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New Xbox 360 Wireless Headset with Bluetooth, Remote with Live TV button coming this November

It's generally accepted that while Microsoft may excel at creating software and platforms, it struggles with hardware. Just ask anyone that's replaced an Xbox 360 (that's just about everyone, right?). Also on that list: The original Xbox 360 Wireless Headset and the barebones Media Remote.

That's why we think you'll be excited to learn that Redmond is replacing both products with newly designed (and enhanced!) versions. The Xbox 360 Wireless Headset with Bluetooth will be available in "early November 2011" worldwide for $60, a $10 premium over the existing headset. In exchange for that $10, you'll get Bluetooth support, so you can use the headset with other devices, like cell phones and your PlayStation 3. It still connects to the Xbox 360 "through the console's standard radio frequencies," so it remains to be seen if audio quality will remain a problem.

Also available in early November is the new Xbox 360 Media Remote, for $20. While it doesn't offer a ton of improvements over the original, outside of the shiny new look, there is one notable addition: "Live TV, if provided on the Xbox 360 by your TV service provider, can also be controlled with the Xbox 360 Media Remote." While the original Xbox Media Remote also had a "Live TV" button, it accessed the console's Windows Media Center extender functionality; notably, the entire Media Center button has been removed. More likely, this button provides instant access to the still-mysterious live TV service announced at E3. We've asked Microsoft to clarify.

For now, soak in the pictures in the gallery below, and watch Major Nelson show off the headset in the video past the break.
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