I haven't been able to catch the MTV Special yet; however, the official press release does reveal quite a bit of information and confirms things that were previously only rumored. The expected release date is indeed the 2005 holiday season, as widely predicted. Here's a quick run-down of confirmed features:

• Three core PowerPC CPU
• 512 MB RAM
• Wireless controllers standard
• Detachable hard drive
• Interchangeable faceplates
• Support for high definition wide screen displays as the default
• Progressive Scan for DVD playback and games
• CD music playback
• PhotoCD support
• USB2 interface for MP3 players, digital cameras and Windows PCs
• Media Extender support for interfacing with Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005-based PCs

In addition to the information about the Xbox 360 itself, it appears that post-launch the Xbox Live service is being divided into two service levels, Silver and Gold.

Access to the free Silver service will be available to anyone with an Xbox 360 and broadband Internet access. Xbox Silver includes, according to the release:

• Gamer Profiles
• Text and voice messaging
• Demo and trailer downloads
• Achievements, Gamerzone and Gamertile

The for-fee subscription service will now be called Xbox Live Gold. It will add:

• Multiplayer gameplay
• Camera support
• Video messaging
• Online tournaments and ladders

A more detailed list of the distinctions between the Silver and Gold levels was circulated earlier but thought to be a rumor; the press release confirms nearly all of this list, giving credence to the rest of it.

While the two levels of XBL service has been confirmed, the press release is silent on how many models of Xbox will exist and what prices might be. The detachable hard drive is mentioned, and XBL Silver users are supposed to be able to download content to it "all right out of the box at no extra cost" which might indicate that the standard Xbox 360 will have the detachable hard drive.

The Xbox 360's release lineup is also touted. Here are titles mentioned:

• NBA 2K6
• Call of Duty 2
• Tony Hawk's American Wasteland
• Madden NFL 2006
• Quake 4
• Need for Speed Most Wanted
• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06
• The Darkness
• Perfect Dark Zero
• Kameo: Elements of Power
• Project Gotham Racing 3
• Gears of War
• Saint's Row
• Ghost Recon 3

Any title by Bungie is conspicuously missing. However, this again should be no surprise; once it became widely assumed that the Xbox 360 would be out this coming holiday season, it also became logical to assume that Bungie would not have time to complete a new game in time for the launch, having just shipped Halo 2 in November of 2005. An interim solution-- some kind of extended version of Halo 2, usually referred to as Halo 2.5, perhaps somehow enhanced to take advantage of the Xbox 360's capabilities, or with extra content (some even speculated the game's missing ending) is also widely rumored, but there is no mention of it here. Some will ignore that, assuming that this information is being kept secret; and while absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, it's difficult to see how and why such a secret would be kept.

The release does mention other game studios making games for the Xbox 360:

• BioWare
• Bizarre Creations
• Bungie Studios
• Rare
• 2K Games
• Capcom
• Electronic Arts
• Tecmo
• Namco
• Sega
• THQ
• Ubisoft

Bungie is of course mentioned here, which is no surprise. However, there's still no confirmation of what they are working on for the Xbox 360. An extended Halo 2? An as-yet-unnanounced Halo 3? A completely different game? Or some combination of the above?

The MTV Special would have been a perfect opportunity to announce what title was being worked on by the platform's flagship developer. If you look at the interval between the release of the original Halo and the release of the first teaser trailer for Halo 2, the timing is about right.

If there is going to be a Halo 3 for the Xbox 360, why hasn't it even been announced yet? Why pass up an opportunity to announce what would no doubt be the most anticipated game for the new console in front of an international audience?