The release comes just before the Microsoft Kinect motion capture gaming controller hits stores on November 10. In addition to the above features, Kinect support is integrated directly into the new Xbox dashboard.
Xbox spokesperson Major Nelson wrote about the update on his blog:
"You’ll be prompted to accept the update when you sign into Xbox Live sometime in the next few hours."
"Regardless of what you have heard, it's not geographically based. No one area of the world will get it before another."
"If you keep signing out and then back in again, this will NOT force the update…it will only anger people on your friends list who will keep getting a notification. every. time. you sign. in."
"Be patient, everyone will eventually receive the update"