Microsoft E3 press conference roundup

Today at the Microsoft E3 press conference, Square Enix announced Final Fantasy XIII for the Xbox 360. The Xbox 360 version will be released simultaneously with the PS3 one in both Europe and North America.

Also announced at Microsoft’s E3 press conference was Microsoft’s new partnership with Netflix. According to Microsoft representative John Schappert, for no addition cost other than the Netflix subscription, the entire Netflix library will be streamed to Xbox 360s.

Maybe the biggest news to come out of the press conference, and least surprising, is that Microsoft is reinventing Xbox Live this fall. Gamertags will now have a customizable avatar which will be featured in upcoming Microsoft games. There will also be a community channel called Live Party, which allows up to 7 of your friends to meet up, chat, share content and even watch Netflix movies together.

All in all this is pretty awesome news for 360 owners. This just might make me think twice about picking up a PS3. I guess I’ll have to wait for the Sony conference to make my finial decision.