#playstationmove
Sometimes, it's handy being reminded that "gamer" is a far bigger term than most of you realise. As evidenced by this Nielsen poll, which amazingly shows that most "gamers" haven't even heard of Project Natal. More »
A.J. Jacobs of Parade -- along with his children -- recently got a chance to try out Project Natal. Here's the thing though, it's kind of hard to remember anything in the article once you've seen the accompanying video -- especially with Jacobs admitting he accidentally "smacked" one of his children during one of the mini-games. Still, Jacobs has some nice things to say about Natal, noting that it isn't "the invention of flight" that the Wii was, but rather "the invention of the jet engine."
After watching the video -- see it yourself after the break -- we hope he's right, because it certainly doesn't look like a jet engine. If anything, it looks like the people playing are standing behind a jet engine. We've had a few hands-on (or is it body-on?) experiences with Natal so far, and look forward to seeing how it's evolved in the past year once we step in front of its sensor at E3.
In related news, one of the games in the video appears to be River Rush, which was rumored back in April. The game has players riding in a raft and avoiding obstacles. Jacobs points out, however, that the demos he played may not actually be released as games.
#xbox360
Attention, Xbox 360 fans with an incurable case of Bieber Fever! The Tiger Beat coverboy and teenage pop star is buddying up with his friends at Microsoft to bring you hands-on time with Project Natal this fall. More »
#xbox360
Microsoft's free-to-play Avatar racing game Joy Ride is reportedly getting a major motion-controlled tune-up. The BigPark-developed racer is now planned as a Project Natal launch title, CVG reports, and may no longer be free. More »
#xbox360
Last time we saw Microsoft's Project Natal in the wild, the prototype version of its Xbox 360 camera-controller was a mix of cute and creepy. Now, it's looking a hell of a lot more final. More »
On Sunday, June 13, Microsoft will host its Project Natal event -- you know, the gala event with Cirque du Soleil? There, we're betting we'll get details on launch price and date for Project Natal (not to mention its real name). Ahead of that event, however, we've got some interesting news on an upcoming Natal title, care of our Joystiq Superspy[TM].
We're told that Sega is prepping an Xbox Live Arcade game for Project Natal, titled Sonic Free Riders. As you may have guessed, it's a motion-compatible entry in Sega's racing series. We're told players will steer an on-screen avatar through bodily movement, and will acquire weapons and attack other racers by reaching out toward the screen and motioning towards other players, respectively.
It all sounds very intuitive, but will it be fun? We'll let you know in a few weeks when we touch down in L.A. for E3 2010! If this turns out to be true. Otherwise, it definitely won't be fun.
We're sorry if the above headline is misleading, but we feel we should inform you of two things. One, Crave has not announced a game show entitled "Bowling for Natal," so don't expect to see everyday schlubs competing for a Natal on daytime TV anytime soon. Two, what Crave has announced, according to Multiplayer, is a bowling game that will support Microsoft's Project Natal.
More specifically, it's actually a Natal-ified version of Brunswick Pro Bowling, the PlayStation Move bowling title revealed earlier this year. While it was essentially inevitable that Natal would receive some kind of bowling game, we can't help but wonder how strange it will be to pretend to bowl without something to hold on to. If only there was some peripheral, something tangible we could use to enhance the experience.
#xbox360
Project Natal is, if you hadn't worked it out by the whole "project" bit, simply a working title for Microsoft's upcoming motion sensing peripheral. What's its actual name? We don't know, but we're about to find out. More »
If a report by Edge proves accurate (wait till E3), then Pachter's estimation that Project Natal will cost less than an average game is off. Instead, a source backed by Edge has alleged a $150 price point (with plenty of room to drop) for the forthcoming Xbox 360 motion tech camera -- or $300 when bundled with the Xbox 360 Arcade console. Additionally, the source has suggested an October 26 worldwide release -- give or take "a few weeks."
Of course, both the rumored pricing and release date remain uncorroborated (we repeat: wait till E3). But, hey, that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun with the supposed intel. And by "fun," we mean, "host an online poll asking if you'd spend $150 on Project Natal" ... View Poll
If a report by Edge proves accurate (wait till E3), then Pachter's estimation that Project Natal will cost less than an average game is off. Instead, a source backed by Edge has alleged a $150 price point (with plenty of room to drop) for the forthcoming Xbox 360 motion tech camera -- or $300 when bundled with the Xbox 360 Arcade console. Additionally, the source has suggested an October 26 worldwide release -- give or take "a few weeks."
Of course, both the rumored pricing and release date remain uncorroborated (we repeat: wait till E3). But, hey, that doesn't mean we can't have a bit of fun with the supposed intel. And by "fun," we mean, "host an online poll asking if you'd spend $150 on Project Natal" ... View Poll
#rumor
Would you pay $149 USD for Project Natal? According to a report from Edge, that's what current Xbox 360 owners should expect to pay when the much-hyped motion sensing camera from Microsoft launches later this year. More »
#xboxshakeup2010
The departure of two key men involved in the Xbox 360 from Microsoft won't cause major changes in the Xbox division, a source close to Microsoft told Kotaku today. But the timing of the next steps for the Xbox brand was a factor. More »
In January, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot told investors that the company would "refocus"' its development efforts on Xbox 360 and PS3 in 2010, with particular emphasis on iterating its major franchises on the HD consoles. Today, as Ubisoft reported its earnings (actually, losses) for the fiscal year ending March 31, the company remained committed to the ongoing strategy outlined earlier this year.
"We will have more 360 [and] PS3 revenue this [fiscal] year than we had last year," Guillemot said during an investor call today. "The big franchises -- seven of the eight franchises -- will be on 360; and six will be on PS3. And we will have around six or seven on the Wii."
CFO Alain Martinez put last fiscal year's combined sales from PS3 and Xbox 360 software at "about 45 percent" of revenue for the publisher, adding, "I wouldn't be surprised if we are over 50 percent on these two platforms" at the end of the current fiscal year (April 2010 - March 2011). Martinez noted that Wii software sales accounted for "about 26 percent" of revenue in the last fiscal year and hopes sales to be close to that percentage again this fiscal year. In total, Ubisoft is looking to draw "about 77 percent" of its revenue from the three console platforms over the next four quarters.
Speaking to the Financial Times (registration required) Capcom president Haruhiro Tsujimoto declared that the success of Microsoft and Sony's upcoming Natal and Move motion controllers depends on sound planning. "If there isn't a strong business model message from the platform holders about how they will develop [motion controllers] with users," said Tsujimoto, "then I don't think it will go well." In other words, Tsujimoto places the onus of success on the manufacturers of the motion controllers, and not necessarily on the games that will be created for them.
Tsujimoto also took time to reiterate Capcom's stance on overseas game developers, noting that the company will use them for sequels to established products. Regarding E3, Tsujimoto discussed a shift in the gaming industry toward downloadable titles, devices like the iPad and social networks. He added that Capcom will be heavily pursuing downloadable titles, the iPad and Facebook.
As for the likely star of Nintendo's E3 showings, the 3DS, Tsujimoto said he is "interested" to see what the device does "apart from 3D."
#xbox360
A Swedish retailer priced Microsoft's codenamed Project Natal body-control sensor system at $200. But, today, Microsoft's Xbox 360 director of product management, Aaron Greenberg shot down any pricing reports, via Twitter: More »
#wellplayed
Last year featured Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tony Hawk and Stephen Spielberg. This year there will be Cirque du Soleil and perhaps others. More »
#breaking
Released last year, this is the official concept promotional image of Microsoft's upcoming motion control system Project Natal. It is black. More »
In his latest Divnich Debrief column at IndustryGamers, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has made some predictions for E3 2010. Divnich sees this year's expo as a pivotal one for the industry, noting that new technologies like PlayStation Move, Project Natal and the 3DS must make a big splash. Otherwise, says Divnich, we may see industry funding driven toward sectors like MMOs and social gaming. Divnich sees the expo as an "inflection point" in gaming history, saying, "Either E3 2010 acts as a positive catalyst and boosts industry confidence, or it reinforces the negative notions about the long-term viability of traditional gaming."
Divnich makes a few predictions about the show, notably that Rockstar may reveal Grand Theft Auto 5, though it won't announce any hard street date if it does. Divnich believes, however, that you can expect a new teaser for Agent. Nintendo, meanwhile, will announce the official name of the 3DS and announce plans to launch the device in "at least two regions" this November. He also expects the unit will sell 5 million units by March 2011. Furthermore, Nintendo may finally show off its Vitality Sensor in more detail.
Beyond that, the show will likely revolve around Move, Project Natal and the 3DS. "Whatever the outcome or your own personal opinion, one thing is for certain," says Divnich, "E3 2010 is a must attend event for anyone with any vested interest in the video game space."
In his latest Divnich Debrief column at IndustryGamers, EEDAR analyst Jesse Divnich has made some predictions for E3 2010. Divnich sees this year's expo as a pivotal one for the industry, noting that new technologies like PlayStation Move, Project Natal and the 3DS must make a big splash. Otherwise, says Divnich, we may see industry funding driven toward sectors like MMOs and social gaming. Divnich sees the expo as an "inflection point" in gaming history, saying, "Either E3 2010 acts as a positive catalyst and boosts industry confidence, or it reinforces the negative notions about the long-term viability of traditional gaming."
Divnich makes a few predictions about the show, notably that Rockstar may reveal Grand Theft Auto 5, though it won't announce any hard street date if it does. Divnich believes, however, that you can expect a new teaser for Agent. Nintendo, meanwhile, will announce the official name of the 3DS and announce plans to launch the device in "at least two regions" this November. He also expects the unit will sell 5 million units by March 2011. Furthermore, Nintendo may finally show off its Vitality Sensor in more detail.
Beyond that, the show will likely revolve around Move, Project Natal and the 3DS. "Whatever the outcome or your own personal opinion, one thing is for certain," says Divnich, "E3 2010 is a must attend event for anyone with any vested interest in the video game space."
Though Microsoft has already announced it will be doubling up on this year's helping of E3 media showings, we received word this morning that Sunday evening's Project Natal event will feature a "spectacular live performance imagined by Cirque du Soleil." The June 13 event had only been scantly detailed since we first got our invites back in March -- luckily, we always anticipated some kind of media circus.
We also expect to see that "full lineup" of Natal titles that Microsoft promised -- only, you know, with super-bendy acrobatic performers outclassing Microsoft execs at stage demonstrations.
