Xbox.com has been updated with the official announcement of the expected launch lineup for the Xbox 360, as well as the official press release naming Peter Jackson as Executive Producer of the Halo film.

More details on the Halo movie front today. The Register opines that the involvement of Peter Jackson is just window dressing; Louis Wu at HBO points out the lack of whining on the grapevine, as well as quotes from Jackson in a Reuters story, as evidence to the contrary.

GameSpot is reporting that the same company that has made mobile versions of Microsoft games such as Midtown Madness 3, Zoo Tycoon 2, and Age of Empires 2, has acquired the rights to make mobile Halo properties and is working with Bungie to figure out what kind of applications to make:

Well, a few minutes ago, the Flash countdown at origenxbox360.com reached zero (at least on my screen). Nothing else seems to have happened. There's been no change in the page's source code, no new clickable items have appeared, no other flash files have loaded. Looks like a dud, or else whatever is happening doesn't work on a Mac.

MCV has a story quoting a Microsoft rep as saying a Halo 2-sized media blitz for the upcoming Xbox 360 title Perfect Dark Zero will begin in October. The parallel even extends to the Special Edition of PD0 in a chrome tin. Thanks Kotaku.

Frankie's second report from the Tokyo Game Show has Kameo and cosplayers, Koei and yaoi (sort of), Chrome Hounds and Dynasty Warriors, five Resident Evils and Ninety-Nine Nights. Not to mention a list of things you can't put in a locker in Japan, which makes me wonder what Frankie is doing over there in his free time.

Halo gets mentioned once, sort of.

As part of Microsoft's recent restructuring, chief Xbox officer Robbie Bach has now been named chief of the new Entertainment and Devices Division.

The Tokyo Game Show, going on right now, is where Microsoft is beginning its efforts to try and prove to Japanese audiences that the Xbox is a console worth buying. Major Nelson has put the keynote address including Microsoft's Robbie Bach into his blogcast this week (as usual, in MP3 and WMA formats).

Next Generation quotes Jonathan Hayes of Microsoft as saying that manufacture of the Xbox 360 console began on last Wednesday, September 7.

Microsoft's "simultaneous" worldwide release has morphed into a more logistically manageable sequence of three staggered launches: November 22 in North America, December 2 in Europe, and December 10 in Japan. The New York Times has the story. (Use the username/password rampancy/rampant if you don't have an account--Ed.)

The BBC has a story up on how Microsoft is trying to protect their next console platform against would-be modders and hackers. (Insert Microsoft security joke here--Ed.)

With Halo 3 still aways off, Microsoft is pushing Perfect Dark Zero as the launch shooter of choice for the Xbox 360. Kiziko mentions that the game will ship in a standard and deluxe version (as Halo 2 did) and PerfectDarkZero.com has an interview with the game's senior designer, Duncan Botwood.

Other items of note:

• Gamasutra has a writeup of a GDC 2005 talk by Andre Vrignaud, part of the Xbox Platform Strategy Group, on how Xbox 360 games will utilize the console's new features.
• Xbox365 makes note of how some users were trying to scam the Mountain Dew "free Xbox 360 every ten minutes" promotion.

Microsoft may open an Xbox Store in Times Square, says the Seattle Times. Thanks Voodoo Extreme. (Let's hope this is MS taking another page from Apple's book, rather than Gateway's--Ed)