2010 Project Natal launch and Xbox Game Room leaked in CES interview
Microsoft's CES keynote doesn't begin for a few hours still, but it looks as it the crux of the consumer electronics news from it is already flowing. Purportedly, a leaked interview (that has since been yanked) showed Robbie Bach, President of the Entertainment & Devices Division, talking up two things of utmost importance. The first of which is Project Natal, which is Redmond's attempt to add full-body interaction to the game console. The news? It's looking like 2010 really will be the year said product hits the shelves, and it's seeming more and more likely that the well-known Natal moniker will stick for retail. The other bit is a so-called Xbox Game Room, which is "supposed to bring back that retro fun to gaming." That's fairly ambiguous, but we can't say that our interest isn't piqued. Hang tight for what we hope will be the official announcement later this evening -- the day has only just begun, you know?
Update: We've got the full interview! Catch it after the break!
See more video at our hub!
Update: We've got the full interview! Catch it after the break!























Time to save money for a new toy ;)
@immortal clone
If anybody still wanted that shirt that the long haired dude is wearing in the old news piece about project natal impulse buy:
http://www.zazzle.com/demonoid_monster_tshirt-235985278520114269
I can't wait for Natal!
Game room sounds pretty lame especially if all you do is walk around and then choose an arcade game cabinet that launches a game from your downloads.
@jackbeitlog
What a bunch of crap that link was. Fanboy drivel.
@peter0328 It's surprising to see that some still don't have any idea what Project Natal really is. Let's just say this is the type of technology that will bring a whole new shift on the way we used our console devices before. Sounds too ambitious but way too hard to miss..
Project Natal Will change the world? http://bit.ly/project-natal-will-change-our-world
I'd love to try it out, but I fear it will turn out like Wii Fit; overpriced with few games. I'll stay optimistic though.
Has anyone noticed how many Apple fanboys own a Xbox 360. For all the bashing they do to MS, they're more than happy to supply them with a continuous stream of money.
@Proud Japanese: And some people just like good products.
@snakegriffin
These people will bash anything by MS. Just go to Mac forums and see the threads about the possible MS tablet. They just hate everything that is MS, not just the products. And yet when you dig deeper, they own an Xbox, a MS product. Apple fanboys can talk but not walk.
@snakegriffin
Also how can they be buying the most unreliable game console when they keep on going on about how Macs are better because they're built better and are more reliable. Not very consistent are they?
@Proud Japanese
Maybe it's more the case they don't like Sony and won't buy a PS3. Nah, I guess since they can't play games on their mac they need an Xbox.
@Proud Japanese
My point was that not all people who own Apple products are "fanboys", and that owning a Macbook while playing an Xbox isn't contradictory as you're making it out to be, since they're not at all the same product.
@Proud Japanese Makes your comment a bit useless, doesn't it? Maybe the Mac owners like Macs rather than "hate Microsoft". The XBOX 360 is the best gaming device out there, in my eyes. You can tell a douche right off because they say "fanboy" instead of "fan", by the way... You're starting to show.
@Proud Japanese
Yeah most normal people don't "hate" companies, just a very vocal minority.
@Proud Japanese Has anyone noticed how many Apple haters walk around with iPhones and iPods?
Same phenomenon? Oh wait, it's called being a consumer. Say it with me, con-su-mer.
@Proud Japanese
Speaking of Tablets is he holding the NEW HP tablet? That thing looks a little bulky....
@Proud Japanese It's not that Mac users hate microsoft as much as we hate windows. We were tired of the clunky, overpriced, underperforming microsoft os, so we switched to a more intuitive one, in mac osx.
Everyone just shut the fuck up, God damn it. This is an absolutely pointless argument.
@Proud Japanese
An the Japanese only fully support Japanese made products, especially video games, even though some Western games are better.
sucks if you passed on xbox 360 to get a ps3 that stuff on your face sony owners is called eggs, and that taste in your mouth is called bitterness lol
@jaygutta6559
right because we dont have a Second Life rip-off as well
Wasn't there talk of a virtual arcade that your avatars moved around a while ago?
Please MS, don't make it backwards compatible. It will make a terrible experience if they do. Make Natal work with games created to be played on Natal. Thats how Wii dominated, simple games, interaction. Then make it work on Xbox Live. I can't imagine playing MW2 with Natal.
@mailbox01
Think of a all the RAGE Gesturing.
@mailbox01 I'd rather have it be backwards compatible with current games (if they feel it's even necessary) than have MS attempt to get us to re-buy our games for 'enhanced features', the way Nintendo has....
@mailbox01
I don't think you have to worry about games like MW2. This is probably going to be mainly for arcade games and any other developer who wants to develop for it. Regardless, Natal won't replace controllers, ever.
So now i'm just glad I have both a 360 and a PS3
XBox Game Room sounds like a Virtual Arcade-style forum to release older games from older consoles. If so, that could make for some interesting fragmentation of this retro IP as MS and Nintendo scramble for exclusives.
Of course, if you've got the skills and know-how (or just know someone who knows how to solder), you can turn an old XBox1 into a universal console for what I imagine MS would charge for a handful of old titles.
You can still watch the video via the RSS feed link, which has this direct link...
http://ecn.channel9.msdn.com/o9/ch9/7/9/5/7/1/5/RobbieBCES2010_ch9.wmv
Natal was revolutionary when announced. But after it settled down, it's all FAIL to me.
Here's what I need for proper game controls:
- Buttons.
Here's what I don't need:
- To have to dance around my living room everytime I want to play a game.
@TareG
I have to agree with you. The idea is good, but the odds for Natal to really be a success are low. People are lazy: if you can choose either to do a physical movement OR just press one button 9 times of 10 people will select the button. For the last 10 years technology has tried to ease our tasks and natal is doing the opposite.
@TareG
totally agree
@TareG
I missed the part where anyone said you couldn't still use a controller. I'd imagine they could create a way to choose between using Natal or using a traditional controller when playing the games.
@(Unverified) In reality 5 out of 10 people have a Wii, 3 out of ten have a 360 and 2 out of ten have a PS3.
People want games to be immersive and the controller is secondary. The Wiimote is less conortable but it allows immersive gameplay. Project Natal looks the most awkward but maybe the most immersive of all. Unfortunately, the promise of Molenuex's Natal seems different from than that of Microsoft's.
@Valan
You don't get it.The Wii mote (and the PS3 dildo stick) have struck the properdegreeof immmersiveness. But Natal, not.
Speaking of Tablets is he holding the NEW HP tablet? That thing looks a little bulky....
@WRECLUSE ?? I'd love to see the dual screen HP/MS tablet they had shown as a concept a few months back. So far CES has showed the Leveno tablet and a few E readers. I hope HP/MS shows a good tablet tonight.
As for the Natal project, have to agree with TareG... last thing I would want to do is have to try to control a game by some crazy dancing movement in my living room. Show me a holodeck or let me be with my controller :)
I was moderately excited for this when it was first leaked. I gotta say, as it comes closer and closer, I'm getting pretty psyched for it. Makes me glad I just bought a brand new 360 Elite (even though my Arcade still works). Time to start saving up.
Robbie Bach (guy in red) kept implying that the general consumer is a complete and utter moron.
This thing is going to fail big time. I don't own a 360 but I have enough trouble remembering which one of the 8-10 buttons on a controller how the hell are they going to get that kind of functionallity with body gestures?? Which leads me to believe that the games for this thing are going to just be like iphone games that you play one ur TV. No thanx
Honestly, I think that it will be very hard for Microsoft to make this revolutionary. It could happen, but I think game console owners are far too used to hand-held controllers than having to rely solely on gestures. But the idea does have potential, so I wouldn't completely knock this off as a fail just yet.
Great video Darren!
what is that tablet he is holding i wonder?
@ Darren
What are you holding?! Just a tablet-pc?