Kinect Discussion

[Failed]

Tell the landlord to put your beer on Milo's tab.

[NeuroticSarge]

Tell the landlord to put your beer on Milo's tab.

Didn't think he smoked!

[GamerMan316]

Bach: 70-80% of publishers working on Natal-based games



In an interview with Financial Post, Microsoft president of entertainment and devices Robbie Bach said "something like 70% or 80% of the publishers in the world" are already working on Natal-based games. The interview followed Microsoft's CES 2010 keynote during which Bach announced the hands-free controller for the Xbox 360 would launch during the 2010 holiday season. Bach also respectfully outlined what he believes is the major difference between Microsoft and Nintendo's respective business models: third-party success. "Our model is certainly about third-party publishers making money. We design our system for third-party publishers," he told the Canadian news outlet. "[Nintendo makes] most of their money through first-party games that Nintendo produces. That's absolutely their business model. And it's a great business model, it's just different, but it makes it hard for third-party publishers."

As for upcoming Natal-based games, Bach said Microsoft's first-party developers are focused on the hardware to help lead other developers down an "innovative" path. "We want to have a few titles from Microsoft that show the way and then we want the breadth and power of the ecosystem from our partners to bring lots of new ideas, new innovations, new concepts to the marketplace."

Microsoft's Project Natal appears to be a direct response to a mainstream audience that has turned to Nintendo's hardware when spending disposable income. Considering the Xbox 360 and PS3 have effectively cracked the third-party code, Microsoft's focus continues to be set on capturing a demographic that may feel intimidated by the hardware and its core (read: jerkface) players.

[GamerMan316]

Capcom making "gamer's game" for Natal

Capcom is promising not to treat Natal as a "gimmick", and has revealed that a "gamer's game" is in development for the motion-sensing Xbox 360 camera.

It won't be ready at Natal's launch this autumn, Capcom's vocal business boss Christian Svensson told G4TV, but will be a game from a brand "we haven't seen in a while".

"What we're doing is creating it from the ground up for Natal, in this case," Svensson said. "We're not looking at Natal as, 'OK, here's a little Natal gimmick that we've worked into some existing game.'

"The approach is we're gonna make a 'gamers game' for Natal using something amongst our brand history," he continued. "I know [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.

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

Keiji Inafune created Mega Man, for what that's worth.

But before all that, Capcom will patch Resident Evil 5 to work with Sony's new motion-sensing toy, the PS3 magic wand. That's out this spring, although Sony's still not officially named the device.

[GamerMan316]

Develop: Devs divided on Natal potential



We became considerably more concerned about Project Natal's future when we learned it would be pulling its processing power from the 360 and it would seem that the development community is similarly conflicted. In a feature by Develop, probably the most important party in the peripheral's success, the developers, weighed in on the device with a mixed bag of concern and enthusiasm.

Though there was a good amount of positivity and skepticism, the overwhelming sentiment is in line with Weaseltron director Adrian Hirst's wait-and-see attitude: "Microsoft need to start showing some real killer games/applications for Natal before people really start getting interested in it as a platform."

[GamerMan316]

Spencer: Project Natal launch 'fraught with risk' for Microsoft



Speaking to Eurogamer, Microsoft Game Studios head Phil Spencer responded to criticism that Microsoft takes fewer risks than Sony in first-party development by referencing Project Natal -- "if there isn't risk in Natal then I don't know what's keeping me up at night."

"We're trying to build a set of new games, new experiences that will have the same quality metrics of our past games," he said, "but really entice both existing 360 customers and new people. It's a huge challenge, a huge investment and it's fraught with risk."

Much as he did in our interview, Spencer equated Natal integration with Live integration, suggesting that it will eventually be ubiquitous. "At the beginning of Live it was all about sports, racing and shooting games," Spencer said. "Now if you found a game that didn't have some kind of Live functionality it would seem like it wasn't a complete game. I think Natal is likely to get there as well." That is somewhat at odds with Aaron Greenberg's statement that Natal games would be almost entirely "completely unique, brand-new experiences."

And, as a bonus, he also found time to make one wacky statement about Peter Molyneux. "Haha! Working with Peter is amazing, he's a very creative, inspirational person. Sometimes it's like riding a bull with no saddle, and sometimes it's like reading a great novel, but it's a fun experience." Look for Peter Molyneux's Literodeo among the Project Natal launch lineup.

[sambo]

Project Natal - The Innovation Journey

[GamerMan316]

I'm still not sold on Microsoft's Eyetoy, sorry Natal, yet, need to see some actual gameplay footage and not just PR stuff 

[TaraJayne]

I hope we do  get Natal this year. I am really looking forward to it

[GamerMan316]

I hope we do  get Natal this year. I am really looking forward to it

It's looking like a lock for Autumn this year and it will get the jump on Sony's Arc or whatever it's called at the moment, as they've apparantly delayed it.

[GamerMan316]

Iwata 'turned down Natal tech'
Nintendo boss could have signed device back in 2007, CVG reveals

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, was Iwata right to say "no" to Natal? Or will he look back on the one that got away?

[TaraJayne]

Well Alan Sugar turned said the iPod will never take off and Bill gates said  nobody would ever need more than 640KB of memory on their personal computer.  Also nobody imaganed the wii would be as succesful as it is  so you cant really tell until its put out there. I dont think it will be a huge success but I think it will become just as poular as Guitar Hero and Lips etc.
I am going to pre order it

[nCogNeato]

... I dont think it will be a huge success but I think it will become just as poular as Guitar Hero and Lips etc.
I am going to pre order it

Ditto.

[GamerMan316]

Former EyeToy exec warns of the difficulties facing Natal, 'Arc'



In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, Jamie MacDonald, former Vice President of Sony Worldwide Studios (the company responsible for EyeToy), gave out a few pointers to Sony and Microsoft regarding their respective motion controllers. MacDonald warned that gamers are expecting more from the 360 and PS3's motion gaming than they do from the Wii, due to both consoles' beefier hardware. However, he also warned about implementing "traditional long-form gameplay," lengthy sessions of which would leave players "completely knackered."

MacDonald's wisest words came when speaking about pricing the two pieces of hardware. He suggested they follow Sony's strategy with EyeToy, where the peripheral and a piece of software came bundled for the price of a normal game, which kept consumers from "paying a premium for the hardware." That's a sweet thought, but it's a little presumptive -- after all, we've yet to hear a price for the two devices. (Hell, we haven't even heard a name for one of them.)

[Failed]

sound advice, the peripherals will come with a game i think. Just like the camera, buzzers or mics do on the respective systems. The game is bound to be tat though, the only games that would get me to buy natal would be puzzle games.