Rumor: The five-hour Xbox 360 relaunch Sept. 25
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ Sep 8th 2008 at 5:17PM }
Allegedly, G4 will cover the event exclusively and Live members will be able to stream it. The rumor gets even bigger by saying that three new components of the NXE will be unveiled when the update happens at midnight. First is a partnership with Sirius Radio, allowing users to access the satellite radio station for a "modest monthly fee." Then there's the music store page -- think iTunes, except on your Xbox. Finally, there's the "mad lib" page, though nobody seems to know what the _______ it is.
Sending this whole thing into overdrive, the source claims Microsoft will announce 12 new titles "exclusive or first" on the 360, including Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, a new Conker game and two new Halo titles. Also, six free original Xbox games will be available to download, with Halo being one of them.
The whole thing sounds like madness (and fanboy conjecture), but given the Xbox 360's slipping sales, a mega-event relaunch might just be the reset button the company needs for the console best-known to general consumers for the RRoD. The whole rumor isn't even that insane when we recall how Microsoft went all-out for the first Xbox 360 launch and, if Microsoft execs are to be believed, this is "an entirely new Xbox" made possible by "the magic of software."
[Via X3F]
Gallery: New Xbox Experience
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
MC Double Def DP @ Sep 8th 2008 5:21PM
Microsoft GIVING away something? hmmm seems fishy. But we do know Bungie has something to announce! so there's a little weight to this rumor.
Tiptup300 @ Sep 8th 2008 11:22PM
ITS THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!
xGeneral DEATHx @ Sep 9th 2008 8:18AM
Dammit, Tiptup...now that song won't go away...GET OUTTA MY HEAD!!!!
*Grabs hammer drill*
Lumpo @ Sep 8th 2008 5:22PM
You had me at Mass Effect 2
marklar @ Sep 8th 2008 5:43PM
You lost me at "VGChartz is"
SeNiLe911 @ Sep 8th 2008 6:27PM
I thought the same thing, VGChartz is a joke, but I posted about this on my blog at x2theg.blogspot.com (http://x2theg.blogspot.com/2008/09/microsoft-xbox-experience-on-september.html ), the reason I believe this rumor for the most part is that I had pegged it for the 23rd ever since we got the first screen caps of the Xbox Experience from E3.
what game do you see in the Disc Tray? LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame. Why are they using a game that's not out yet and won't be out for a few months from when they announced the Xbox Experience when there are so many other better games newly released to help show off this New Experience? LEGO® Batman™: The Videogame's Release Date is 9/23/2008, September the 23rd! There you go, the Date the Xbox Experience will lunch, September the 23rd or later, LOL.
So this rumor could be true.
Hala Madrid!! (Madrileno hasta la muerte!) @ Sep 8th 2008 6:48PM
Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, a new Conker game and two new Halo titles. BRING IT!
So many games to play this holiday season that I'm gonna have to take a month vacation from my job just to play all of them.
Nick the Hero of Canton @ Sep 8th 2008 6:51PM
They lost me at the 6 free originals. Bullshit, Microsoft wouldn't do that. No company would...
SeNiLe911 @ Sep 8th 2008 9:46PM
Going to laugh at everyone that gave me a negative if it does come out the 23rd or the 25th.
rooshma @ Sep 8th 2008 10:10PM
If this happens I don't see Sony recovering.
Not trying to be a fanboy, but this would be the epitome of the 'we have good games' argument from Microsoft.
BananaBoat @ Sep 8th 2008 11:45PM
Negative was for your blog promotion. I doubt anyone read past that (I know I didn't)
6 free games? No. 6 Ad-Supported games? maybe. I wouldn't trust anything VGchartz says though.
SeNiLe911 @ Sep 9th 2008 12:04AM
IC, well I wasn't trying to promote my blog, just thought I would share what I came up with regarding the Lego Batman game and didn't want to copy and paste the whole thing.
Thought about posting about this a few months ago when I noticed the Lego Batman game was in the Disk Tray when the game wasn't going to be released for a few months.
Then this guy has this rumor thats only 2 days off from the release day of Lego Batman.
Seems logical don't you think?
BananaBoat @ Sep 9th 2008 7:43PM
Well, 90% of the time when there is some form of "blah blah blah, I wrote about it extensively on my blog at www.blahblah.com" it's spam that the same douche posts on everything (Youtube comments sections, various forums, etc) I'm not saying you were spamming, just that it's a gut reaction for people to think you were, since most have years of experience being spammed.
Posting a link a blog is a surefire way to get...uhh...minus'd...err...voted down...whatever :P
Marty @ Sep 8th 2008 5:23PM
As cool as all this sounds, part of me just wishes they'd surprise us with it one of these mornings, so that the flood of people downloading it all at once doesn't lead to XBox Live problems, bricked consoles, etc.
Still, I am quite excited about the update - especially if there are still three yet-unrevealed additions to it!
Duke @ Sep 8th 2008 5:37PM
I'd kinda rather be surprised too. Just would be more fun to have it suddenly appear as opposed to a big media event.
Will that many people go buy one at the 11th hour just cause G4 is talking about the change over hitting at midnight?
Platinum_Skeet @ Sep 8th 2008 7:46PM
If it really is that then I'm mad... Times gonna drag out for my Netflix update..
MC Double Def DP @ Sep 8th 2008 5:23PM
Oh also, doesn't XBL release things at midnite PACIFIC time? I'm on east coast so I'm use to stuff coming out around 3am or so.
LeMuRfArT @ Sep 8th 2008 5:25PM
hmm i think i like that new conker rumor the best
Cesaria (Gamertag: Cesaria360) @ Sep 8th 2008 5:24PM
Sweet. Glad I bought one yesterday.
Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 5:25PM
I was wondering if you guys would put this on the main page... its pretty wild speculation.
With that said, I really hope this happens at least to some degree.
Ghen @ Sep 8th 2008 5:42PM
because its fun to talk about?
Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 5:44PM
It is... I am guessing it will get quite a few comments.
Churchy @ Sep 8th 2008 6:01PM
Indeed, I highly doubt this whole schpeel but I certainly wouldn't be disappointed were it all true.
Phantom @ Sep 8th 2008 8:33PM
..... I thought thare was only this page .....
in other news ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGxBizeiL3s
BlaznGoldstein (Electric 6 Defense Force) @ Sep 8th 2008 8:43PM
If any two things out of this list end up being true, I will be a happy camper.
Hyams @ Sep 8th 2008 5:27PM
Oh, come on. Even the guy who posted it starts the post by pointing out that it's "probably someones creative bullshit."
Not only that, but he says he actually "toned it down". If the origional source was full of even crazier creative bullshit, why should we take the slightly less crazy creative bullshit seriously at all?
.. still, it'd be cool if it were true.
Courtney @ Sep 8th 2008 6:03PM
Because mindless speculation is our game and the internets is our court.
boomshot @ Sep 9th 2008 8:42PM
O..M..G..(if this turns out to be real that is)
J.Goodwin @ Sep 8th 2008 5:28PM
This would be pretty staggering. Especially if they could say that two of those games were shipping in the holiday window.
We all know Microsoft isn't a fan of unveiling stuff before it's almost on sale anymore (thanks 1up for putting MGS on lockdown).
343 Guilty Fart @ Sep 8th 2008 5:29PM
Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.
MKA @ Sep 8th 2008 5:30PM
sounds like just a rumor to me.... but I would play Mass Assassin 2 staring Conker.
Boffo the Sock @ Sep 8th 2008 5:42PM
I don't know. I'd probably get creeped out after a few minutes of Conker staring at me.
Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 5:48PM
At least the repetitive elevators rides would have some witty dialog and likely some poo.
Sora @ Sep 8th 2008 6:21PM
Mass Assassin sounds like a sex tape in which the girl bites off the guy's "peepee".
caserb @ Sep 8th 2008 6:33PM
Lol Sora, you said ..."pee pee".
Tehman @ Sep 8th 2008 5:31PM
Wait........ the update is coming out this month? I was thinking it'd be by november, but the sooner the better? *shrugs*
Ranus Studios @ Sep 8th 2008 5:30PM
Killer Instinct 3 amirite
Intentless @ Sep 8th 2008 5:31PM
Don't misunderstand me... I want the next assassins creed REAL bad... But the developer specifically stated it isn't in the works at least for some time... So I don't understand that... Other than that the rest seems kind of plausible... I wouldn't mind my Sirius over Xbox... But I can do it through my PC at no extra charge...
Real Gambler @ Sep 8th 2008 6:33PM
That's where I find this very strange... There's tons of better way to listen to Sirius instead of coming from a very noisy Xbox... Even if cheaper, running a 270W device just to decode Sirius is kind of crazy. Shoot, they would not only have to give it to me for free, they would have to pay for my electricity bill too!
jsn @ Sep 8th 2008 6:44PM
yah, devs have never denied something and then turned around a month later and announced it...
and sirius on the 360 would be bad ass for those of us with sirius and no portable tuner. It's not something you buy the console for, but it's a hell of a value add for people who already have one.
Tib02 @ Sep 8th 2008 5:33PM
"Finally, there's the "mad lib" page, though nobody seems to know what the _______ it is."
I lol'd in the office @ that line.
j.howlett @ Sep 8th 2008 5:53PM
me too except i'm in a room all alone
Heh @ Sep 8th 2008 6:38PM
j.howlett;
in a basement I presume.
j.howlett @ Sep 9th 2008 8:50AM
bedroom. don't think to many places have real basements on this island.
Nathan @ Sep 8th 2008 5:36PM
Sounds too crazy to be true. Free games, no way....Xbox live was down 2 half weeks and all we got was Undertow.
Dirty @ Sep 8th 2008 5:46PM
I got a rock.
AoE @ Sep 8th 2008 6:21PM
I got a dumb t-shirt.
why not the LS2LS7? @ Sep 8th 2008 5:36PM
How about they just make Live Gold free instead of giving everyone who already owns a copy of Halo a free copy of Halo?
And allowing me to pay for radio when I can already pay for radio isn't a huge favor. Sirius streams their content over the internet if you are a customer, whether you have an Xbox or not.
Finally, Assassin's Creed 2 would be a timed exclusive, and timed exclusives just seem like a bad investment to me. For any game that is actually ready on both platforms, you're not going to get much exclusivity. Think Rock Band 2 or Unreal Tournament. I think exclusive DLC is a much smarter idea.
Immortal Technique PSN: johnnynumber5 @ Sep 8th 2008 5:36PM
Mass Effect 2 for PS3 CONFIRMED!! J/k
If they are doing Sirius & a music store the 360 might turn into an actual media device.
I would settle for simple apps ala the iPhone and a web browser. If Sony releases Play TV in the states that changes things.
Isn't it funny that the more Sony and MS compete the more similar they become.
I hope this rumor is true because it might actually get me excited to use my 360 again. If this is not true MS better make it happen right away.
If Sony had some sense they would partner with Apple and have iTunes within the PS3. Then you bring Mac fanboys to the Sony camp and actual content that people want.
j.howlett @ Sep 8th 2008 5:57PM
i think an apple sony partnership could work out like the HPipod thing but for the fact that apple and sony compete heavily with the walkman line of personal players