Microsoft: '2010 will be the Biggest Year in Xbox History'

More news from Microsoft's CES press conference. Microsoft has announced that Natal will be available this Holiday 2010. It's an "entirely new, yet completely natural way to play," said Microsoft's Robbie Bach. With games like Alan Wake (which will have DLC episodes after its release), Halo: Reach and the release of Project Natal, "2010 will be the biggest year in Xbox history," he added. Other big games coming to the Xbox 360 include Crackdown 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction, and Mass Effect 2.

[we won]

I could have told you that just with the things they have told us are coming already, nevermind the secrets they always have and reveal starting at E3. Once E3 gets here MSFT will announce the 2010 line-up in total like always.

[Lifendz]

But Natal? Do you guys think it'll take off? I think MS and Sony are chasing a demographic that will forever belong to Nintendo. Some people may pick it up, but I doubt either will come close to duplicating the success of the Wii. Can't blame either MS or Sony for trying. This, like the NFL, is a copy-cat business.

[Bathyj]

I have no interest in Natal.

Most console gamers are to lazy to sit at a desk and play a PC, letalone jump around playing Halo. (I can see kids everywhere tea bagging in their livingrooms now).

Anyway, just my opinion, I just cant see how motin control will replace a controller in your hand.

[Bigpappy]

This will be the biggest year so far for Xbox. I am not comparing to PS3 or the Wii. They did great last year with just putting features on live and preparing it to expand. This year they have there best games and Natal. People who hate Natal are going to have a hard year ahead, starting right now. You are going to see all the specs and demo's of new game to come. People understand that you wave a remote and stuff moves on the screen. But when there is nothing in your hands and you are moving stuff on the screen like you in your kitchen, but through thin air, than is shocking. This is why M$ sell it are gaming with no controller. People are like: NO way! But we know that most games for Natal will use both. The developers will be talking about the game they are working on for Natal and the media will have all the write-ups. The wand will get some love too but it will continue to be one sided natal creates more excitement.

[Fair-Play]

You have an interesting opinion however I believe the answer is yes natal will take off and in fact fly very highly indeed.

No disrespect to the PS3 controller but I haven't the same opinion of that device and here are my reasons why.

Firstly Natal is trying something new no physical controller, facial and voice recognition. 3D movement processing its something that really hasn't been explored all that much on consoles. Sure argue the PS Eye touched on this before and its true but it only really scratched the surface of what is truly possible.

The PS3 motion controller I personally think is a improvement on the Wii's motion controller. But outside of that it doesn't bring anything new to the table it is just the Wii mote for the PS3.

The Natal tech wasn't really ready when the PS eye was released. Microsoft has had alot longer to refine it and has the software support that the PS eye just didn't.

If you think about it the Wii tech has been around since PS1 days I used to have a round PS1 controller that would sense movement up down left and right. It was used as a racing controller back in the day. That's just a primitive version of the Wii mote.

Nintendo refined that tech and made something truly great. Microsoft is trying to do the same with Natal and if they pull if off honestly it could be the future of gaming. They have alot of ideas some risky very risky but if it comes together its going to be something very special.

Sony on the other hand of just said lets make a better Wii mote and that's what it is.

@below There are some quite interesting facts in there but generally it is just MS telling share holders to invest.

[Microsoft Xbox 360]

Natal and Reach? LOL. Microsoft must have lowered their standards recently.

[hakis86]

Nothing really caught my interest with this headline - it's just standard "blah blah greatest year ever" that all of the companies say.
Is the link worth a click? What's it about?

[beans]

Every woman and child I've spoken with about Natal seem excited about the idea. When they here no more controller it's always the same "that's cool" comment. If all goes well with advertisement and word of mouth then Natal has a chance of really do well. Me personally I need to wait and see more before judging.

Edit below mikeslemonade: I swear this site is full of nothing but idiots like you. If you seriously think Natal and halo reach (to name a few offerings this year) will not have a huge impact on 360 sales then you sir belong in the dumb zone. Mike please say something that makes sense for once and quit whining kid.

[mikeslemonade]

Microsoft won't top what they did in 2007. I think they sold the most systems that year. And the games that year reached the full potential of the 360. 2010 is just trying to copy the success of 2007 and I think it will fall short.

[nix]

imagine playing a game without a controller, that means you don't need Wii-like controllers. yes, is it going to sell? yup. i think so.

why do i think it will sell, it will because i've shown my Eyepet game to my friends and they are pretty much psyched about it. Natal promises to be bigger than Eyepet unless Sony pulls out something before Natal comes out.

i think the US delay in Eyepet's launch might have something to do with it.

i may not like it that much because i crave for games with stories etc.. but the public will eat it, i think. but yeah be prepared for 360 will treated like Wii amongst hardcore gamers. most of you probably won't want to mention that you own 360. lol.

and a note: i'm a PS3 fan and that's the only console i own, i'm just telling you what i feel.

[Lifendz]

and I cringe at the thought. It may be novel for a half-hour or maybe even an hour but what about those prolonged gaming sessions? If you're on N4G you're probably a pretty hardcore gamer. I could play games on a 12 hour binge if I had the time. Probably more. Do I want to use Natal or motion controller tech for that? Not really. Do you guys?

Don't get me wrong. I'm not dismissing the idea and I'm sure it'll garner attention from the usual places, but are any of you really looking forward to this next-wave of peripherals?

I think I'm old fashioned because I'll forever want a controller. My friend tried to tell me that this is just the inevitable and one day we'll play games via a computer chip in our heads. No thanks is my response.

I guess time will time. If they can find a way to utilize the tech without resorting to cheesy Wii Sports ripoffs then I'll admit I was wrong.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

I'm so excited about the first half of the year and then to only follow up with Reach and Natal is nothing short of an amazing year!

To those that don't think Reach will sell consoles, I wonder what the heck was going on with the November sales when MW2 came out?

[Traveler]

Yeah I'm so excited for this year. Microsoft looks like it has a great year ahead of them. Congrats.

[Mr Bot]

sorry it was 2007 and i dont think it will happen again this gen!!

[Cenobia]

What? You mean like all the exclusives they announced at the 2009 E3? Are you on crack? Everyone said MS would unveil huge games at E3 last year and they didn't. Why are you starting that hype train up again?

They might announce 1 game that is exclusive and comes out the same year. Do you actually think they're hiding like 5 games that are almost finished?

[paradigmfellow]

Microsoft hasn't mention anything on human limitations dealing with dexterity. Also I feel that the people that bought the Wii now realize how much money they had to spend on it.

[callahan09]

This is definitely going to be the biggest year ever for Xbox. With new games in the Halo, Fable, Mass Effect, Splinter Cell, and Crackdown franchises, plus new IP like Alan Wake, it's going to do very well in 2010. But Natal? I dunno. I personally think it looks like a silly gimmick, but I guess it seems like it's getting a lot of hype and when was the last time an Xbox game (OK, Natal's not a game, but you get the idea) got a ton of hype and didn't sell millions? Pretty much never. So while I personally think Natal looks like a joke, maybe it too will contribute to a big, big year for 360 in 2010.

[Anon1974]

While the 360 certainly has a better lineup than 2009, will it be enough to reverse the sales slide? Right now the preliminary numbers seem to indicate that 360 sales were down over 10% year over year, and everyone has been moaning about how slow software sales have been.

No doubt Halo Reach will sell well, but it's primarily a US title, and let's face facts, everyone that's going to play Halo already has a 360. Same thing with Mass Effect 2, Crackdown 2, Splinter Cell, Alan Wake. The people that are going to buy those titles already have a 360. Those aren't system sellers even though each will probably crack a million.

And Natal? Unless Microsoft can provide a 360 and Natal for under the price of a Wii and advertise it like it's the second coming, there's no way the casuals are going to pass up playing Super Mario Brothers in favor of throwing virtual paint on a wall and telling Milo about their day. It's just not going to happen. The Xbox isn't on the casuals radar, and I seriously doubt it's going to be enough to make an impact.

Don't get me wrong. The 360 should be flying off the shelves at it's current price. It's a fantastic system, but it just can't compete with the worldwide brand recognition that Nintendo has built up over the years. That impact is huge at this point. And the stench of the 360's hardware woes lingers to this day. Add to that how hot the PS3 is now with it's new add campaign, blu-ray winning the format wars and the price drop and instead of 2010 being a great year for the 360, I predict it's more the 360's decline becomes apparent to everyone, not just those who follow industry trends.

[knifefight]

This is way better than last year when they said "2009 will not be the best year in Xbox history."

[Shaka2K6]

.

[YellowLightofDeath]

Uhhhh, incoherent ramblings of a psychopath. Get a job, troll.

[rezenu]

Says the person who named themselves Yellow Light of Death. Wow, all of you fanboys are alike.

[stonecold1]

incoming

[THE MAX SPEED 21]

without a doubt they got a better lineup than last years. I'm very happy this time.

[Noctis Aftermath]

Anyone see where they mentioned the 39million 360s sold cause i don't see it written anywhere.

[ps360wll]

Both consoles will have a great year... i truly believe MS will do amazing things with natal... I know alot of people in n4g would like to see natal fail lets not forget, MS is a software company and their marketing is top notch.

Thats not to say Sony wont have a strong year... both companies software side is looking amazing, i just prefer 360's list over ps3.

[mesh1]

ahhhh soglad to own a 360 39 million console sold to date ,sony is on 30million, 2010 will be a kiler year that will boooost 360 hardware sales into hyper space NA NA NA NA NA NAA NAAA NANANA

[LordMarius]

funny how in your post you only mention sales

[meatnormous]

I really doubt that 39 million means 39 million sold. These are likely shipped numbers.

[YellowLightofDeath]

Well which is it Marius? If Sony trumps MS in sales, then sales are what matters to PS3 fanboys. If MS trumps Sony in sales, then it's systems exclusives and metacritic scores that matter to PS3 fanboys.

But what happens when MS sells more consoles, sells almost double the software, has a blockbuster lineup in 2010, have better looking multiplatforms (which DO matter because they have higher attach rates than exclusives), better online functionality and integration?

Good old fashioned spin control by the Sony fanboys that operate every facet of this site.

One minute VGChartz is a unreliable, garbage website (if Sony puts up bad numbers), the next minute it is the word of the lord (if Sony puts up good numbers). Same goes for Metacritic.

@Meatnormous-

Shipped and sold are the same thing basically. MS sells those units to retailers. The same numbers are reported by Sony. Sony uses shipped numbers also.

[meatnormous]

Well I think that its a sleezy tactic regardless who does it.

[we won]

Busy day for PS3 fanboys trolling 360 articles doing damage control.

[YellowLightofDeath]

I havent seen them out like this since the Black Friday/November numbers. They're going hardcore too, not even being ambiguous about it. They're literally saying "PS3 is going to rule 2010" in the gamer zone.

It's ok, PS3 fanboys are a sad bunch. That's why it's so much fun to rip on them. Or is that racist?

[bujasem_89]

its like a homeless person saying ill have a job , wife kickass car and kick ass home tomorrow xD lool at desperation

[Butt Shingles]

That doesnt stop you PS3 fanboys from going on about how awesome your 2010 lineup is and your dildo-look-alike motion controller.

I swear if you look up hypocrite in the dictionary you'll see PS3 fanboy waiving his PS flag.

[electricshadow]

Judging from your name, it's apparent where you'll be shoving the Sony "dildo" controller.

[nogolis]

I have no interest in playing motion controlled games past a 20 min session of High Velocity Bowling every 3 or 4 months. What kills me about Natal, and all the morons thinking it's something, is the fact that it ask you to work all day long, like I do, come home and stand in front of my tv while I flail my arms around, jump up and down, schuck and jive left to right before a gimmick of a camera attached to an even more tired xbox 360.

Thanks but not thanks. Gaming isn't that important and I'd rather hold my baby girl than to hold my hands up in front of a tv for any period of time.

Gaming is supose to be comfortable. It's about relaxation and it's a hobby. What don't people understand about that? Why are we trying to remove ourselves as far away from the fact that it is a recreation and not a sport? Gaming is interactive without all the idiotic movments.

And for that

PASS!

[labwarrior]

The best 360 games are not out yet, not even close

Mass Effect 2
Fable 3
Alan Wake
Kingdom Under Fire 2
XBLA 2D RPG's

These are all just HUGE and the best gaming has to offer in the coming months

Add Natal too

[DMason]

Uhh, you forgot two of the biggest titles MS has this year: Splinter Cell: Conviction and Halo Reach

[Waldex_Encore]

THESE MOTHERFVCKERS ARE ABSOLUTELY DELUSIONAL!!!!!!

the only thing the stupid bots are gonna get this year is a rip to daddy and mommy wallets to buy that pedo milo stuff, and im gonna be very happy when they discover that they will only have wii like games instead of hardcore games

F¨ck you xbots, you are the biggest disgrace to gaming since the great north american videogame crash of 1983

[Traveler]

Wow, so much hate. I think you need to get back to what is important: gaming! Leave this fanboy stuff behind.

[maniacf40]

.

[swiftshot93]

Forget Natal the games alone support that.

Halo Reach, Alan Wake, Mass Effect 2, and hopefully (Ubisoft Montreal has disappointed too many times this gen, so Im wary) Splinter Cell will all be AAA. Crackdown 2 and Fable 3 will also be big games and will deliver to their respective audiences. Not to mention all the XBLA games MS will announce at E3.

All that software AND brand new innovative hardware no doubt make 2010 the biggest year ever for the Xbox brand.

Edit: Mistwalker game is also likely to be exclusive to 360.

Edit 2: ughhh, DLC episodes? Well as long as the ending to the game is sufficient I wont mind them as long as they're not overpriced. I understand that Alan Wake 2 will probably take a long time too...

[Xi]

not to mention new features/games for live, like games room, joyride, 1 vs 100, perfect dark HD.

and all the awesome multiplatform titles hitting both consoles.

who knows, we might even be surprised by some sleeper hits like metro 2033.

and there's bound to be some killer announcements at tgs/e3.

[ItWasWritten]

1st Xbox failed, 360 only successful console but fails to dominated the gaming market, Sony did something that Microsoft will never do and thats dominate a gaming market for 2 generations in a row probably 3 by the time PS3's 10 years is up.

[swiftshot93]

I applaud Sony for their 2010 lineup. They are launching a lot of new IPs next year in addition to some long awaited sequels. Notable games for Sony next year are GT5, GOWIII, Modnation Racers, and Heavy Rain.

The thing is with Sony, they havent talked about what comes after the first half of 2010, the big holiday games I mean. But we do know what is coming from MS which is why I feel there is more excitement around the 360 right now. Their big 2 games are Fable 3 and Halo Reach. Then Natal is coming out and they announced 10 launch games for the system (which they will detail at E3). Big stuff.

The only game confirmed for Sony's fall line up is David Jaffe's game, which we know nothing about. The rest we can only speculate: Agent, Last Guardian, Starhawk? Its weird for Sony we usually know whats coming from them.

Plus have they announced anything sincere about their motion controller? If its coming out in spring I feel they should be talking more, no?

[ps360wll]

Sorry man, what you said make sense but wouldn't that work the other way around also. How about this...

How can sony be in last place in hardware when they dominated/destroyed ect. I think sony winning two generations and struggling during the early phase is a big no no. My thoughts, not sure how others think.

[labwarrior]

I would take Mass Effect 2 depth and complex gameplay, characters etc over the whole boring PS3 lineup

Same for the strategy in KUF2, the simulated complex world in Fable 3, the huge open adventure world in Alan Wake and the real stealth gameplay (unlike the MGS4 shooter) in Splinter Cell 5

Also the fresh gameplay and art in the coming XBLA 2D RPG's, that will do what Braid did for action/puzzle genre, in action/RPG/adventure genre

Maybe i am not 13 anymore and mindless action/shooting does not appeal to me anymore

[snipermk0]

Yea.. you must be 8 years old. GoW3 is for an adult audience. Now run along and play your halo with baby faced aliens.

[Britney Spears]

boring my ass,mass effect is boring and dull with bad frame rate problems.plus it's on pc too.

[DJ]

They haven't had a good software lineup for the past two years, but we may see just as many exclusive 360 titles as we did in 2007 (its greatest year). Unfortunately, they're going to fall to 3rd place overall, and Sony's going to steal most of the limelight with their games.

[Xibot]

I always see you at 4 then refresh and you at 5 again. How do you keep doing that? share the love.

[DMason]

Uhm, 2008 was a pretty good year for the 360. It actually had a solid lineup, more so than Sony even. How can you even make wild accusations like that? 2009 was MS's only lacking year in terms of software. But Xbox Live integration was in full force in 2009, and the same goes for XBLA games.

[DJ]

+Bubbles for all. Nah, 2008 and 2009 were both pretty bad. Though Modern Warfare 2 did brighten things up for 09.

[Traveler]

Admit it, the 360 had a great year in 2008 too. I really do think that 2010 will be bigger for the 360 than 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009.

[EvilBlackCat]

N4G "the worst place to discuss about gaming and games in the forums"

Fnck this sh!t im out

Peace to all real gamers! Leave this place! is not worth your time!

[saimcheeda]

MS looks to be in a good position this year and if what they've promised is true they could be in a powerful place by next year!

[AliTheBrit19]

Going to be a good year for both consoles, some huge games coming :D

[Fatal Blow]

@labwarrior

yes i have an god of war avatar and some people have micky mouse whats the point hear am not the one talking about a ps3 game on an xbox page and saying this game is better then that am i just grow up if u dont like god of war 3 or gt5 don't talk about it its that simple am not going about and saying halo 3 was not good hell i got in to shooting games because of halo

[PLAYstar]

Continue with the lies M$.. Your history was full of jokes anyway.

[jalen247]

I think Microsoft will do well in 2010.

But Sony is on a roll and they have momentum. Sony now has the price down and they are constantly releasing big AAA exclusives on a monthly basis...sometimes even 2 or 3 exclusives in the same month.

[Fatal Blow]

@labwarrior

i said the same thing to a ps3 fanboy on hear

i love all amazing game be it on ps3,xbox360,wii as long as there are good games am a happy bunny because i get to play all these great games

[Traveler]

Yes, bubbles for you. A good game is a good game regardless of which console it is on.

[DigitalAnalog]

I guess we can't look forward to 2011 and onwards.....

-End statement

[rezenu]

I think they'll have a good year too.

[Vizion26]

I posted this elsewhere but it is worth another post...

Several things Natal lacks that will limit its gaming potential.

1. It can't give the player any physical feedback (or haptics). Punching or kicking the air doesn't feel right compared to the Wii mote where I actually have something physical in my hands and feel the recoil when I swing to hit something.

2) There are no buttons or analog stick. You can forget about playing any kind of platformers, FPS etc. The games most fitting for it are fitness games and casual mini type games. To be fair I can see some new genres being born from Natal but hardly nothing the "core" gamer would be interested in.

3) Microsoft are amateurs when it comes to this kind of family, casual - whatever you want to call it gaming. They have no experience with these types of games and dealing with this kind of market while Nintendo has been making these types of games for almost 3 decades. They got some brass you know what for trying to step on Nintendo's territory.

By the way, Natal, for the most part, will not be catering to the "core" gamers who are probably the only people that knows it exists. So why Eye Toy 2.0 getting so much hype in the gaming community?

[Jamescagney]

Looks like the 360 is going to have a good year, the GOTY awards aren't going to be so easy to judge in 2010, both consoles look like they're going to have some great games.

This will be an interesting year, good start to a new decade. Especially for people who have more than one console. In fact, I think it's going to be a struggle for most people to afford all the games that are coming out.

[BLADE_X8]

With Natal, a 360 slim unit, Mass Effect 2, Splinter Cell, Fable 3, and of course...the mighty Halo, I could definantly see record sales for Microsoft! (Also..people are sleeping on Battlefield: BC 2)

I am PS3 only this time around, have my eye on 360 slim ( I love new systems!) Natal, and Mass Effect 2, in 2010. My only beefs with MS are the RROD/E7 and XBL yearly price...NOT THE ACTUAL FEE ITSELF. (I think $19.99 a year is much more of a fair price) Although we have all heard it in the past....2010 should finally be the year when we witness a crack in one of the "Super Powers" (Not to disrespect the Wii, but with all the systems sold, their revenue is no where that of either Sony or MS...this gen.) People forget that PSP's cost more than Ds, but they have still sold over 50 million of those things. (PLUS the Ps1 and ps2 system/games are still selling) And XBL is banking over $300 million, EVERY YEAR. Nintendo doesn't have outside income/influence like these two giants. On top of games, both Sony and MS has other products on the market too....thus making them "Super Powers" (IMO, of course)

[Britney Spears]

They aren't going to do a slim. They aren't a hardware company and don't want to risk the RROD fiasco more than it is. I doubt they would take that risk. They already peaked in terms of trying to get really high sales and getting hardcore gamers. Why do you think they aren't trying the natal to see if they can get some casual gamer? The causal gamers are always the next step once you got whatever you can from the hardcore.

[horndog]

riding on their pink sony d!ldos while patrolling the 360 boards. Watch out.