Microsoft's press conference was judged by many to be the triumph of E3 -- with a slick television-oriented presentation that showcased promising games and appealing new tech. Of course, the most talked-about part of the conference was the public debut of the company's Project Natal, its wand-free, camera-based motion control peripheral.
Shane Kim, Microsoft's corporate VP of strategy and business development for its interactive entertainment business, spoke with Gamasutra at the show on how he sees Project Natal as a relaunch for the Xbox 360 console -- and the challenges of attracting new consumers to the fold is not lost on him. After all, the company called its New Xbox Experience, which drastically changed the system's interface, a relaunch too.
But it's not just about the Natal, of course. Microsoft's strategy also, much more quietly, grows in the form Joy Ride, the first free-to-play, pay-for-items console game to be launched in the West.
The complexities of navigating from its current market -- where success is built upon a sea of hardcore gamers, toward a future of growth of the platform, is a difficult one. It's hinged on opening it up with software approaches and peripherals both, and here Kim offers his take on how Microsoft will navigate that change.
The most notable reveal would perhaps by the requirements of the Xbox 360 console itself. While Microsoft has insisted since the original unveiling of Kinect at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in 2009, then known as Project NATAL, that the device would be compatible with all Xbox 360 consoles, the revelation of a dedicated port included on the newly redesigned Xbox 360 model has sparked rumours of incompatibility, which were quickly debunked.
odd, i was led to believe it lacked an internal processor and so also needed a core to itself, if not 1-2 processing threads.
So pretty much the same spec as the PS Eye, although I thought the eye went up to 120 Hertz...
"Tracks up to 6 people, including 2 active players"
I think now its official that just 2 ppl can play at the same time.
Xbox Evolved:
"Microsoft is holding no breaks in making sure the general public knows all about Kinect. What cooler spot to also show it than with Jimmy Fallon? "
although i usually watch fallon. i'll have to catch an internet clip of it later.
was pretty funny. same demos they showed at E3 though. Nothing new. But they sure are marketing it quick.
wow first that girl's co-worker hosts the Kinect event and now she's her playing it. I see the audience Microsoft is definitely going after with Bieber, Cosgrove and McCurdy - teenage pop audiences.
Meodia writes, "So about a year ago when Project Natal was first starting off, many Xbox 360 and even other gamers were worried about the future of their console. A local shovelware dumping ground didn't sound quite appealing and Natal looked like it would serve extra servings of it. But Microsoft reassured us, holding our hands and telling us that everything would be alright. Since then, nothing has changed. After that "conference" at E3, we were shown nothing but how to please little girls."
It's funny because after the Microsoft conference, we actually saw some. In fact, I'm surprised that they showed off the shovelware they did, and then an hour later Sonic Freedom Riders and Child of Eden were shown off and completely destroyed what Microsoft displayed.
gotta agree, MS is exactly like nintendo 2 years ago. hey, what ever happened to that dumb ass vitality sensor.
haha... first john schappert and now shane kim ... they all keep dodging the .. is the voice recognition and motion capture tech from 3dv questions ?..