Natal

Project Natal landing in October?

Microsoft's Project Natal, an Xbox 360 add-on that will allow gamers to use their bodies to control on-screen action, will be released in October, according to comments made by a Microsoft representative in a recent interview.

"So I do have great news to share with everybody," Syed Bilal Tariq, a marketing manager at Microsoft's Saudi Arabia division told Saudi TV station KSA 2. "Project Natal will be launched in Saudi Arabia the same time it will be launched in the world. That is going to be somewhere in October."

Gamertag Radio, a video game … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: iPad heads to Best Buy

The iPad goes on sale on Saturday, April 3. Apple said today that in addition to be being available at its 221 U.S. retail locations on Saturday, the iPad would also be available from most Best Buy stores, select Apple authorized resellers, and campus bookstores. The company will also hold iPad workshops at its retail stores Saturday to help customers learn more about the device. Apple Suppliers now expect to ship 2.5 million iPads in the first three months alone. Reports this weekend had indicated that any new iPad orders would not begin shipping until April 12, which … Read more

A conversation with Microsoft's marketing strategist

SAN FRANCISCO--David Webster had a pretty busy year in 2009, trying to convince the world that Windows 7 was their idea and adding the word Bing to their collective vocabulary.

That said, Microsoft's chief marketing strategist doesn't foresee much time to rest. This year, all Webster has to do is persuade consumers that Office is cool, that Mom and Dad need their own Xbox, and that a Windows Phone can be a credible alternative to the iPhone. Luckily, Microsoft is willing to spend a few bucks to do all that.

"We're in a mode now where … Read more

CNET News Daily Podcast: China's malware problem

In today's episode we talk malware coming out of China, GPS being used to get out of speeding tickets, and Opera's new browser for iPhone--which could, or could not be coming to an Apple device near you. We also talk about the U.S. Air Force testing a new jet fuel based on animal fat and plants, along with a mysterious, new 7-inch 3G-enabled device coming to AT&T users this year. Tune in to get the whole story. And, as always, all the links from today's stories can be found below.

Today's stories:

Symantec finds China top source of malware… Read more

Project Natal 'experience' to premiere at E3

Microsoft on Thursday sent out "save the date" invitations for its annual E3 media briefing and the "world premiere" of the Project Natal "experience."

If you haven't been following the evolution of the video game console motion-controller wars, Project Natal is Microsoft's hands-free system that will allow users of the Xbox, and presumably Windows machines, to control much of what they see on their screens simply by their gestures.

Microsoft officially unveiled Natal at E3 last year, so one wonders what the "world premiere," set for the evening of Sunday, … Read more

Microsoft: Natal will adapt sensors to your room

Project Natal, Microsoft's motion-sensing Xbox 360 camera, will work in rooms of all sizes. The device's sensors will read the depth and configuration of your room, adjusting its play space on the fly, Microsoft has revealed. So big or small, cluttered or minimalist, Natal should work in all households.

This reassurance from the company comes in response to fearful reports that at least 13 feet of clear space from a TV was necessary when using the Natal system. Such a requirement would rule out most living rooms in Britain and certainly in gaming-obsessed Japan, where swinging a cat … Read more

preGAME 07: Metro 2033

This week on preGAME, hosts Jeff Bakalar and Mark Licea take a sneak peek at the action-thriller Metro 2033! Join us as we play it live on the show and talk to the game's executive producer, Luis Gigliotti live in the studio. We chat with Luis about how the title made the jump from novel to video game and how the PC version was built in 3D from the ground up. Make sure to watch the entire episode to find out how you can score a copy of the game for Xbox 360!

But before our live demo, Digital City's … Read more

GDC 2010: PlayStation Move vs. Project Natal, we go hands-on with both

As we predicted before the start of the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, Sony used its press conference to formally announce the PS3 motion controller. Officially called the PlayStation Move, this wand-and-cam system, briefly demoed at the Electronic Entertainment Expo last year, is the latest move by a video game console maker into the realm of motion control.

While the Nintendo Wii has had this segment of the market cornered for some time, Microsoft is developing a camera-only motion control system for the Xbox 360 called Project Natal (still a working title), and is now officially joined by Sony in the console gesture control arms race.

As Microsoft demoed Project Natal for us in New York recently, and we've just had a chance to play with the PlayStation Move, we can now bring you our initial hands-on impressions of both systems.

PlayStation Move The PlayStation Move requires a combination of a Sony PlayStation Eye Web cam (an existing peripheral), plus one or more PlayStation Move wands. A secondary controller similar to the Nintendo Wii nunchuck, with the unfortunate name of the "subcontroller," is an optional accessory for some games.

We tried several games using the main Move controller (see the video above), and the experience was generally very close to what we're used to from the Nintendo Wii, albeit with a much greater sense of precision--even better than using the Wii Motion Plus. There was much less of the jittery movement to the onscreen cursor we're used to from the Wii.

At the same time, the experience was clearly a work in progress. We played a rail shooter called The Shoot, and while the aiming and shooting worked fairly well, we kept accidentally resetting the level because of overly sensitive pop-up menus. We also played Move Party, a collection of competitive mini-games for up to four players. Most of the mini-games worked well, from swatting flies to painting shapes on the screen, but the entire package felt too much like a retread of the original PlayStation EyeToy Webcam peripheral and games. A fighting game, using two Move controllers, had just enough input lag to feel sluggish.

Of course, these were all early demo versions of games, and they can be expected to undergo additional polishing before release. Our biggest concern is actually the hardware and how it will be sold.… Read more

Sony unveils Move, its PS3 motion controller

SAN FRANCISCO--Sony on Wednesday unveiled Move, its motion-sensitive controller.

A small device that looks like a microphone--but with something on top of it that looks like a ping pong ball with an LED inside--Move is Sony's bid to gain control over the motion controller wars that are currently led by Nintendo, with its Wii controller, and which many think will be dominated by Microsoft and its Project Natal controller system.

To Sony, releasing the Move is an obvious move for the PlayStation, given it believes it started the motion controller era with its Eye Toy. Sony held its press … Read more