There is a rumor circulating around the 'Nets that there could be a Microsoft-sponsored event on September 25 to launch the all new Xbox Dashboard Experience. VGChartz is claiming that on the 25th, G4 will televise the "re-launch" for 5 hours (and apparently, you can watch it streaming if you have Live), leading up to when the new Dashboard is available at midnight.
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Supposedly, the event will also be to make some key new announcements. According to the source, they are:
- A partnership with Sirius Satellite Radio (which is now Sirius/XM) so you can subscribe to their satellite radio service over your Xbox (for a fee, of course). You'd be able to listen to the music while in games, and you can pay for the subscription with your parents' Microsoft Points. And, apparently, "everyone with access to live will get a free week to play with the service," although they don't note whether that means for the week after it launches or just start the week trial whenever you want.
- Twelve new game demos. The source doesn't specify what these will be.
- New downloadable content, including: Portal: Still Alive, new GTA4 downloadable content, a new/free map pack for Halo, and a Mass Effect expansion.
- Twelve new, unannounced games, which could include: a new Conker game, two Halo titles, Assassin's Creed 2, Mass Effect 2, and a new shooter franchise from Rare.
- Six Xbox Originals for free download, including the first Halo. Apparently these downloads will only be available if you're a Live Gold subscriber and "those that have an account of long standing." Whatever that means.
- A new music store to download songs directly to your hard drive, and payable with Microsoft Points. This is definitely the most realistic of any of these rumors.
So, yes, this is all entirely ridiculous. But, as Joystiq points out, Microsoft did go nuts for the first launch of the 360, and they have claimed that they are basically reinventing the console with the new software update. However, all of this does seem rather crazy, and if Microsoft was planning such a huge event, wouldn't they have made a point of announcing it by this point?
Oh well, only time will tell.
