Microsoft
has announced that a $100 Xbox 360 60GB Xbox Live Starter Pack will hit
retailers this November, packing a 60GB hard drive, Xbox 360 headset, ethernet
cables, and three-month Xbox Live Gold subscription. While Microsoft began
packing the 60GB HDD with $300 Xbox 360 Pro models earlier this year, the
larger-capacity drive had not been available to those that owned the previous
Pro models, which were bundled with a 20GB hard drive. Until now, the only
option for more capacity has been the $140 160 GB hard drive, also bundled with
the $400 Xbox 360 Elite model. For those that bought the Xbox 360 without a
sizeable storage device, Microsoft is offering free memory cards and a discount
on the 20GB hard drive.
In other Xbox 360 related news,
Engadget has the scoop on the exclusive debut of high definition Netflix
streaming on the Xbox 360. The technology blog has learned that the Xbox 360
will not only be the only video game system to let viewers stream movies and TV
episodes from Netflix in high definition, but also the world's first medium to
do so. The Xbox 360 will offer HD streaming before any other platform, including
Netflix's own "Watch Instantly" portal. This movie watching innovation
will be available for the first time on November 19, 2008, when the New Xbox
Experience launches. Xbox Live Gold members who are also Netflix subscribers
will be able to stream movies in high definition from Netflix on Xbox Live at no
additional cost.