Spring can be a time for new surprises. Microsoft has come up with a surprise for their avid Xbox users. To hit stores on May 7 will be the updated Xbox 360 that will feature the Windows Live Messenger as well as a snap-on controller keyboard. The Live Messenger will allow Xbox 360 and PC users to send and receive instant messages from anywhere in the messenger family. Users can have up to six instant message conversations simultaneously, each with multiple contacts. Having this feature will surely make the gaming experience more fun and interactive. Another thing is that the QWERTY keyboard will be officially revealed this summer and will enable users to play and type without the need to change devices.

They say that humans have the tendency to be insatiable in almost all kinds of things. And this is even true for gamers. They are always hankering for more and better gaming experience. Well Xbox enthusiasts have a new reason to celebrate. Why? It’s simply because Microsoft is bringing to the stores the new edition of the Xbox 360 game machine. This new edition called the Xbox 360 Elite really offers much more in terms of hard drive, high-definition video support and a superbly stylish black finish. Hard drive which is now 120 GB will be sold separately with a cable for copying files from the original Xbox 360. Upon purchase the Xbox 360 Elite package also includes a black wireless headset, HDMI cable, controller and a one month Gold membership to Xbox Live.

Microsoft is ever on the go in expanding its business interests. This time they are aiming to widen the scope of their gaming market. Theirs is a very wise move because they chose one of the most progressive countries there is today – none other than China. We all know that China has a large population, consequently a large online population. Reports have it that China’s online population alone is a good 132 million! Just imagine if Microsoft will be able to reach and persuade that population to try their gaming services. A market with this kind of population will certainly give a big boost to Microsoft’s Xbox 360 sales. Of course, we shouldn’t forget the Xbox Live service.

After the New Year, console games are still on the roll. The various game makers are offering more and more games for Nintento Wii, PS3 and Xbox 360. Well the latest buzz about the games is that the game called Castlevania: Symphony of the Night – one of the most popular games there is, is reported to exceed the download limit of Xbox Live Arcade which is 50MB. And not only the game itself, but the demo of the game will most likely be more than 64MB - the available storage of memory cards. This might seem like a drawback, but Greg Canessa, Group manager of XBLA, assures the public that this big file download will only ensure a more dynamic and exciting gaming experience.

Well it seems that for the year 2006 a winner finally emerges among the game consoles available. During the past year we have all been participants in the battle among the consoles, all watching and waiting which will emerge the victor. So now we know. Based on the initial sales reports for 2006 it is the Xbox 360 that takes the first place. Even with the clamor and buzz during the latter part of this year regarding the Nintendo Wii and PS3, it still the Xbox 360 was able to hold its own!

The race has been on for quite some time regarding the top three gaming consoles namely Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s PS3. Among them, the Xbox 360 has been the earliest to be released and the two latter consoles have been launched just recently. Well, competition is really tough as evidenced by the sales reports published just recently. This is probably one of the reasons why Microsoft thought up to upgrade their Xbox 360’s CPU. From 90 nm processors, they will switch to 65 nm processors. This is kind of a big switch because the result will be the less noisy, less hot and cheaper by counts, than the present Xbox.

Since the Wii took a bloody nose with remote controllers flying all over the place, Xbox probably thought it would be a good idea and a good time to make the company look good.

Microsoft has extended the warranty of all Xbox 360 consoles from 90 days to a full year in the United States and Canada. But this offer is only valid for Xbox consoles less than 1 year old.

Game consoles are now also a target of thievery. Just recently, a truck carrying a $2M worth or Xbox360 game consoles was hijacked and the goods stolen. The incident happened Monday morning in Staffordshire, UK and the trucking company concerned is the Hellman Worldwide Logistics.

In this case, the driver was deceived by the thieves with what seems to be one of the oldest tricks in the book. Told by the thieves that there was something caught beneath his wheels, the driver came out of the truck and wham! Got beaten up and left on the road, and then away went the consoles. Luckily for the driver though because he only suffered minor injuries.