News

Zune HD priced and dated

Pre-orders being taken for September release

Zune HD priced and dated
|

Amazon kind of let this one slip the other day when it briefly revealed the price point for Microsoft's iPod touch competitor, the Zune HD, but the Big M has just been in touch with us to confirm the details.

The Zune HD will be released on September 15th in two models: 16GB at $219.99 and 32GB at $289.99. Pre-orders are now being taken through Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart and it'll be available in black and platinum (not real platinum, I suspect - just a shiny case) with the option to customise your player with one of ten new engravings designed by guest artists.

So, why do you want a Zune HD? Initially we're looking at it as a media player capable of outputting up to 720p video through an HDMI dock that you'll connect up to your telly (sold seperately). It's also got a 3.3 inch OLED multi-touch touchscreen, accelerometer controls, wi-fi and web browsing.

But we also have a good feeling about Microsoft expanding its Live service to incorporate the device, particularly if it starts putting games on it similar to the iPod touch. We'll have to wait and see, but if it does, they should be pretty spectacular given that there's a powerful Tegra chip bubbling beneath the screen.

Alas, the Zune HD is only being released in America for the time being, but we'll be keeping you updated just in case. If you feel like pressing your face up against the virtual window, go here.

Spanner Spencer
Spanner Spencer
Yes. Spanner's his real name, and he's already heard that joke you just thought of. Although Spanner's not very good, he's quite fast, and that seems to be enough to keep him in a regular supply of free games and away from the depressing world of real work.