After much speculation, it has been confirmed that at E3 this May, Microsoft will unveil their smaller-sized Xbox hardware. The size of the new hardware, being referred to as ‘Xbox Lite’ will be very similar to the Playstation 2; in addition to the console losing much of the textured top cover of the console, the Xbox Lite will be capable of being stacked for more convenience and space-saving capabilities. No word yet on whether or not the console will be able to be turned on it’s end (a la PS2).
On top of the new design, Xbox Lite will also lead to the future of the system, as well as Xbox Live. The new hardware will be integrated with Microsoft’s Media2Go portable media storage/transfer accessory. In conjunction with Xbox Live (or even by networking to a PC), Xbox owners will be able to purchase and download full-length movies, music, and quite possibly even games onto their Xbox. This is a step towards broadening the target user of the Xbox from gamers to anyone who wants to be truly multimedia savvy.
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