defines who the player becomes and influences the evolving world around them.

· “Gears of War 2” (Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios). “Gears of War 2” is the most anticipated Xbox 360 exclusive title this holiday season and will be released worldwide Nov. 7.

· “Grand Theft Auto IV” (Rockstar North/Rockstar Games). Continuing its blistering pace on the Xbox 360 platform, the first of the Xbox 360 exclusive downloadable episodes for this record-breaking game will be available this autumn — the only console with new “Grand Theft Auto IV” content available this Christmas.

· “Tomb Raider: Underworld” (EIDOS). “Tomb Raider: Underworld” represents a new advancement in exploration-based gameplay. As fearless adventurer Lara Croft explore exotic locations around the world, each designed with an incredible attention to detail resulting in breathtaking high-definition visual fidelity that creates a truly believable world and delivers a new level of challenge and choice.

· James Bond: Quantum of Solace (Treyarch/Activision Inc.) James Bond is back to settle the score in Activision Inc.’s Quantum of Solace video game. Introducing a more lethal and cunningly efficient Bond, the game blends intense first-person action with a unique third-person cover combat system allowing players to truly experience what it is like to be the ultimate secret agent as they use their stealth, precision shooting and lethal combat skills to progress through missions.

· Prince of Persia (Ubisoft). “Prince of Persia” is set in a land rooted in ancient Persian mythology, with the Prince finding himself caught in an epic battle between the primal forces of light and darkness. Master the acrobatics, strategy and fighting tactics of the most agile warrior of all time. Grip fall down the face of a building, perform perfectly timed acrobatic combinations, swing over canyons, buildings, and anything that is reachable.

About Xbox 360

Xbox 360 is the most powerful video game and entertainment system, delivering the best games, the next generation of the premier Xbox LIVE online gaming network and unique digital entertainment experiences that revolve around gamers. Xbox 360 has a catalogue of more than 160 high-definition games and is available in 37 countries. More information can be found online at http://www.xbox.com/xbox360.

About Xbox LIVE™

Xbox Live is the first and most comprehensive unified online entertainment network seamlessly integrated throughout the entire console experience, making it easy for people to find the friends, games and entertainment they want from the moment they power on their Xbox 360 system. Xbox Live connects millions of members across 25 countries to enjoy hundreds of multiplayer games, downloadable games via Xbox Live Arcade, free and premium playable game demos, music videos and TV shows as well as new game levels, characters and vehicles for all their favourite retail games.

The Xbox Live Stage Makes European Debut at OXEGEN 2008

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 10:10:02 GMT

The Xbox LIVE Stage will make its first appearance in Europe at Oxegen 2008 which kicks off this Friday. Boasting a massive 46 sq m, high-quality LED cinema screen, the Xbox LIVE Stage will become a focal point for festival-goers as it will feature live performances and VJ sets from the likes of MTV’s Eclectic Method.

The Big Screen will give fans the chance to test their competitive edge with some great games including arcade classics like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pacman, Sensible Soccer and the movie quiz, Scene It. The Xbox LIVE Stage will kick off proceedings at 12 noon on Thursday, and run from 10am each day of the festival until late. Set in an natural amphitheatre, the stage is the ideal place to kick back and relax for a bit.

If that wasn't enough, Xbox 360 will also take to the main stage at OXEGEN this year with EA Game's massively popular Rock Karaoke game 'Rock Band'. Offering festival-goers the chance to pick the songs to sing along to and rock the world, this is festival fun at its finest. With a massive range of artists, bands and tracks to choose from; including Guns n’ Roses, The Police, Radiohead and The Clash, this is your chance to show the world your rock god credentials.

Pictured: Sarah Jane Wai O'Flynn of the Dirty Epics, who are performing at Oxegen at the announcement of the Xbox Live stage.

More information on the festival is available at: http://www.oxegen.ie/2008/

Microsoft Launches Windows Live OneCare 2.0: Helping Consumers and Small Businesses to Protect and Maintain their Computers

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:36:59 GMT

Dublin, Ireland: November 15th, 2007 – Consumers and small businesses have a real need to manage and back-up their data but the reality is that many people simply don’t have the time or the expertise to do this effectively. Microsoft, today is releasing the latest version of Windows Live OneCare, which provides a single, all-in-one, self-updating PC Care application that is designed to help consumers and small businesses maintain the security and performance of their PCs. Windows Live OneCare, which is a subscription component of the Windows Live family, is available at major retail outlets in Ireland and can also be downloaded at http://onecare.live.com.

According to recent research one out of two consumers is concerned about the security of their wireless network[1], and the care of their PC. Windows Live OneCare answers the increased need for a simple PC care solution that makes it easy to manage multiple PCs, provide new options for important data backup and enhance security for the home or small office.

“OneCare is built for people and small businesses who don't want to worry about how they protect and maintain their PCs,” commented Mike Hughes, Windows Client Manager, Microsoft Ireland. “It makes security simple, with one-click actions to resolve issues among computers in a small network. For example, parents no longer have to worry if their children have turned off the firewall to make their video games run smoother and users can now trust that you’re their files, information and photos are protected and appropriately backed up.”

Hassle-Free Computing For Home and Small Businesses

Microsoft Live OneCare takes the hassle out of multi-management PC care and provides peace of mind that all the computers in the household are protected. From providing antivirus protection to setting up wireless configurations and backing up important photos and documents, Windows Live OneCare is the all in one solution for today’s busy consumers and small businesses.

Multi-PC and home network management helps ease the management of multiple-PC environments by providing a single intuitive user interface for monitoring the security and maintenance of networked computers. It also enables one-click actions to resolve issues among computers within a home PC network.
Printer-sharing support makes it easy to connect printers to local networks so all computers covered by the Windows Live OneCare subscription and connected to the same local network can share printers.
Start-time optimizer speeds PC boot time by allowing the subscriber to remove rarely used applications from the start-up menu. This helps to address one of the noticeable areas of concern for PC users.
Proactive fixes and recommendations looks at the specific configuration of the PC and makes proactive fixes and recommendations to improve the computing experience.
Enhanced monthly reports provide a summary of key actions that Windows Live OneCare has performed in the last month, as well as activities and recommended actions for all PCs in a local network.
Centralised backup enables users to centrally configure and monitor backups for all PCs covered under the same Windows Live OneCare subscription, with the data from all PCs backed up to a central location.
Online photo backup keeps precious photos safe from theft or accidental loss by backing them up to an off-site location in Windows Live Folders (available at an extra cost).

Windows Live OneCare integrates with Windows Live to keep PCs up to date and works with the built-in security enhancements to Windows Vista like parental controls to optimise the Windows experience.

Windows Live OneCare is available at local computer stores, as well as via the Internet for (USD) $49.95, with each license covering up to three computers. For additional information, or to download a free 90 day trial of Windows Live OneCare, visit http://onecare.live.com.

About Windows Live

Windows Live, a new set of personal Internet services and software, is designed to bring together in one place all the relationships, information and interests people care about most, with enhanced safety and security features across their PC, devices and the Web. With localised versions of most services available globally in 56 countries and 36 languages, Windows Live encompasses more than 20 services, including Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Photo Gallery and Windows Live OneCare Family Safety. Windows Live is available at

[1] Harris Interactive Survey “A Study About Home Computers” November 2007