E3 2009: Microsoft Press Conference Recap
A first look at Microsoft's top secret Project Natal.
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Hundreds of gaming media reporters gathered in downtown Los Angeles this morning at the USC campus to kick off E3 at the Microsoft Press Conference. It was immediately clear from the throngs lined up outside the Galen Center that this was the place to be. As we all waited in anticipation, green crop circles danced around the glowing green stage and on ginormous monitors. This had techy gaming written all over it.
The presentation outlined the gaming landscape for the console in the near future, with ten world premieres containing never-before-seen game footage. Microsoft also made sure the right people were there promoting it. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr showed up to tell us how great they are (and The Beatles: Rock Band too), Tony Hawk was incredibly excited with the new peripheral for the upcoming Tony Hawk: RIDE, and Steven Spielburg made an appearance to tell us about the crazy things Microsoft has been dreaming about lately. It's called Project Natal, and it's revolutionary.
Microsoft kept the big bang announcement for the end, but we know this is the juicy piece of news you're all looking for. It has long been rumoured that Microsoft would come up with an answer to the motion controller technology, but no one could have imagined this. The Project Natal answer is simple: get rid of the controller entirely. We're not talking about tracking hand movements, we're talking full body motion tracking plus voice and facial recognition and analysis. Steven Spielburg was on site to comment on the creative possibilities of this new "controller", saying that the key to making gaming accessible to everyone is to make the technology invisible. And that's just what Microsoft has set out to do. Even better, in traditional Microsoft fashion, the peripheral will be backwards compatible with the first Xbox console, and any future consoles as well.
Think this is a dream that won't come for years? Think again. They've got working tech demos showcasing this new technology, and while it probably still has its share of kinks, it's absolutely exciting. The facial recognition kicks in pretty quickly, detecting which user profile the game should load. A quick demo of random gestures has an on-screen avatar replicate the movements accurately. One key selling point, according to Microsoft, is that the peripheral inherently allows for full body workouts in games where you can use your legs as much as your arms.
Microsoft also announced enhancements to the console as a media center. Xbox 360 owners will now be able to stream personalized internet radio through their consoles using the last.fm service. This new service will come at no additional charge for LIVE gold members. In addition, the soon to be named Zune Video service will provide a tighter integration with Netflix, bringing 1080p video content to the console without waiting for downloads (we're guessing that means streaming) and will be available in an unprecedented 18 countries.
Also up for emphasis was the console's ability to connect people from different geographic locations. A new "LIVE Party" feature will connect consoles over the internet as avatars in a virtual room where the movie, sports match or video game can be enjoyed in a simulated environment. What's more, a partnership with Facebook and Twitter has resulted in the development of custom interfaces to the popular networking sites, enabling users to update their profile, send out updates, and keep track of their feeds. The most useful feature will probably end up being the ability to directly use Facebook photo albums as a slideshow on your TV.
And finally, here's the summary of the games that were showcased today.
The Beatles: Rock Band
As previously mentioned, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were on hand to kick start the game demos. At a glance, the mechanics of the game don't look any different from what you're already used to, but the soundtrack is 100% Beatles. Out of the initial 43 tracks bundled with the game, the following 10 were revealed, which cover the various styles of the band over the years:
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