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Update: A representative from Microsoft's Zune team claims the information listed on Amazon's product page is partly inaccurate. The Amazon page has been taken offline until further notice. It's unclear exactly which statements are false or misleading, but I have been told that there are no plans to allow direct transfer of content (games, video, etc.) from the Xbox to the Zune HD.

A product page for Microsoft's Zune HD portable media player has popped up on Amazon.com, offering some tantalizing new details. Aside from explicitly spelling out the link between the Zune HD and the recently announced upgrades to the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, the product description mentions the availability of "apps" for the Zune HD.

"A built-in accelerometer senses when the Zune HD is moving, so you can play games and use apps that are controlled by moving the device."

This could just be a careless choice of words to describe "apps" such as the built-in photo viewer, which also take advantage of the accelerometer control. What gives me hope, however, are the Xbox partnerships with Last.fm, Facebook, and Twitter, that Microsoft announced at E3 2009. Also, the Zune HD's main menu interface is the first in the Zune series to include an item for "more," accompanied by an icon that looks like a clump of iPhone-esque apps.

The Amazon listing also mentions Xbox Live games coming to the Zune HD.

"Integration with the Xbox LIVE network gives you access to millions of videos, TV shows, and games from Xbox LIVE."

Microsoft laid the groundwork for getting Xbox games on the Zune last year, when it showed off its XNA game development platform, but it has been slow to actually push new games to the Zune. If the Amazon details are correct, the Zune HD may become just as much an Xbox peripheral as a portable media player. Maybe this is Microsoft's new strategy, pitching the Zune to its solid base of Xbox customers, rather than relying on iPod expats and subscription music fans. It's a strategy that's certainly worth a shot.

(Via Electronista)

The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai game, developed in XNA Studio for XBox and potentially...Zune.

(Credit: Ska Studios)

Microsoft's announcement at today's Game Developer's Conference made some waves in the gaming community, but for the growing faction of Zune owners, it felt like an exciting glimpse into the product's future.

While Microsoft hasn't made any formal announcements regarding games coming to the Zune, they dropped a big hint today when they demonstrated a game developed using XNA Studio running on a Zune 80. Its a move that makes plenty of sense, considering that Apple has been slowly and steadily releasing games for the Zune's competitor, the iPod. Gaming on the Zune also capitalizes on a theme Microsoft already has some credibility with, by way of XBox 360.

We might not know when Microsoft will start releasing games for the Zune, or how much they will cost, but we have some idea of what types of games will be released. The following list of XNA games and descriptions is quoted from Microsoft's XBox 360 site (videos via YouTube):... Read More