Project Natal basis for new Xbox console coming Fall 2010?

We'd be careful about putting too much stock into an admittedly far off rumor, but the gang at 1UP claim they've heard from those in the know that Microsoft's set to release a new Xbox console in Fall 2010, and that current media darling Project Natal is "the cornerstone" of that evolution. Specs-wise, it's suggested we're looking at only a marginal boost analogous to Nintendo's GameCube-to-Wii transition -- place your bets on how long it'll take to "max out" this time -- as well as a rebranding (Xbox Natal, anyone?) aimed at attracting the highly coveted, more mainstream / casual audience, before Mario and the crew catch a second wind with the oft-rumored Wii HD. There's nothing unbelievable about these whispers, but again, Fall 2010 is quite a ways off and anything can happen in the meantime. First unveiling will allegedly be the 2010 Game Developers Conference in early March, so your best bet for now is to hold tight and keep a close eye on who gets a primetime slot among that event's keynote speeches.

[B3astofthe3ast @ Jun 13th 2009 6:34AM]

If anything it'll be a new bundle including natal, they wouldn't alienate the current 360 user base. Maybe even an Xbox slim, but nothing with radically different specs.

[Intrepid @ Jun 13th 2009 7:26AM]

My thoughts exactly.

The 'slim' console may have small graphical boosts that developers can code for as an option, but there is no way that Microsoft would 'slightly' update the 360 and then dump support for the original console. Built in Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n) would be welcome... just saying.

[MatthewJ @ Jun 13th 2009 7:39AM]

Yeah, maybe it'll just be a new hardware iteration that doesn't cost them billions of dollars in replacements because of RRoD?

[Phoenix @ Jun 13th 2009 7:48AM]

@MatthewJ

they've already done that when they repeatedly changed the CPU and GPU type, as well as the cooling gear.

[inteller @ Jun 13th 2009 8:53AM]

with today's graphics chips being largely backwards compatible with the old one, it doesn't preclude them from offering a tweaked version of the current chip. Also it makes sense they would include .11n built in since the spec will be ratified by then and they won't have to call it dradt n, plus it will keep the price point up where they want it.

[dagamer43 @ Jun 13th 2009 11:15AM]

The reason why developing for a console is easier is because the hardware itself is ALWAYS the same. Testing for multiple configurations drives up costs like no other.

There will be no hardware performance improvements in any 360. To change that is to make an entirely different platform. And selling it under the "360" brand is a nice way to alienate consumers.

[Burns11 @ Jun 13th 2009 11:16AM]

@ Phoenix

Tell that to those with newer 360s that have already had to have them replaced.

[Caveman @ Jun 13th 2009 1:21PM]

Watching E3 that Kudo Tsunoda guy kept saying all 360's built then and in the future. http://www.hulu.com/watch/77038/late-night-with-jimmy-fallon-project-natal-demo?c=0

So that really means they are going to be making some changes. I wouldn't mind seeing more RAM added to the system.

Remember the next Xbox will be forward compatible: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/16/rumor-the-next-xbox-will-be-forwards-compatible/

[jahcriado @ Jun 13th 2009 2:57PM]

@ caveman, when he say's it'll work with "any 360" hes not saying that they are going to release a new 360 with more RAM, he saying that it will work with any of the previous chipsets (since MS has gone through a few) & with any of the console+memory configs (say, no HDD, 20 GB HDD, 60GB HDD or 120 HDD). I really doubt MS is going to do anything so radical as to release a new console next year. It would piss off a lot of us 360 owners. Maybe a redesign (slim), maybe one that has NATAL integrated, but I severely doubt something like an actual console replacement.

[Ridgecity @ Jun 13th 2009 3:28PM]

I agree on the xbox360 slim. They already said is was going to be "like a new console launch", I don't think it will come integrated since the camera needs to be in the horizontal position.

Not to mention the xbox360 screams a redesign, something they can do now since smaller components are half the price when the console launched...

[Kevin @ Jun 13th 2009 4:53PM]

Look... I love progress. I love new hardware, but MS, can you stop trying to force an early end of life to every console cycle? Let us enjoy this for at least a couple more years before you jam a new console down our throats in 14 or 15 months already... C'mon... pleeeeeeeez

[xcrunk @ Jun 13th 2009 6:45AM]

It wouldn't be a bad idea to basically include Natal with every system sold going forth, they can build a solid installation base that way. Developers would more likely develop for it, being that every xbox forth would have it.

Now, does this mean, their going to XBOX currrent 360 owners the way they dumped their original fanbase on original platform?

That would be cold, burned twice. Ouch. I just can't see it, that would be really stupid.

[Nohumanape @ Jun 13th 2009 12:44PM]

@tacomanmcjohnny
Nope. I'm not saying that Microsoft stole any ideas, but Project Natal is a direct reaction to the success of the Wii--Not the EyeToy.

[xcrunk @ Jun 13th 2009 6:50AM]

So you're telling me that Microsoft is going to steal Nintendo's idea of rebranding a product?

Microsoft stealing someone else's idea? NO WAY, NOT MICROSOFT! This is how Microsoft rolls, they're so innovative.

[PleaseJustStop @ Jun 13th 2009 6:58AM]

Stop posting. No really, just stop.

[tacomanmcjhonny @ Jun 13th 2009 7:21AM]

nintendo screwed theirs up. at least this dosent have the sweet controller-through-screen technology built right in. (kidding) if this stole from anything, it would be sonys oh so successful eyetoy. honestly, i like the idea, their going to take a chance on it just like sony did. maybe this time itll catch on

[Vander @ Jun 13th 2009 1:57PM]

Dude, even Tiger Woods will Jump In!

[TareX @ Jun 13th 2009 6:57AM]

Right now, after my initial WOW OMG reaction at Natal, the more I see it, the less impressed I am.

I really think the Xbox needed a processor upgrade, and a decent mouse and keyboard confirguration (there are pretty good 3rd party m&k controls though)

I mean, the fact that we might never see a game as beautiful as Uncharted 2 on the Xbox 360 should really make MS up the specs on their console.

[lewis @ Jun 13th 2009 8:05AM]

yeah, having better looking games and being more expensive really helped the original xbox and really made sony release a new console

[TareX @ Jun 13th 2009 8:23AM]

I know it doesn't make sense at all, financially. But then that EA director saying that the X360 -unlike the PS3- is maxed out, well that struck a nerve...

[wrabbit @ Jun 13th 2009 8:58AM]

@TareX: The EA director can hardly claim that with any certainty. He's not the one coding the games and looking for ways to optimize the code and push the 360 even harder. And even he was that doesn't mean someone else can't come along with some creative way to squeeze even more performance out of it. To paraphrase - the xbox isn't maxed out till a programmer sings.

[Jon @ Jun 13th 2009 11:45AM]

That EA director is a tool. What graphically ground breaking game has EA ever made? They make cookie cutter recycled games year after year (with a few exceptions), buy talented developers and ruin them, and just rake in the cash.
What would he know about graphical horsepower?

[Tubalcain @ Jun 13th 2009 3:07PM]

"I mean, the fact that we might never see a game as beautiful as Uncharted 2 on the Xbox 360 should really make MS up the specs on their console."

That's ridiculous. The game is technically possible on the 360, the problem with the 360 is that they don't have developers like Naughty Dog, Insomniac who specialize in 3rd person platform games. The closest thing they have is Epic and maybe Rare but Rare's track record in delivering games on time is spotty at best.

Why should they up the specs? The specs are fine, this is has more to do with design style not specs. Kojima, himself said that MGS4 can be done on PC, 360 and PS3, the difference in specs are minimal with the PC varying the most. because of constant updates on hardware.

No one has really pushed 3rd person on the 360, maybe they should focus on creating better games not better specs as all you would see is a better looking Halo, Gears, FPSes...you won't see any type of Ratchets, Jak & Daxters, Uncharted, Infamous,God of War or anything like that...

[davedrastic @ Jun 13th 2009 6:58AM]

I can believe this and think that it would be a very smart move.

If it were to happen i'd expect the 360 to continue to sell well, as the PS2 still does, as presumably it would be pretty lowcost with lots of games and there does seem to be this new trend of developers focusing on smaller, lower cost and lower tech games that could continue to flourish on the 360. Makes sense to me as long as they don't eff up the reliability or pricing.

[Dummy00001 @ Jun 13th 2009 10:50AM]

> I can believe this and think that it would be a very smart move.

It's not smart - it's logical.

It was reiterated many times that all similar technologies failed to catch up in past solely because they were optional and developers couldn't risk developing for some niche peripheral.

WiiMote taught us the lesson that people want and readily pay for new experience. It's only logical for MS to try something new too. As they are in black right now, they can afford it.

I only hope they would along with Natal include some FPS controller too :|

[sonaiko @ Jun 13th 2009 7:03AM]

So expected.

1) Natal wont be compatible with current games. So those who dont buy Natal will be left out if majority of development focused on Natal.

2) If you currently dont own a 360, it will cost u a fortune to buy a 360 and Natal. This will probably be a good reason why it wont attract new comers.

3) When Natal is out in 2010, it will still take some time for developers to get it right. I expect a year minimum.

The solution for all this is a new system (or an upgrade on the current).

[Gaz @ Jun 13th 2009 8:53AM]

Your first point is complete crap considering one of the things they showed behind closed doors was Burnout Paradise running using Natal to control the vehicle.
So it can in fact be used with older games.
Try doing a little research

[sonaiko @ Jun 13th 2009 7:40AM]

@ Gaz:

Is this what you base your argument on? a racing game wer u only get to move left or right?

Good luck using Natal on current Prince of Persia!!

[jOEfRO @ Jun 13th 2009 7:56AM]

Hey buddy, Natal dev kits went out at E3 to all developers. You know where you can show your Wii Remote...

[Muhammad-Oli @ Jun 13th 2009 7:57AM]

No actually he's right. It has been announced that Natal will be fully compatible with current games.

[TareX @ Jun 13th 2009 8:27AM]

1) Natal will be compatible with current games. How they'll make the character move around without controls (the current gamepad isn't single-hand friendly)? I have no idea.

2) No pricing details are out yet. Anyway, with Natal, expect a number of PC gamers to convert to the much less expensive, and much more attractive console gaming.

3) As mentioned, Natal Dev kits are out already.

That said, I really don't want to jump around the living room when playing....

[Gaz @ Jun 13th 2009 8:53AM]

@ sonaiko as others have mentioned if you'd done even a tiny amount of research you'd know it was announced it would work with previous games.

@ TareX there's nothing stopping them providing some sort of single hand joypad/control stick for certain types of games.

I'm unsure how people can judge something that is both in its early stage of development and unreleased.

[wrabbit @ Jun 13th 2009 9:02AM]

You guys are talking as if the natal is going to become the only way to control the xbox. Obviously(!) the controller is gonna stay and it's gonna be used for many games that can't be played with natal, and there will also be plenty of games that utilize natal, and you can bet that they will still support the controller.

[KyleK @ Jun 13th 2009 11:28AM]

They never said that Natal will work with all older games from the get-go. They said it is very easy to add Natal support to existing games.
So I suppose some developers might push game updates for certain products.

[superhobo @ Jun 13th 2009 7:04AM]

I think it's still too early for a new console.

[Brian @ Jun 13th 2009 7:06AM]

And I just got a 360.....Damn, I knew they'd release a new console soon.

I wonder when the ps4 and Nintendo's new console will come out. They will most likely release details about it soon.

I'm thinking Christmas '09 release.

[ben @ Jun 13th 2009 7:38AM]

no way in hell…

[jean @ Jun 16th 2009 6:34AM]

Haha.

[Mike @ Jun 13th 2009 7:07AM]

i hope natal isn't going to be the main control of a new xbox. didnt work too well with wii.

[chay @ Jun 13th 2009 7:12AM]

I think that they should call the new console the XBox 1984
Because it watches your every move with cameras. (in a good way)

[tacomanmcjhonny @ Jun 13th 2009 7:13AM]

the xbox strikes back? this better be true, ive been extremely happy with microsoft lately. i almost bought a mac before win 7 "came out" i think apple, sony, and maybe nintendo should be scared to death. if natal is really as delicious as it looks, maybe sony and nintendo will get the message, and at least play catch up. as for apple, the products are just to pricey, especially for the amount of hardware you get. sure they are drop dead gorgeous, but is a case really worth the extra 500 or so? ill be watching every day for updates, im pretty damn excited about all the game news lately

[Adam @ Jun 13th 2009 1:05PM]

I agree, but I think your statement should be prefaced with "seem to be". After all, we don't really know shit about the Zune HD or Natal, but from little info we do have Microsoft seems to be on the right track. One thing we do know about is Windows 7, and that is awesome. I think the advantage that Natal has is that the 360 is already for hardcore gamers, so Microsoft can please both the casual and hardcore crowd with the addition of Natal. I love my iPhone, but I still carry my iPod too. If the Zune HD, in the words of Dennis Green, "is what we think it is" I'll probably carry that in addition to my iPhone.

[epz @ Jun 13th 2009 7:46AM]

if they do have a point upgrade then I doubt the cpu needs touched(iirc its a 6thread 3ghz ppc) , they may revise the gpu to add new stuff/cores that has come in over the past few years but the big problem the have is storage.

256meg of ram is pitiful when you can buy 4gigs for under £25 and with demos hitting 5gigs the 20/60gig disks are just too small.

I suspect the ram is going to be the limitation for developers, people can live without ultra pretty graphics if they have an expansive level that doesnt need to reload every 2 mins.

IMHO if ms want to enter the livingroom for everyone they need to make it quieter, and add a lot of disk space. Itunes proves you can make serous cash on line renting/selling tunes and movies. You cant sell someone an HD movie if it fills their entire disk, at the very least they need some form of standard nas integrated into the xbox menu.

frankly if ms release an updated xbox with better hardware, the natal controler and 100% games/controllers compatibility(1) with the 360 it will be a licence to print money and kill the ps3 dead.



(1) ideally with natal patches to existing games via the live service as burnout proved was possible.

[John P @ Jun 13th 2009 9:20AM]

You are only too correct about making the xbox quieter. That is why an "xbox slim" would be a brilliant idea to launch alongside Natal. If that can run with less heat produced, and thus fewer fans spinning at a blaring decibel rate, they would probably hit their goal of becoming the console of choice for the living room, espeically with HD streaming just around the corner. I highly doubt that the 360 is going to be phased out soon - the other announcements at E3 show that microsoft is really supporting this console right now, and furthermore, announcing a new console within the next year or two would be hard for many consumers to swallow. It isn't necessarily price, but more that upgrades mean obsolescence for the investment you made in the 360, and unless the economy is on a crazy boom by 2010, I anticipate that these consoles will continue to be the main boxes out there.

[Phil @ Jun 13th 2009 1:15PM]

Why would you want to 'kill' the PS3?!

Please, I don't want a monopoly in the living room as well as at my work!!

[BarkingGhost @ Jun 13th 2009 7:46AM]

I don't think so. They are committed to a ten year lifecycle and a little early to start releasing a 'new' Xbox. I'd much rather suspect they'll just use a code update and new I/O hardware accessories to get the job done. We may actually see this software update a la pre-natal. Waah!

[jonas @ Jun 13th 2009 7:50AM]

I don't want this natal shit, I just need a controller with some buttons to bash!!!

[Mike @ Jun 13th 2009 7:56AM]

you didnt buy a controller with your xbox 360 already?

[Ashleigh @ Jun 13th 2009 8:00AM]

I think you might find that they have got confused with what Microsoft have said, MS have said that they will treat Natal Launch LIKE a new console Launch, with a launch lineup from 1st and 4rd parties, and big advertising campaing etc, very similar to the 360's actual launch.

So yes we will get a new console, but just like we got a new one with NXE, it will be a Re-Launch, not a new console.

However if they do bring a 'new' console out with the Natal, it will be a purely design based one, with perhaps integrated WiFi (like the Wii) and perhaps a larger HDD, certainly no power improvements under the hood, no matter what developers say, there's still more to come out of the 360, just like there is still new improved stuff showing up on the PS2.

[felix.cedeno @ Jun 13th 2009 12:13PM]

LOL the only thing you need is free online playing and you would get a ps3