Free Windows software update will make digital music, videos available through Xbox 360 at the touch of a button.

At the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2005 in Los Angeles, Microsoft Corp. today announced it will release a free software update to Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 that will enable customers to take advantage of the Media Center Extender technologies built into Xbox 360 TM gaming systems to access and enjoy digital entertainment anywhere in the home. Every Xbox 360 will have Media Center Extender functionality built in and available out of the box. The Media Center Extender functionality, coupled with the software update for Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, will provide customers with seamless access to digital music, video, photos, and standard and high-definition television and movies on Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs through any Xbox 360 game console in the house.

"Microsoft continues to advance its vision of digital entertainment anywhere," said Will Poole, senior vice president of the Windows Client Business at Microsoft. "The combination of the world's most powerful gaming console, Xbox 360, with a Media Center Edition 2005-based PC results in an unprecedented home entertainment experience for our customers. By seamlessly integrating Microsoft's premium entertainment devices, we are greatly enhancing the ways in which our customers will experience entertainment in and around their homes."