Anilrgowda

At the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Microsoft announced plans to launch a 512-megabyte memory unit for the Xbox 360 video game console on April 3. It is expected to have a retail price in North America of $49.99, forcing its eight times smaller companion, the 64-megabyte model, to drop to a price range between $29.99 and $39.99. The new memory unit is also expected to ship for a limited time with the Xbox Live Arcade game "Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved" from Bizarre Creations.

Gamers use the memory unit to store and transport their gamer profile, game data, content from Xbox kiosks, Xbox Live Arcade games and other content. On Monday, Microsoft also tripled the Live Arcade game size limit to 150 megabytes, giving developers more flexibility in designing games and adding advanced features. Throughout the week, Microsoft plans to showcase upcoming Arcade games from companies such as Electronic Arts, Bizarre, Sierra Online, Wanako Games, Klei Entertainment, Rare, and Zen Studios.