Topic: Microsoft's Xbox Kinect - Nov 4th 2010

[BlackNMild2k1]

Yet another Malstrom prediction comes true. Natal is being stripped down from what it was shown at E3.

This was pretty obvious since the speculated price of Natal was through the roof.

But the speculated price of Natal was also attached the the known hardware and extra CPU that was (at the time) required for the Natal experience. How was it obvious that MS was gonna ditch the extra CPU and go with a software(1core) only solution?

[SixthAngel]

But the speculated price of Natal was also attached the the known hardware and extra CPU that was (at the time) required for the Natal experience. How was it obvious that MS was gonna ditch the extra CPU and go with a software(1core) only solution?

What they exactly would do I wasn't sure but, at least to me, it was obvious they were going to have to gimp it somehow because of the expected price and the market they wanted to reach.  As Ningurl said expectations that make sense don't make much sense with these companies right now so perhaps I got lucky.

[Urkel]

I just assumed they were going to sell it at a loss. It is Microsoft, after all.
 
Not being able to patch older games isn't much of a loss. It seems clear to me devs have no clue how to adapt it to existing games, anyway. Space Invaders Extreme played by lifting your arms to shoot? Geometry Wars played with Jazz Hands? Screw that.

[KDR_11k]

One CPU is reserved for the OS, one for Natal... Not gonna leave a lot of power for those HD graphics.

[BlackNMild2k1]

maybe they should have went with a different OS if even a windows kernal takes up a whole core of the CPU.

I think there is gonna be an Xbox 720 before too long, as some developers are gonna start dropping support and complaining about not having enough horsepower. Holiday 2011.
I'm calling it right now.

[mac<censored>]

and if the tracking starts to slip, you can switch the infrared source into "high power" mode....

[BlackNMild2k1]

Capcom working on hardcore Natal project made from the ground up using an old franchise

Outside of tech demonstrations and modifications of several existing Xbox 360 games, we haven't seen what Project Natal is capable of. Microsoft is keeping those games under wraps. But speaking with Capcom's VP of strategic planning and business development Christian Svensson at CES last week, I learned about Capcom's potentially ambitious plans for one Project Natal game.

"I can't talk about what we're doing on Natal right now yet because we haven't announced it, although we have announced that we're working on stuff," said Svensson, emphasizing his vagueness.

He was willing to tease a little more about one unannounced game, however.

"I think you'll see again a brand focus on what we're doing there [on Natal], perhaps a brand we haven't seen in a while," he said with a coy smile, as Capcom public relations eyeballed us. "That's exciting."

>>>Svensson did elaborate when pressed on whether it would be similar to Capcom's approach to Resident Evil 5 on PlayStation 3, which is getting updated to support Sony's upcoming motion controller. <<<

What we're doing is creating it from the ground up for Natal, in this case. But it's..." he said, pausing. "How do I describe this...it's created from the ground up for Natal. We're not looking at Natal as 'okay, here's a little Natal gimmick that we've worked into some existing game.'"

When I jokingly proposed a spin-off of mini-games set in the Resident Evil universe, he corrected me.

"That's not the plan," said Svensson.

"The approach is we're gonna make a 'gamers game' for Natal using something amongst our brand history," he continued. "I know [Mega Man creator and Capcom head of R&D Keiji] Inafune is really excited about it, he's been very vocal both in Japan and with the media about his vision of what Natal brings. I'm going to have to ask you to wait and see."

Microsoft announced Project Natal would be released during the holidays at CES, but Svensson made it clear to me that Capcom was not rushing this one out the door to meet that deadline.

"We're not going to be at launch, just to temper the expectations," he said. "We're gonna cook something and it's gonna to take a while to cook."

Let the speculation begin.

[mac<censored>]

A marketer's marketer, he is...

[EasyCure]

ghouls n ghost EXTREME

[Peachylala]

Oh yes, 'hardcore'...

Bionic Flopmando.

Have fun Capcom.

[NinGurl69 *huggles]

It could be Street Fighter.  It could not be Street Fighter.

Could be a disgrace to Mike Haggar's Final Fight.

[BlackNMild2k1]

WiiNatalFit incoming.

http://mundorare.com/news/2010/01/rare-may-be-working-on-the-360s-version-of-wii-fit/

According to VG247 (in a rather brilliant entry, I must say), the latest rumor is that Rare is working on, brace yourselves, “a fitness game for Natal. Like Microsoft’s version of Wii Fit.� Apparently, Rare have been “working on it for a good while,� as well as something else that we “can probably guess at.� Killer Instinct 3, perhaps?

[EasyCure]

WiiNatalFit incoming.

http://mundorare.com/news/2010/01/rare-may-be-working-on-the-360s-version-of-wii-fit/

According to VG247 (in a rather brilliant entry, I must say), the latest rumor is that Rare is working on, brace yourselves, “a fitness game for Natal. Like Microsoft’s version of Wii Fit.� Apparently, Rare have been “working on it for a good while,� as well as something else that we “can probably guess at.� Wii Sports Resort rip-off, perhaps?

Fixed. Way to go Rare, way to go.

[UltimatePartyBear]

I'm just gonna go ahead and predict Viva Piñata will be involved.

[SixthAngel]

How is Natal going to tell me I'm too fat? Will the body scan tell me I'm overweight? Since I'm 6'4" every measurement of bodymass has always told me I'm too fat despite that never being true.

I think some games will be improved over the balance board (anything that involves leaning left or right) but I don't see the tons of people who bought Wii Fit deciding they need another fitness game.  It will have been out for over 2 years when this is released.  That is like showing up to the party the next morning.

Every time Rare is working on something new people say Killer Instinct so I'm going to say no way.

[BlackNMild2k1]

Rare keeps saying they want to make another Killer Instinct. Rare keeps leaving hints towards a another Killer Instinct. Supposedly it's MS that keeps saying no.

[KDR_11k]

I'm just gonna go ahead and predict Viva Piñata will be involved.

Murdering Piñatas with your bare hands?

[mac<censored>]

Boy... Rare is kinda pathetic these days...

[BlackNMild2k1]

Iwata passed on Natal tech back in 2007

Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata was offered the chance to sign up the device that became Project Natal - but turned it down as he didn't believe he could launch it at a mass-market price.

That's according to a top insider (and we mean top insider) at the platform holder's Japan HQ, who told us that Israel firm 3DV Systems showed an early demo of the technology to Iwata and other Nintendo bigwigs at the end of 2007.

Despite being impressed with the prototype, Iwata was reportedly unsold on it as a peripheral for Wii - leaving the door open for Microsoft to snap up the tech and its creator a year later.

"Iwata-San only ever invests in something he can guarantee will work for a Nintendo audience," the exec told us.

"3DV showed off a camera that detected motion in 3D, and had voice recognition - but Iwata-San was unconvinced he could sell it at a Nintendo price point. He also had some worries around latency during gameplay."

The new information appears to confirm 3DV's involvement in the creation of Natal, which Microsoft has never certified.

Microsoft first showed off Natal at E3 2009. - with Peter Molyneux in particular stunning the audience with boy-sim Milo.

"Honestly - I've heard Iwata describe the prototype he saw at length, and it's definitely Natal," added CVG's source.

"What we witnessed at E3 was smaller and the facial [reading] stuff had improved, but it's the same technology. We remain unconvinced Natal will deliver on the more sophisticated elements of what Microsoft is promising at the price they're aiming for."

Microsoft will no doubt internally disagree with the claims. MS has dubbed Natal a'new console' in itself. The hardware is set to launch late this year, with an expected price point of around £50.

Iwata's alleged belief that the device would be too expensive fits with recent reports that Microsoft removed a chip from Natal to save on R&D costs, whilst some prominent development figures have also questioned whether Natal will have potential latency issues.
Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto has previously admitted: "This type of motion-sensing camera technology has been around for quite a while. [We've] ultimately made the decision not to take advantage of what they can do."

Unsurprisingly, both Nintendo UK and Microsoft would not offer us a comment on the "speculation". (Trust us, it ain't).

What do you reckon, readers - was Iwata right to say "no" to Natal? Or will he look back on the one that got away?

Supposedly Sony passed on the tech too right after Nintendo, but is MS to get burned twice by picking up something Nintendo decided they didn't want?

MS then put those 2 things together, so what do you think we will get?

[KDR_11k]

Grabbed By The Ghoulies: Motion Edition

[Chozo Ghost]

What Iwata (and later Sony) rejected was the prototype. Of course there is likely to be some issues...

But, on THE OTHER HAND, let us never forget how crappy Microsoft products tend to be. You know how Windows is so plagued with problems and always has been? How Internet Exploder is the most unsecure browser there is? And how could any of us possibly forget the red rings of death on the 360.

So, considering MS's past record of shoddy fail-ridden products, is it at all unreasonable for one to be suspicious? Nintendo is well known for making quality products, so if they've turned something down you know it was probably for a good reason. Sony also turned it down. But then Microsoft, a company known for making software that crashes and consoles that burn in red rings of fire, embraces this.

So, I think that says it all folks.

[Chozo Ghost]

Boy... Rare is kinda pathetic these days...

Remember Star Fox Adventures? There's a reason why Nintendo was so eager to sell them.

Its a shame though, because they were really cool back in the day. But whatever talent they had is long gone and they aren't anything special anymore.

[BlackNMild2k1]

What Iwata (and later Sony) rejected was the prototype. Of course there is likely to be some issues...

Iwata stated lag as a major concern. There are reports and video today of lag being a major concern. Seems like that is one issue that wasn't fixed from the prototype.

Cost was the other major concern. Iwata didn't feel he could bring it to market at a mass market price. MS has since removed the dedicated chip that was built into the camera. Apparently MS couldn't absorb the cost or reduce it to mass market price either, and this is 3 years later. Now they have basically dedicated 1 of the 3 cores on the 360 to processing camera work, and I'm sure that is not gonna help out the lag situation at all.

Can you just imagine what the Wii games would look like if Nintendo had to offload the camera processing to the Wii? It would be like DS games on the TV.

[Chozo Ghost]

There's a funny video that you can probably find on youtube of Bill Gates demonstrated before an audience the new (at the time) Windows 98 operating system, and the funny thing was it crashed right there in front of everyone into a blue screen of death. Can you imagine how embarassed he must have been?

I just think it would be really funny if at the next E3 or something Microsoft tries to demonstrate this thing in front of a huge group of people and then something goes horribly and embarassingly wrong. That's the sort of thing that becomes youtube worthy, and also meme worthy.

[BlackNMild2k1]

There's a funny video that you can probably find on youtube of Bill Gates demonstrated before an audience the new (at the time) Windows 98 operating system, and the funny thing was it crashed right there in front of everyone into a blue screen of death. Can you imagine how embarassed he must have been?

I just think it would be really funny if at the next E3 or something Microsoft tries to demonstrate this thing in front of a huge group of people and then something goes horribly and embarassingly wrong. That's the sort of thing that becomes youtube worthy, and also meme worthy.