If you read my recent rant The Xbox 360's downloadable content time bomb, you know that Xbox Live Marketplace content is tied to the console you purchase it on. Which can be a problem if it ever fails. Turns out, Microsoft is working on a fix, according to the March 2007 issue of Official Xbox Magazine. The OXM editors corrected their earlier statement that the issue was "hogwash" and added that their Microsoft sources say "you should expect an update in the near future."This is good news, since reports suggest one or more reasons why you might want to trade in your 360 for a newer model. First, the rumor of a forthcoming hardware revision with 1080p HDMI output and a bigger bundled hard drive continues to thrive (the latest suggests the console will be black and feature 120GB of storage!). Even if this proves false, word is that newer systems shipping now or very soon will include a DVD drive that's both quieter and faster. Of course, there's no easy way of telling one model from the next on a store shelf - unless Microsoft does unveil a black one.
There's also good news for Marketplace fans, a bunch of new downloads:
- Root Beer Tapper ($5)
- Demos of Def Jam: Icon and NBA Street Homecourt (free; Gold members only initially)
- A new Penny Arcade theme ($1.88) and picture packs ($2.50 each)
- March Madness team themes ($1.88 each)
- Small Arms themes ($1.88 each) and picture packs ($1.25 each)
