After a few year drought (just ask Chris Lanier), Microsoft is re-entering the media extender space via hardware partners with Vista-compatible devices. The new extenders will feature:
Of course as soon as Microsoft adds DivX and Xvid support to the 360 (they better), they’ll end up killing their partner’s initiatives. Why buy a dedicated Linksys or D-Link extender when, for about the same money, you can buy an Xbox that offers extender functionality and much more?
I was only able to get software pics out of Microsoft’s press folks, but supposedly hardware is being demoed at CEDIA. There’s a decent contingent of bloggers attending, including Engadget and Gizmodo reps, so hopefully they’ll snap some pics for us. And I expect the relevant hardware vendors to release info/images in the next day or so.