Microsoft has now confirmed the details of the ‘free week’ of Xbox Live that we reported recently.

Of course they’ve decided not to call it anything quite as dull as ‘Free Week’ - possibly becuase the promo lasts nine days. Instead the demons in marketing have repeated the “Bringing it home” title that was used during the free promotion that ran during E3. Imaginative, huh! Anyway, the full, official details are as follows:

• Xbox Live Marketplace will be available to all connected Xbox Live subscribers, regardless of membership status for the nine days from Wednesday 00.01 on September 20th to 23.59 on Friday the 29th. This act of corporate loveliness is sponsored by Windows Live Spaces, and will take in both the Tokyo Gameshow and X06.

• Several key announcements are expected from each show (which, alas, we can’t report here). This will include two new titles for Live Arcade – one of ‘em a brand new franchise.

• There will be more than 100 pieces of downloadable content over the nine-day period. Highlights including press briefings, behind-the-scenes videos from the show floors and – best of all – killer playable demos. Interested punters are warned that all of this content will be removed as of 8.00am GMT on the morning of the 30th. In other words get it all while you can.

• New game trailers will be posted for the following titles:
– Call of Duty 3
– Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
– Forza Motorsport 2
– Kayne & Lynch
– Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom)
– Need for Speed™ Carbon
– Project Sylpheed
– Shrek 3
– Viva Piñata
Plus additional high definition videos from games to be announced at Tokyo Game Show and X06

• There will be new picture packs and themes for games such as Alan Wake, Mass Effect, Fable 2 and Forza 2. Yawn...

...And needless to say that all the usual Gold account content will be available to everyone during the event – this will include exclusive competitions, retro laffs on Live Arcade and the chance to “game with fame” amongst many other items of varying hilarity. See the calendar pages on Xbox.com for more updates - xbox.com/bringingithome.