KnackChap Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 What we heard: Earlier this month, Microsoft unveiled Project Natal at its press event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Though eager to show off its motion and emotion-sensing capabilities, developers such as Kudo Tsunoda and Peter Molyneux carefully avoided any mention of a release date. The closest thing to such an announcement was the mention that Natal dev kits are already in the hands of third-party developers, with Bungie and Epic Games being specifically named later on during the expo. This afternoon, though, the Internet lit up with reports of a new Xbox 360 which incorporates Natal's camera. All those reports stem from a single source, an article on tech blog TG Daily. Under the banner headline "Ballmer announces 2010 Xbox 360 at The Executive Club Chicago," the site reported that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer had let slip that "a new Xbox 360 will hit the store shelves in 2010" at a presentation at the Executive's Club of Chicago. However, the quotes above are the words of the TG Daily correspondent Wolfgang Gruener, not of Ballmer. In fact, the famously energetic executive is only directly quoted via two jumbled fragments with a grand total of five words. TG Daily's story reads as follows, with Ballmer's quotes in bold: "The new device will be equipped with technology that is 'really, really, close' to an actuality. The console, which was described as having a 'natural interface,' will have a built in camera with the ability to recognize movement and voice." As further evidence, TG Daily refers to its own live blog of Ballmer's presentation--which curiously doesn't mention the Xbox 360 at all. Despite noting such critical events as a lunch break, the two bloggers (who are not credited in the byline) make absolutely zero mention of games or the word "Xbox." The closest the live blog comes to describing anything Natal-like is the following line: "Computers have cameras built in, you can interact with friends, the computer recognizes what you are doing." Indeed, nowhere in either article are the words "Project Natal" mentioned, raising the possibility that Gruener confused the release of the peripheral--expected next year--with the launch of a new Xbox. What appears to be the sole article on TG Daily to mention Natal by name was written by a different correspondent, who cites a secondary source speaking about a widely discounted rumor of a new Xbox 360 with integrated Natal functions arriving next year. The official story: When asked about Ballmer's response, Microsoft reps said they did not currently have immediate access to a transcript or recording of the executive's speech. They did, however, offer the following somewhat opaque comment: "As the Xbox team stated at E3 two weeks ago, we are not even halfway through the current console generation lifecycle and believe Xbox 360 will be the entertainment center in the home for long into the next decade. Project Natal will be an important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at this time." Bogus or not bogus?: Draw. TG Daily's lack of specifics or direct quotes raises some Soviet-era-sized red flags. But if Microsoft has nothing to hide, why can't it deny the claim outright? http://www.gamespot.com/news/blogs/rumor-c...-360-in-10.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aftrunner Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Its the old Xbox 360 built in or bundled with with the Natal thingy. Shane kim says that. TBH a new console with new specs would have been nice. Hardware has come along a long way since 2005 and a shiny new toy would be awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchizoidFreud Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Microsoft: There Will Be "No New Console" | http://kotaku.com/5296104/microsoft-there-...-no-new-console Today, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer indicated that the company would be releasing a new Xbox 360 in 2010, one featuring a built-in camera. That seemingly confirmed a new hardware configuration with the company's Project Natal built-in. Microsoft's official word? While Ballmer's casual mention of a new Xbox 360 hardware iteration at the Executive's Club of Chicago seemingly confirms a rumor originating from 1UP, Microsoft's Director of Product Management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live Aaron Greenberg told Kotaku "There will be no new console." "We're not going to be launching a new console any time soon," Greenberg said during a phone call today. "I really believe he was speaking about Project Natal." "We want to make sure people know that we're excited about Project Natal," Greenberg noted, "But we're barely halfway through this generation. We're happy with the Xbox 360, so there are no changes from that standpoint. For the time being, we're really just showing a whole new category of gaming." Asked if Microsoft was at least considering putting the hands-free motion controller technology into a new Xbox 360 configuration, Greenberg said "Yes, we have looked at that, but we haven't announced any details for something like that." Nor has the company announced a ship date or final name for the motion-sensing camera tech it debuted at E3 2009, Greenberg added. "We are saying that the Natal will run on the Xbox 360, so there's no new hardware to purchase," Greenberg said, reiterating the company's position on its current generation platform. "What we're doing that's unique is, instead of asking you to invest in a new generation of hardware, a generation that's already well established, extending the experience even longer by adding this whole new category of experiences with Project Natal." "We're changing the rules a little bit just like we did with the New Xbox Experience," he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 Even if Natal does come out during the current Xbox's life cycle, it will cost roughly the same as a new arcade (if not more). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketTantrik Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 ^^ I dont think M$ will price NATAL for a profit. It would probably be sold on a loss leadership basis to increase penetration in order to get gamers accustomed to the system for the next Xbox sometime in 2011-2012. With the rumored stereoscopic 3D support, NATAL will really be able to show off its prowess with real time interactions in a 3D space. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 ^^ Your username really does make a lot of sense, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarketTantrik Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 ^^ Your username really does make a lot of sense, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The JACKAL Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 OMG, so its not a new XBOX... its the same XBOX 360 integrated with the NATAL, phew that title needs to be edited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noctis Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 OMG, so its not a new XBOX... its the same XBOX 360 integrated with the NATAL, phew that title needs to be edited. It isn't confirmed either way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abhi90 Posted June 19, 2009 Report Share Posted June 19, 2009 It isn't confirmed either way. confirmed to be a new XBOX 360 with something i forgot and inbuilt camera..........so most probably inbuilt NATAL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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