After a few days of playing with the suite of new games released for Zune HD last week, our forum members are weighing in with their first impressions.

(Got your games yet? Here are instructions for getting the games loaded on your Zune HD.)

These games are a leap forward in quality compared to earlier game releases. Several of them – notably Audiosurf, Project Gotham Racing, and VanSk8 – take great advantage of the OLED display and introduce 3D gaming to Zune HD.

The new games are: Project Gotham Racing, Audiosurf Tilt, Vans SK8: Pool Service, Lucky Lanes Bowling, Piano, and Checkers. My personal favorite is PGR, which responds crisply to accelerometer movement and makes good use of the HD’s bright display and sound.

 We’re getting good reports on battery life, too. Zunerama member techspian reports he played Audiosurf for six hours and still had battery life. (This makes us a bit concerned about techspian, but that’s another story.)

The games are ad-supported free downloads. (Each game has a 15- to 30-second ad that plays while the game loads.) These are Zune HD games; they’re not playable on earlier Zune players.

Tell us about your Zune HD gaming experience in this forum thread.

• Official Zune site
• TrustedDeals.com

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Hot off the wires, here’s the press release on the new Zune unveilings today. Stay tuned for our Zune HD unboxing and a survey of new software features!

Microsoft Introduces a Powerful New Zune Media Player, PC Software and Online Services

Zune, Microsoft Corp.’s end-to-end digital entertainment service and media player, today announced significant advancements for consumers. The new Zune HD touch-screen media player is now available at retail, and a powerful update to the Zune PC software is free for download. For the first time, standard- and high-definition (HD) movies can be purchased or rented1 through the Zune Marketplace online store, and a new streaming music service on Zune.net lets Zune Pass subscribers listen to music from a Web browser. The updates to the Zune hardware, software and online services released today, combined with a new Zune video offering on Xbox LIVE coming later this fall, bring customers instant access to their favorite music and videos anywhere,2 across their mobile device, PC and TV.

“With today’s announcement, the Zune business is growing into a comprehensive entertainment service that’s no longer tied to any one screen or device,” said Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the TV, Video and Music Business at Microsoft. “Zune lets consumers connect to their music, TV shows and movie content and enjoy it on the three screens they use every day.”

Zune HD: Next-Generation Digital Entertainment

Zune HD marks a significant step forward for portable media players, combining powerful hardware components such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) multitouch screen, an NVIDIA Tegra HD processor and HD Radio capabilities with software advancements such as the new Quickplay menu, a well-featured Web browser, and engaging music and video playback features to deliver a new portable listening and viewing experience. Quickplay is a new signature menu for Zune, putting customers one touch away from the content they love, such as favorites, last played items and media most recently added, eliminating the need to dig through menus to find the music, videos, pictures or podcasts they want.

With Zune HD, consumers now have the ability to store and play back 720p HD video files to an HDTV using the new Zune HD AV dock accessory. Consumers can buy or rent HD content from the Zune Marketplace, sync that content to a Zune HD device, and take it with them to play back on a large-screen HDTV in the home or on the road.

Every Zune device currently includes a built-in FM tuner, and now the Zune HD device offers the first portable HD Radio receiver on a Wi-Fi-enabled device. With HD Radio, listeners experience crystal-clear sound on more than 2,000 stations in the U.S. and have access to more than 1,000 stations that simulcast content in a variety of formats, from adult contemporary to news talk. Zune HD users can also tag songs they hear on supported HD Radio stations for purchase immediately if in a Wi-Fi hot spot, or complete the purchase later when using the Zune PC software.

Zune HD also features new casual games and non-gaming functionality such as a calculator and an MSN Weather application. Later this year, Zune plans to release free applications such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, in addition to fun 3-D games such as “Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition,” “Vans Sk8: Pool Service” and “Audiosurf™ Tilt.” Games can be added to Zune HD via Zune Marketplace over the Wi-Fi connection or when connected to the Zune PC software.

Zune HD is available from major retailers with a black 16GB version for $219.99 (estimated retail price) and a platinum 32GB version for $289.99 (ERP). Additional red, green and blue devices are available in both capacities from Zune Originals (http://www.zuneoriginals.net), where customers can also customize the back of the Zune HD device with art and text etchings to create a unique Zune.

“Our research indicates that there’s strong consumer demand for dedicated media players and Zune HD offers visible differentiation in this market,” said Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis at Interpret LLC. “Microsoft is also offering some compelling software and services with the Zune ecosystem that will help Zune HD stand out from other offerings.”

Greater Access to and Control of Music and Videos

Zune is also refreshing its free Zune PC software with new discovery and recommendation features, such as Quickplay and Smart DJ, that help users find and play digital content. The Quickplay menu available on the device is also featured on the PC software, allowing favorite content to be displayed along with most recently played and added music, video and podcast content.

The new Smart DJ feature showcases the power of the Zune software and services by creating endless playlists using any artist, album or song as the starting point. For Zune Pass subscribers, Smart DJ will queue song recommendations from both the customer’s collection and from more than 6 million tracks in the Zune Marketplace. Nonsubscribers will get Smart DJ recommendations from the user’s music collection. Movies make their way into the Zune PC software this fall for rental and purchase. Users can watch movies in the Zune PC software with a full-screen viewing mode or sync them to Zune HD for viewing on the go. Many titles are available in HD and standard definition, with additional titles making their way into the catalog in coming months.

Streaming Music, On Demand

Now as Zune Pass subscribers, not only can customers enjoy access to close to 6 million songs from the Zune Marketplace catalog for $14.99, the price of one CD a month, but they can also log into Zune.net and stream full albums and tracks through a computer’s browser. Customers will also find the Smart DJ feature on artist pages in Zune.net, which means they are one click away from starting an endless playlist to keep them rocking through the day.

The Zune Service Extends Across Microsoft Platforms

Later this fall, Zune video will expand to nearly 20 million Xbox LIVE users, combining the Zune and Xbox video stores so consumers have access to more content provided by Zune. With unified video catalogs on Zune and Xbox LIVE, customers will have the ability to play purchased movies and TV shows across Xbox, the PC and Zune HD. Zune will also be introducing new technology enhancements in Xbox LIVE, providing a choice to download or instantly stream HD video in full 1080p with 5.1 surround sound. In addition, the integrated Zune video service will be rolled out later this fall to 17 international markets: Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.3 More information on Zune and related images is available at http://www.zune.net/press.

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Zune HD arrives with a preloaded promotional video. Those of us who received early review units aren’t able to sync additional content to the Zune HD until the 4.0 firmware gets released on September 15.

As a result, the little promo video is getting a lot of air time in the first pre-reviews and hands-on looks at the Zune HD!

If you haven’t seen (or heard) it in its entirety, here’s the whole 60-second piece. It’s another one of those Zune-ish conceptual art animations… and I like it. Sorry for the poor audio quality – I had to use Aux-In on my sound system from my HD’s headphone jack, and my PC microphone didn’t pick it up well. The sound track is “Blackout“, by The Whip.

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It’s always hard for me to get a feel for the size of a gadget until it’s in my hands. So it is for the Zune HD.

Sure, I’ve known the dimensions (52.7 x 102.1 x 8.9 mm) and weight (74 grams) of the player for a while.

But I did not appreciate the lightness and compactness of the HD until I lifted it from its packaging this morning. If you haven’t experienced Zune HD yet, I’d recommend getting to a retailer and putting one in your hands.

In the pictures below, I try to give a feel for the size of the player by showing it nearby other objects, like the flash Zune players, the hard drive 120gb Zune, and the iPhone 3G. I’m not implying that these are equivalent devices – each one has a form and function designed for its feature set. But the pictures convey the size and shape of Zune HD relative to these other items.

Click on any picture to see the full-size photo. There’s also a video at the bottom of this post, that “sizes up” the Zune HD.

First, the Zune HD and my 2nd-generation flash 16gb Zune player:

Zune HD and my 120gb (hard drive) Zune player:

Zune HD and my iPhone 3G:

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Ah, nothing like an unboxing of a new gadget to make my day. Here’s a video (above) and some pix of the unpackaging of my new 16gb Zune HD. This new player is a joy to hold.

Zune HD is shipping now from Amazon.

Click on any pic below to see the full-sized photo.

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Zune HDs are shipping now, and those of you who pre-ordered should receive yours on Tuesday September 15th.

That’s also the day that new Zune software will be released. On Monday at 11am Pacific, Zune services will be brought down for the upgrade, and resurface early on Tuesday with all the new goodness that is Version 4.0.  Zune.net and Zune Marketplace will be unavailable during the upgrade.

We’ll be here on Tuesday morning with Zune HD unboxing pix and videos, and some first close looks at this player. We’ll also preview the new Zune software release.

Zune HD retails for $219.99 for the 16gb model, and $289.99 for 32gb. It’s available now on Amazon.

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The much-anticipated Zune HD is now available for pre-order. You can pre-order the player from Amazon now in its 16gb and 32gb sizes.

I received word from Microsoft today, confirming the pre-order availability, as well as shipping dates, prices, and confirmed specs.  Here’s the scoop:

Pre-orders: Can be placed now – from Amazon, Best Buy, Wal-Mart, and the Zune store.

Shipping: Pre-orders will be shipped to arrive on September 15th. This is also the day that Zune HD will be available in stores.

Capacity: 16gb and 32gb. For the 16gb, this translates to 5 hours of high-def video, 48 hours of device-optimized video, 4,000 songs, or 25,000 pictures. For the 32gb, you can about double the video and music.

Prices: $219.99 for Zune HD 16gb; $289.99 for Zune HD 32gb

Dimensions: 52.7 mm x 102.1 mm x 8.9 mm (w x h x d)

Weight: 74 grams (2.6 ounces)

Colors: Black (16gb) and Platinum (32gb). Plus, more colors to be available through Zune Originals (see below).

Other Specs / Features:

• 3.3-inch OLED touch screen, 16×9 widescreen format, 480×272 resolution
• HD Radio receiver
• HD Video output (through HDMI A/V docking station – available separately from Amazon)
• Wi-Fi for wireless web browsing, music streaming, music downloading, wireless sync to PC
• Internet browser with on-screen touch QWERTY keyboard, multi-touch zoom-in / zoom-out, accelerometer
• Processor: NVIDIA Tegra chip ultralow-power HD processor
• Battery life: 33 hours of music with wireless off. Up to 8.5 hours of video.

Other details released today:

- Custom-engraved Zune Originals will be available for Zune HD, starting September 15th. Ten new engravings and five colors will be available for customizing both the 16gb and 32gb Zune HD models.

- On August 22 and 23, a sneak peek of the Zune HD will be available at Best Buy locations in various cities around the U.S.

Based on reports from the lucky few who have handled one, the Zune HD looks to be a beautiful package loaded with an impressive – and unique – set of features. I’m looking forward to getting hands-on with this.

How about you? Are you going with a pre-order? Let us know through the Comments link below.

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The Zune HD, to be released this fall, will be powered by the new Tegra processor from NVIDIA. This has been speculated for awhile, and was confirmed on Friday in a ZuneInsider podcast by Matt Akers of the Zune team.

To date, no other portable device uses the new processor, which is being heralded for its battery-efficient operation. (The Tegra draws less than 0.5 Watts of power, and in netbook usage is said to deliver up to 25 days of audio play and 10 hours of video play on a single charge.)  Edited to note that the audio and video specs are from a Tegra running in a netbook, not in Zune HD. No battery life estimates have been announced yet for Zune HD.)

This seems to raise the bar substantially for battery life performance, especially combined with the prospect of the Zune HD’s OLED display – another highly-efficient feature compared to the backlit screens of virtually every other mobile device out there.

The Zune HD is viewable now on Amazon, and we’re counting the weeks until pre-orders are available. Zune HD has a 3.3-inch, 16:9 OLED (480×272 resolution) screen, HD (high-definition) radio, HD (720p) video out, Wi-Fi, a web browser, built-in accelerometer, and a touch-screen QWERTY keyboard.

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ZuneHD is appearing now on Amazon, with a product detail page viewable now.

It’s not available for pre-order yet. But the product page offers a nice round-up of the ZuneHD’s unique capabilities.

Note: there is was some mangled language in the product page about Xbox gaming. Don’t get too excited about that; my understanding from the Zune team  is that the gaming language is a butchered reference to the Zune integration with Xbox LIVE.

Amazon link: http://www.tinyurl.com/zunehd-on-amazon

Thanks to Travis at ZuneSpring for the word.

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