At his keynote address at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) currently underway in Las Vegas, Microsoft chairman Bill Gates unveiled the Xbox Media Center Extender (MCX) kit, which will allow Xbox owners to access media that resides on their PCs -- everything from pictures, movies, music, and more -- over a wireless connection.

The Xbox MCX kit is just one component of Microsoft's new Windows Media Center Extender Technology, which delivers digital media experiences throughout the home. The software will power a new generation of products (TVs, set top boxes, etc.) that will extend the Media Center Edition PC experience allowing people to access digital entertainment, such as live and recorded television, photos, movies, and music that reside on their Windows XP Media Center Edition PC, from any room in the home, regardless of where the PC is located.

Alienware, Dell, Gateway, HP, and Samsung, are among the equipment manufacturers and original design manufacturers working with Microsoft to bring these products to market by the 2004 holiday season.

The Xbox Media Center Extender Kit, which will combine an Xbox DVD title with a dedicated remote control, currently carries no release date or price point. Stay tuned for more info shortly.

For More, Check out PCMag.com's 2004 CES Special Report

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in PC Magazine.