How Microsoft stole the show at E3
Microsoft's E3 Xbox stage.
(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)CNET conducted a poll earlier this week asking readers which company--Nintendo, Microsoft, or Sony--had the most impressive announcements at this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo.
More than 10,000 people responded. More than 51.9 percent of the respondents said Microsoft bested its competitors. Thirty-four percent of those who answered the poll said Sony had the best announcements. Nintendo finished last, with just 5.6 percent of respondents saying it had the best E3. Ironically, the fourth option--"None of them--they were all yawners"--beat out Nintendo, with 8.4 percent of the vote.
It's a well-deserved victory for Microsoft. At this year's event, the company announced a new, expanded Xbox Live offering for the console, including a new video store with 1080p content. The Xbox 360 will also sport Facebook and Twitter integration.
Those announcements, however, paled in comparison to what came next. Microsoft will be offering full-game downloads on Xbox Live. On top of that, Halo:ODST, Left4Dead 2, Splinter Cell Conviction, and Forza Motorsport 3 will all be exclusive on the console. And in what may have shaken Sony's world more than any other announcement, Hideo Kojima took the stage, announcing that he is bringing his wildly popular Metal Gear Solid series to the Xbox 360 with Metal Gear Solid Rising.
All that's great. But Microsoft's biggest announcement was Project Natal. Taking Nintendo's motion control to a whole new level, Project Natal allows you to control on-screen action without a controller. It senses motion, sound, and 3D movement. Want to throw a pitch? Move your arm like a pitcher, and the game will throw the ball. Want to kick a soccer ball? Swing your foot forward, and the Xbox 360 will take care of the rest. It's like the Wiimote, but without the controller--and cooler.
You're probably wondering what Sony and Nintendo had to say at E3. Sony unveiled the PSP Go, a roster of exclusives, including Gran Turismo 5 and God of War 3, and a new motion controller that uses Sony's Eye technology to provide in-game motion control. It's cool, but it's no Project Natal.
Nintendo had a tough year at E3. It announced a new Super Mario Bros. title for the Wii. Super Mario Galaxy 2 is also coming to its console. But that's about it. Oh, and a pulse reader called the Wii Vitality Sensor. Yeah, I don't get it, either.
As you can see, it wasn't much of a competition for the Xbox 360. Sony's big announcement was motion control. And Nintendo is still staying true to Mario. In the meantime, Microsoft is pushing the envelope and taking its business to the next level.
I think it's time that we commend Microsoft for its gaming efforts. Nintendo played it safe, with a few minor announcements, hoping that they would be enough to stay in the lead. Sony continued its utter disregard for reality (can we please get a PS3 price drop?). But Microsoft took a step back, evaluated the market, and announced plans that could transform the industry.
Game downloads are the future. Exclusives help sell game consoles. And taking motion control to the next level is the right move for Microsoft.
You can say what you want about Microsoft and its Xbox 360. But at this year's E3, it made the competition look foolish. And in the cutthroat business of video games, that's a major victory in and of itself.
Wake up, Nintendo and Sony. Microsoft has.
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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has written about everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Don is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and posts at The Digital Home. He is not an employee of CNET. Disclosure.
Sony's mentality is "We make great stuff that people ejoy paying more for."
Microsoft truly has outdone the competition regarding innovation. Regarding their mindset, my own Xbox 360 failed 13 months after purchase but was fixed for free and returned to me within 3 weeks. On top of that, they increased the warranty for another full year. Why they haven't included a simple web browser for this amazing little gaming machine of theirs is beyond understanding. Other than that, I'm locked in and loving it!
They punch you in the mouth and you keep on smiling. How many people are on their 4th or 5th unit?
"Thank you sir, may I have another!"
When you add in Halo Reach, Alan Wake, Splinter Cell Conviction, Left4Dead 2, and Forza Motorsport 3 and the coming of Metal Gear Solid Rising to the 360, plus instant 1080P HD movie streaming, plus full-game downloads on Live, it becomes a blow-out Microsoft win.
Nintendo has become compalcent essentially gone to sleep. Yet another Mario Brothers plus Wii Fit Plus, when Wii Fit is only about a year old for holiday 2009? And those are going to go up against Bioshock 2, Assasin's Creed 2 and ODST on the 360 for 2009 holidays?
@Kwasiowusu
Natal is R&D. IT needs a practical use before you can call it a success. Maybe they will maybe they won't. It's not a win until it's working and working better than everthing else.
As for the games. Yup, they got some good ones. 1080P movies ona a 720 Console? Hmmmm...Streamed via a convoluted way instead of just using a browser like you could do with a PS3 (assuming Silvrelight supports Linux for Netflix) using it's real browser? I'm not seeing a win here.
This is a very typical M$ ploy. Make grandiose sounding claims for vaporware that either never reaches the market or if it does isn't a fraction of what's promised. Nothing to see here, move along folks.
It was not Microsoft that was doing the innovating it was an Israeli company that did it. Microsoft just bought it.
""Thank you sir, may I have another!""
Please explain this for me then:
Apple Touch. Warranty expires July 10th 2009. Headphone jack failure.
I take the unit in to Apple's repair center for my warranty repair. They say they can repair it, but they will charge me $45 for this service.
$45 for a free warranty repair? Huh? How do you justify that, Cdubber?
They explained that it was a shipping charge. They charge a service fee for this repair to cover the costs of shipping it to the repair center... which is where I took it. I asked if they were going to repair it someplace else or there on site. I was informed they repaired them on site and other remote locations sent their systems to this one for repair. They just charge the shipping fee on all repairs to cover the costs of shipping from other locations.
But don't worry, if I wanted to spend *more* I could get an extension of my Apple Care for two years at $52 and then the whole service would be 'free'.
According to Apple, 'free' means $52.00.
When I had problems with my Creative Zen Xtra years ago, I took it in to Best Buy and they repaired it under warranty. There was no fee- the idea of a warranty meant they would cover the repairs.
Please explain this, CDubber. You are a big proponent about how wonderful Apple is- please explain why I had to *pay* for a 'free' warranty repair.
BTW: Microsoft doesn't charge for warranty repairs of the Xbox. Perhaps they need to follow Apple's example?
Natal has been shown to gaming journalists to try out. and it WORKS..with games!
CNET:
You can believe in Microsoft's Project Natal
IGN:
E3 2009: I've Played Natal and it Works
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/989/989269p1.html
This is technology that works TODAY!
I guess you gotta spend your day spewing out nonsensical anti-Microsoft FUD.
I repeat..again..Natal has been shown to gaming journalists to try out. and it WORKS..with games.. TODAY!
CNET:
You can believe in Microsoft's Project Natal
IGN:
E3 2009: I've Played Natal and it Works
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/989/989269p1.html
No vapourware here..apart from the hot air you keep spewing out
What planet are you on and how much does internet service cost there? You're going to stream 1080p instantly? Not any time soon. You're right on spot though about the innovation: a new Halo game, L4D2, Forza 3, a splinter cell game... doesn't get more innovative or original than that. Full game downloads are nothing new for PS3 owners.
Project Natal seems pretty cool. All they did was show off a theory though. There wasn't much live demo of anything impressive. It's cool, (If it works) but not sure how innovative it is. What do you get when you combine and EyeToy and a Wii? The incredibly innovative "Project Natal". Announcing sequals, late adoption of other's concepts, and fancy theories don't equal a win in my book.
Truth is all 3 had a terrible E3. PSP Go? You can't be serious. A motion controller that is slightly better than Wii, no price drop, no firmware surprises, no compelling Home content? Sony-fail. 360, sequel, motion control, sequel, MGS without Kojima, sequel, sequel, sequel- fail. Nintendo (crickets chirping)- fail.
Sony's got all the games though (even though I do love Halo), and I can play them with my friends for free.
Seriously, the 'Microsoft fails to deliver what it promised' part is debatable, but what MS did deliver was much better then what the competition put out. That is why people continue to buy it.
When the competition puts out a better product (like FireFox did) folks notice and will move to it.
If the competition continues to put out inferior products, folks will stay with MS.
"Do you think that you could've thought this out a little bit more before bringing out your blatant Microsoft hate? At least get an argument that makes sense before you hate on Microsoft."
Actually, I said nothing in my post about hating Microsoft. All I did was state a pattern that, if you were old enough to wipe your own nose in the 80's and 90's, you would recognize. And you proved my point very nicely with your mention of Natal. I will be more than happy to admit you are right, all you need to do is show me a working natal controller. Any company can announce great products, but few actually deliver on the promise. MS has a history of making great proclamations and then scaling them back before releasing them. You might want to think out your statements a little more.
For the record, I don't hate MS, I just do not take their announcements of future products too seriously. It is senseless to hate an inanimate object and the sooner you realize that the sooner you will be able to get on with your life.
You might want to study up on your history before you rant. "It is better to remain silent than be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt". Back to history, though. The superior product rarely wins out in the mass market. The Betamax/VHS wars are a good example. Beta was by far the technically superior product but VHS won the day. The cheaper product will almost always win out over the better product. The list is a long one. There are those of us who do our research and then buy what we want and not what is popular. I feel sorry for you.
The loser is the one who blindly follows the crowd. I believe in using the best tool for the job at hand. If that is a MS product then so be it. You might do well to consider that. And don't forget, If you live in a world without walls why do you need windows. :-)
Worldwide LITD sales to end of March
XBOX 360 - 30.2 million
PS3 - 22.8 million
The 360 is ahead of the PS3 by over 7 milion.
Equally important, the 360 is ahead of teh 360 by a greater margin now, than it was when the PS3 launched in 2006.
Don't let me even start talking about games sales. The 360 has consistently destroyed the PS3 in multiplatform game sales. It's no surprise MGS is coming to the 360. They know the 360 is the 3rd party sotware king.
Perhaps if you were a bit more astute you would have realized the point of my comment. And you really should check your facts before replying. But then I guess you are one of those people destined to repeat history. I quite clearly stated my point. You need to go back and read the early history of how MS came to dominate the market. They used the very tactics, and a few others, that I mentioned in my comment.
Was it the "sheep" comment that set you off. The truth can really hurt some times. Do you know what a metaphor is? The term sheep is a metaphor for blindly following. You really do need to learn to think for yourself instead of following. I suppose you call everyone who disagrees with your OS of choice a MS hater, but you do not have to hate a company to take most of your business elsewhere. You just have to be smart enough to realize that there really are choices in this area.
You left out the year head start MS had.
Why do you fanboys forget that all the time?
As protagnostic said cheaper price always trumps quality. I for one spend the money and get quality products.
I like MS but the 360 is a piece of S#!t.
I know this is a PRO microsoft article Mr. Don Reisinger and that I expect hate post like the one above me. But at the very least please don't quickly put up an article so you can attract the ad-dollars. Nintendo has MORE games than you mentioned... Metroid: Other M, Sin and Punishment 2, re-confirmation from Miyamoto of a new Zelda for Wii among other things. At least the comments would be the "I sold my wii because its not '1:1' enough now" types of posts.
Same with Sony's. Please be fair! They've announced a pretty impressive lineup of games and of course the motion controller.
But then again, this is the internet. Fanbois are everyone now.
Microsoft's camera presentation was just a wow factor. Will it work well for gaming? Who knows. Microsoft pulling another major Sony-only franchise to it's platform (MGS)... wow. Nearly as wow as the Final Fantasy announcement last year. Twitter and Facebook are less awesome that Netflix integration, but another step in that "web device" design direction that just makes MS look good while (in my opinion) providing some fluff.
MS is heading in the right direction. They're putting the $$ where the people want it. New features (for free in many cases), great games, and ease of use/accessability.
Oh puleeze.
Metroid Other M is not coming out till next year. Same with Galaxy 2. Not to mention Don Raisnger never mentioned all the 360 games either. He mentioned only a few of the 360 games that were on display at E3, and did the same thiun with Nintendo.
If I remember correctly, Halo 3 outsold Metroid and Super Mario Galaxy combined in 2007, when all 3 games were launched. I see no reason why Halo Reach shouldn't do the same to Metroid and Galaxy 2 in 2009 as well.
Odd, I didn't hear a price or release date.
More vaporware from Microsoft to sew the seeds of FUD. And the press eats it up, as always.
"It's like the Wiimote, but without the controller--and cooler." And without any games. It was a pre-recorded, rehearsed, and staged demo, nothing more. Oooooh--I can throw fake paint at a fake canvas--please, take my money I must have this now!!!! Natal might be something, someday, but I didn't see anything more than a Sony Eye-Toy with upgraded precision. No price, no date, and the fact is most Xbox owners won't run out and buy one, so it won't have a large install base and therefore won't have good games.
Sounds like FUD to me.
Sony said spring of 2010. What I liked about Sonys motion controller demo is they showed how it could be applied in games right now. Microsofts Natal was neat, but Sonys was more pratical.
You didn't watch Microsoft's prsentation did you?
Natal was shown being used t drive cars in a racing game, play soccer and play actual games right now.
Gotta love the MS haters! :)
49 bucks. You can buy one now.
Sony is really just saying you're going to get more of the same. Same price not much new for them. The whole motion control demo was weird and looked clumsy. Maybe there still needs to be a lot of work done but it just didn't look as polished as the Microsoft camera. The biggest thing that impressed me from Sony was the game MAG having 256 players in a multiplayer game at once. 256! That is going to be really cool. Just hope game play is great. I'd love to see COD have 256 players in game at once. Or GTA.
I would really like to see Microsoft commit to the 360 for along time. I like that they are improving on the Live service with Twitter and Facebook. The camera looks amazing but I'm not sure how much gaming can be done with it. I'm more interested in getting the camera to work with my TV and computer. Not sure I really want to "game" with it.
Overall I think Microsoft looks much better. Microsoft always seems to be intouch with what I'm looking for in my gaming system.
At this year's E3, Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft all had a fantastic showing. Probably one of the best years.
Microsoft's strong online service got even better and are the first company to really push the whole digital game downloads, which I am sure the other's will follow this generation or next. Their motion technology looks great, and as long as they keep the costs low and developers really get behind it, there could be some really solid, refreshing casual games on the system.
Sony's new motion controls have used the Wii model and gone a step further with using the camera as the sensor instead of flaky LEDs. Again, as long as the costs are kept low and developers get behind it, we could see some awesome new hardcore and casual games from the system.
Nintendo done what a games company should do, and focused on the games. And what awesome games they had on display! Let's not forget that it's all about the games. New control systems are only there to enhance gameplay. The Gyro sensor add on to the Wii remote is the next step for motion control on the system, it's fully developed and the costs are low.
So to say that Nintendo didn't have a good E3 means that you got taken in by Microsoft marketing without looking at the big picture. Nintendo took the biggest step when they first announced the Wii. They took a huge risk. And now the other companies are working this into their systems. Which is great! Now let's see how this develops over the next two years and how we will enjoy our beloved games in new, fresh ways. No matter the system we choose to use.
You call this "Wii Vitality Sensor." as "concentrating on games"?
Will you excuse me while I laugh?
@yoyo_san:"And what awesome games they had on display! "
Ha ha!
If you saw Microsoft's staggering array of AAA games shown at E3, and still think Nintendo's games line up was better, then I want some of what you are smoking, dude.
Let's be honest here, Ninetndo's E3 offerings were pretty pathetic..just like last year. They competition is rising fast, even a Nintendo contends themselves with counting their money from last year's sales, and touting past sales figures.
There is nothing the new Sony camera does that Natal cannot do. This is a classic example of showing up a day late and a dollar short. Even the people giving the presentation looked depressed.
"Nintendo done what a games company should do" - make sequels?
"And what awesome games they had on display! " - really? You must really be into your balance board.
They showed nothing suprising. SMG2 looks like SMG1 with new worlds. Metroid M has to compete with games like Halo, Resistance and Gears of War. Samus fanboys can take them far, but what they showed was coming up short. The news that Team Ninja is developing it falls on its face when you remember all the good talent at Team Ninja recently quit. The only surprise is that they didn't show a new Zelda sequel already and that odd heart-rate monitor. THeir Motion Plus add-on finally lets the Wiimote do what they advertised it would do when it was first released. The controller is already expensive enough with the wiimote, the nunchuck control and now another add-on? And it fails next to Natal?Let me tell you about Nintendo's E3 next year. They will announce more sequels. You will get a new Zelda, you will get a new Kirby, you will get a new Pokemon - rinse, repeat. Yawn. This would probably all seem much cooler if I was 14.
Not just the author said Nintendo didn't have a good E3. The poll of 10,000 people reflected this.
I will actually wait until Microsoft offer 30-50 gig game on download, in a reasonable amount time before I will get excited about such a service.
Reasonable time being less than the time takes me to go and buy one from the shop, less than 2 hours. I am not holding my breath. They struggle to deliver 9 gig in that time.
What makes me sad is that all these cookie-cutter games that have no gameplay are what excites people.
The original NES has better games then the Xbox 360 and PS 3 combined.
What is even sadder is how the best gaming platform on the planet gets ignored these days: the PC
Sony on the other hand had more exclusive titles (GOW III, GT5, Uncharted 2, ModNation Racers, MAG, Agent, Heavy Rain, Infamous, FF XIV, Last Guardian). Not to mention their motion sensing technology looked better and had better response. Oh, and they have a web browser, FREE online gaming, Blu-ray, etc.
I own all three systems and would definitely rank Xbox last as far as E3 goes. None of the games mentioned have any appeal to me. Even the MGS: Rising is coming to PS3. Nintendo has 2 new Mario Games and a new Metroid not to mention a new Zelda in development. I'd say this is Sony's year followed closely by Nintendo, and Xbox is a distant third. IMHO
I'd say Nintendo > Sony > Microsoft :) Purely because of the games I enjoy. Plus Golden Sun DS. ROCK ON! :D
You don't have to use it.
Huh?
Nintendo has released to the tune of..wait for it.. a staggering 200 Mario games already, and we haven't even started counting the Mario spinofsf like Dr. Mario, Mario Kart, Mario Party, Mario Baseball. Mario Strikers, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf etc yet.
Talk about franchise abuse. Nintendo is the king of frnachise abuse.
What is so great about yet another Mario game again from Nintendo?
SONY motion controller looked great because they actually showed it off instead of a commercial which features the perfect household in America getting along....You heard laughter at SONY's conference because SONY has a relaxed environment at E3...instead of getting big name stars.
The problem I see with Natal is that people want a controller...Like a racing game, people want to feel the steering wheel and peddle...And with skateboarding, they want to be on a skateboard, not just jumping up and down.
The press ( even G4) said SONY had a great E3 because they showed games, games, games and more games....Uncharted 2, GoW 3, MAG, The Last Guardian...they had a ton of news.
The only thing MS stole was another SONY franchise...Typical
Maybe in your own fanboyism you didn't even bother to watch the Microsoft presser, and just read about it instead. MS demo'd Natal as well. They didn't just show a marketing video. Maybe you heard laughter at the Sony event because their motion control was so depressing it was laughable.
People do want a controller at times. Funny you should mention a steering wheel, because Sony doesn't have one. 360 does, however. It isn't like these are going away if you want the more tactile feel. Not only are they getting the skateboard controller, but they are the ones who showed it off. Not Sony.
The press (Even G4) also said Microsoft had a great E3. They went *** for tat on games and farther.
Not sure where you are going with the whole "stole" another franchise thing. Yeah - Microsoft came to the console buisness after Sony and Nintendo. Naturally they are going to gain franchises. Same thing happened when Sony entered the fray. They "stole" Sega and Nintendo franchises. Unless you think that Metal Gear was birthed on a Sony platform for some reason.
Yes, I watched MS's E3....Like I said, it was the typical show off games that everyone already knows about and have one surprise announcement....Oh yeah, and show off another Halo game** (I forgot to mention that)...I feel bad for 360 people because they have only been able to play 2 games for 4 years, Gears and Halo.
SONY will have a steering wheel once GT5 comes out
And 360 say how badly our games suck, but always want them...They should tell MS's to create some brand new IP's
You better believe Microsoft needs to wake up. They're getting slapped silly by the little plumber.
Now why don't we see how Nintendo does in the next 12 months, not the previous 12 months?
Since February alone, Wii weekly sales in rthe US have fallen from approx 190,000 per week in Feb, to just 85,000 a week in April, and is on track to fall to under 70,000 a week for May and even fall further in the months after that. Wii US sales are in a freefall, and is starting to track what happened to Wii sales in Japan 12 months ago.
His guess and numbers are based on existing sales and the continuing trend of sales as they stand now. Extrapolation and prediction is what you do to come up with forecasting sales in the future.
Besides, I didn't see you coming up with any evidence to the contrary.
Dude, Nintendo makes a lot more money from the games, not the console hardware. More consoles in the marketplace mean more games. In every round of console hardware releases, there is usually a winner and that company also rakes in the most dough in game sales.
Nintendo has basically won this round.
Remember, many people thought Nintendo was dead in the water after two mediocre console platform releases (N64 and GameCube). Microsoft and Sony certainly have a chance of coming back, but it will be on the next generation platform.
Sony stole the show- Final Fantasy 14 on PS3, the next real Metal Gear game on PSP, Rockstars next game the Agent Exclusive, Team Icos next game The Last Guardian exclusive, and motion controls that are what the Wii should've been all along.
Showing the superb Splinter Cell Conviction(NOT on PS3), Halo 3 ODST(NOT on PS3), Halo Reach(NOT on PS3), Alan Wake(NOT on PS3), Forza 3(not on PS3), together with instant on 1080P HD streaming on Live, and most of all, the stunning Natal technology DID steal the show for Microsoft.
You are truly an idiot.
No you haven't.
Can your eyetoy recognise you by face and log you on to your console automatically? NO
Does it recognonize facial expresions and tell if you are smiling or sad? NO
Can you talk to an avatar with eyetoy and have the avatar understand what you are saying and talk intelligentl yback to you? NO
Does it have biotometrics? NO
Does it do voice commands? NO
Eyetoy is to Natal as a helicopter is to The Space Shuttle.
One can send you to space, the other can't.
And voice commands go all the way back to Socom in like 02-03
And they didn't say anything about Natal recognizing how much of a loser you are by your facial recognition.
Yeah it can sign you in but that old tech.
And do you even know what biometrics means? Since you were completely redundant in saying it i assume you don't. Natal uses biometrics, it does not have biometrics, it uses biometrics to recognize your face, since biometrics is the computer term for recognizing humans based on physical traits, finger print, retina, palm, voice, et cetera.
Let's just hope that they put a little more effort into Natal than they did the 360 since i'm now on my 5th one, 3 normal, 2 elite. maybe they should take a note from sony nintendo or apple and focus on releasing something that works the first time.
I hope you didn't mean that it's going to only be on the 360, because that's obviously not happening. It's going to be on Steam like every other valve game on release. Where it will get more frequent updates, and all the benefits of steam.
I own all 3 systems. I bought a 360 1st because of better games, Wii 2nd cause i bought it off a co-worker and a ps3 3rd because well that $500 money doesnt grow on trees.
Microsoft won the E3 pressers. Project Natal looked great. But it is a project and there was no real software. Milo was cool but again it was a demo. Halo 3 ODST looked great open world halo, Forza 3 will be amazing. I wish it had more cars. GT5 will have 800 but it doesnt have all the car painting customization. And it has the best racing gameplay. Im not a big racing fan but I love the Forza series.
and all the XBL announcements are great. I dont mind paying for XBL. its $50/ year. thats a little $4/month, if you cant afford that you shouldnt have a video game system.
Sony's presser was really good too. PSP is the most un-interesting piece of hardware ever. Its useless. im not 12 i dont need a portable gaming system. Sony drop the price on the ps3 and you will get market share back. GOWIII looks amazing. The next game im excited for is modnation racers. i love LBP. The motion sensor was ok. but like with Project Natal it has no real game to back it up just a demo. MAG will be dumb. 256 people? in one game? will never work. its hard enough to get a 8 vs 8 halo match without lag 256 people? your nuts if you think it will ever work.
Nintendo. wow your just gonna sit and count your money? are you actually going to release anything worth while besides Super Mario Wii this year? No ok... so your becoming irrelevent. I played Punchout for a week then i beat the game and its over. The problem with the wii is that for true gamers who have 2 or all 3 systems never play the wii. there are only like 5-6 games for the system.
Everyone always talks about how expensive the PS3 is, but look what you get. Blu-ray player and a Game system, wireless (rechargable) controller, up to a 160GB hard drive (replaceable with larger capacity if needed), FREE online play, web browser, etc. $400
Buy an Xbox 360 and what do you get? A DVD player and Game system, a wireless (non-rechargable without a seperate purchase) controller, up to a 120GB (propreitery) hard drive (not replaceable without voiding warranty), $50/year online gaming, no web browser, etc. (Console = $199-350, Play and charge kit = $40, HD(if needed for arcade console upgade to 120GB = $150, Pro console upgrade to 120GB HD = $150), $50/year online gaming (6 year lifespan of console) = $300). $690, for 40GB less storage and no web browser or Blu-ray.
I own all 3 systems, and there is nothing coming from Microsoft this year that I want. Sony stole the show with their IMPRESSIVE list of EXCLUSIVES, and Nintendo was second.
I dont mind paying for XBL. its $50/ year. thats a little $4/month, if you cant afford that you shouldnt have a video game system.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yet M$ apologists jump at the chance to jump up and down and call all Apple fanboys "elitist".
ROFLMAO!
Where was the mention of Apple in E3 or even this story? Why are you even bringing it up?
Sounds like you have some unresolved issues...
I was not impressed with Microsofts dream. I say dream because I don't think they can pull it off.
for one speech recognition is not good enough yet. You need buttons for specific tasks. That is the biggest problem with the Wii, It doesn't have enough buttons for some games and flinging your arm to jump just plane blows!
For proof, even my local newspaper, TV and Radio stations , which don't usually bother with vodeo games, were doing features on Natal. It's a mind blowng, game changing technology. Natal has captured most of the chatter post E3.
Why not?
The only console its appearing on is the 360.
Furthermore, most sales by far of Left4Dead were on the 360, not the PC, accordingly the 360 tends to get most DLC's before any other paltform. Even Modern Warfare 2's DLC will appaer on the 360 first, before appearing on anything else.
and have you noticed that besides the survival pack (which was free), most DLC content has flopped? (GTA 4's for example). People already pay for the live service and microsoft wanted them to pay even more for this dlc.
Exclusive means no other way to get it. But you can play it on pc. soooo yeah
Valve have already released figures for total 360 and PC Left4Dead sales. 360 sales rule. Why on earth would they keep their sales figures secret? Games conmpanies usually can't wait to boast about sales figures.
ywkhgqo :"and have you noticed that besides the survival pack (which was free), most DLC content has flopped? (GTA 4's for example). "
Nope.
DLC for GTA IV hit a million in 2 months and broke some sales records , DLC sales for COD4 and COD WaW hit very high levels, DLC's for GH and RC continue to rock.
ywkhgqo :"Exclusive means no other way to get it. "
Exclusive means lots of things.
GTA used to be a timed exclusive on the PS2, but still appeared o the XBOX after some months.
Left4Dead is exclusive on the 360 for consoles, and won't appear on the PS3 or the Wii.
noun
an item or story published or broadcast by only one source.
What, are M$ apologists allergic to dictionaries?
"What, are M$ apologists allergic to dictionaries?"
Exclusive to the Xbox in the console market.
Please look up the term 'context'.
- by Inconnux June 4, 2009 9:53 AM PDT
- Xbox 360: Wii edition.
- Reply to this comment
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- by Kwasiowusu June 4, 2009 10:17 AM PDT
- @ Inconnux :"Xbox 360: Wii edition"
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- by Zoobie June 4, 2009 10:41 AM PDT
- The biggest irony of Natal/PS3 Motion is that all the PS3/X360 players that have been bashing the Wii since it launched for being too casual with a silly control system that caters to "casual gamers" are now falling all over themselves because their system of choice is going to make motion controls more serious. I hope you all enjoy the excitement when all the Wii shovelware gets crappy ports to your system.
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- by Dalkorian June 4, 2009 12:09 PM PDT
- by Kwasiowusu June 4, 2009 10:17 AM PDT
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- by Kwasiowusu June 4, 2009 12:21 PM PDT
- @ Dalkorian :"NATAL.
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- by Kwasiowusu June 4, 2009 12:30 PM PDT
- @ Zoobie :"The biggest irony of Natal/PS3 Motion is that all the PS3/X360 players that have been bashing the Wii since it launched for being too casual with a silly control system that caters to "casual gamers" are now falling all over themselves because their system of choice is going to make motion controls more serious. "
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- by Kwasiowusu June 4, 2009 12:45 PM PDT
- @ Dalkorian :"It's amazing how much effort you put into spreading this lie around."
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- by Vegaman_Dan June 4, 2009 2:14 PM PDT
- @Dalkorian:
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- by GentleNation June 5, 2009 1:57 PM PDT
- I think Project Natal owes a lot more to Eye Toy than it does to the Wiimote. Natal is just a next-generation Eye Toy (a 3D stereoscopic infrared camera combined with much more advanced software), it really has nothing in common with the Wiimote and how that technology works.
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Showing 1 of 4 pages (244 Comments)I find it kinda funny how both Microsoft and Sony have followed the leader and realize that the standard controller blows.
When the Wii/wiimote can do any of these things, which Natal can already do today, then you can talk:
#1. Recognise you by face and log you on to your console automatically.
#2. Recognonize facial expresions and tell if you are smiling or sad.
#3. Allow you to talk to an avatar and have the avatar understand what you are saying and talk intelligently back to you.
#4. Do biotometrics.
#5. Do voice commands.
@ Inconnux :"I find it kinda funny how both Microsoft and Sony have followed the leader "
The leader is now Microsoft. Nintendo and Sony are the ones that are going to have to follow the new leader.
And just so all of you fans of any system don't forget, your company (whichever it may be) that you so strongly defend, doesn't care about you--they just want your money. Their loyalty to you is nothing like the loyalty of fans I see on these boards.
@ Inconnux :"Xbox 360: Wii edition"
When the Wii/wiimote can do any of these things, which Natal can already do today, then you can talk
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Sigh. It's amazing how much effort you put into spreading this lie around. Natal can do nothing today because it's vaporware. I've included a dictionary definition of the word in another post so I won't do it again, besides you could use the practice looking things up. Trust me, a dictionary will not hurt you, except to show you your own ignorance.
NATAL.
DOES.
NOT.
EXIST.
.
IT.
IS.
VAPORWARE.
BY.
DEFINITION.
FULL. STOP.
Anyone think that will get through this prostitutes thick skull? Me neither, but at least I tried.
DOES.
NOT.
EXIST."
And there are no US troops in Baghadad either. And the stunning Natal demos that the whole world saw at E3 did not happen either.
Dalkorian EQUALS Baghdad Bob.
Do you want to believe what the "head in the sand, will never face reality" Dalkorian tells ya, or your own eyes?
Because the Wii is the home of crap 3rd party shovelware with terrible graphics. Merely having a waggle on the Wii never changed that.
By contrast, the 360 has a staggering away of top flight AAA 3rd party games like Bioshock, Assasin's Creed, Mass Effet, Splinte Cell Convinction Left4Daed, Fallout 3 et,which will never appear on the Wii.
Plus of course, Natal is a bleeding edge technology, that totally changes the entire paradigm of not just viodeo games interaction, but how we interface/interact with our computers and lots of other things we use.
That biometric face recognition technology that recognizes your face, and logs you on automatically to your console? I want one of those on my latop. It's could also come in vey useful for controling acess to cars, when it's incoorporated into Microsoft's auto software, etc etc.
It's amzing ro what lenghrs the "can never accept reality" Apple/Nintendo zombies, will go to insist that you are not really seemn what you are in fact seeing. In the insane Apple/Nintendo zombie world, realityis what they think reality should be.
You are sick dude. You need to get help. poor guy
@ Dalkorian :" Natal can do nothing today because it's vaporware"
Yeah?
Now lets have a look at top tech writers from top internet tech sites, who have actually SEEN and TESTED Natal have to say about that shall?
CNET:
You can believe in Microsoft's Project Natal
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10255403-235.html?tag=mncol
IGN:
E3 2009: I've Played Natal and it Works
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/989/989269p1.html
Steven Spielberg, through Eurogamer:
E3: Spielberg: Natal a "whole new world" News
Spielberg :"Steven Spielberg reckons that Microsoft's Project Natal technology represents "a whole new world; a whole new beginning" for videogames, and that all we've seen previously has been "thrown away".
"I'm currently making videogames through EA. And right now I'm so excited to be able to write for this platform, and that's what I'm most excited about, because it sort of changes the paradigm of what I would have written for last week, now all that has been thrown away and it's a whole new world, a whole new beginning," Spielberg, who unveiled the technology ohttp://www.eurogamer.net/articles/e3-spielberg-natal-a-whole-new-worldn-stage at the Microsoft E3 conference last night, told the BBC (spotted by vg247)."
But hey, according to "Baghdad Bob" Dalkorian , all these guys including Spielberg, did not in fact see Natal at all, because hey, "Baghdad Bob" Dalkorian swears Natal does not exist, right?
"
NATAL.
DOES.
NOT.
EXIST.
.
IT.
IS.
VAPORWARE.
BY.
DEFINITION.
FULL. STOP."
Perhaps you only believe what you can see and touch. If that is the case that you believe the world should operate by, then nobody... nobody here on CNET should bother reading your comments because we cannot touch or see you in person, therefore you do not exist, Dalkorian.
Wonderful logic you have there. Flawed, but wonderful. Hear that, everyone? Ignore Dalkorian- he doesn't exist and is in fact, vaporware himself.
If anyone deserves "credit" for pioneering the way for Project Natal it is Sony with the PS2 Eye Toy. Let's just hope that MS doesn't lose interest in Natal as quickly as they do most experiments.