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Kinect tech destined for TV-embedded greatness in 2011, HTPC integration later this year
From Tel Aviv unknown to Xbox gaming wunderkind, PrimeSense has already had quite a run, but the camera-control tech that powers Kinect is destined for new applications before long. VP Adi Berenson tells us the company's already signed deals to put PrimeSense inside HTPCs by the end of the year, and has at least one cable company ready to launch a gesture-controlled set top box by summer 2011. The end goal is to provide natural human control over TV-based media consumption, said Berenson, who's working to get cameras in TVs themselves sometime late next year. Like Kinect, these solutions will have a pair of 640 x 480 camera sensors to measure user position in 3D space, but don't expect them to have motorized tilt functionality or voice recognition -- PrimeSense said it won't be able to make those available for manufacturers, as they're all Microsoft ideas. The gesture recognition has reportedly evolved, though, and we're eager to check that out soon. See what it used to look like in our GDC 2010 preview. Update: Just to be absolutely clear, this is not Microsoft's Kinect that's slated for an HTPC and set-top-box near you, but rather PrimeSense, the 3D camera sensor technology behind it.
Kinect for Xbox 360 now listed for $150... at Microsoft's own online store
Listen Microsoft, we know you've been wanting to stay absolutely mum on Kinect's price since its official E3 unveiling, even as GameStop and Walmart say $149.99. Included is the Kinect sensor itself, power supply cable, manual, and WiFi extension cable (huh?), and it shows up in our virtual shopping cart just fine. So, now that your own official online store is giving that price tag on a pre-order page, don't ya think this guy deserves something akin to a legitimate press release for its MSRP? [Thanks, Steven W.]
Microsoft confirms: $199 new Xbox 360 coming soon, as well as Kinect bundles
Well, none of this will come as a big surprise here, but it's always nice to hear it straight from an official source. Microsoft has confirmed that a $199 version of new Xbox 360 will be coming in the fall to replace the now-$149 Arcade, which is no longer in production. In addition, the company's also spilled a few more beans -- Kinect will be available as a bundle with the new Xbox 360, and though there isn't any official pricing information on that one just yet, we've seen some telltale evidence on that front which would lead us to believe it'll run somewhere in the neighborhood of $399 for an Elite and $299 for the Arcade. So now you know.
Check out our new Kinect hub!
Just in case you missed the big announcements and news at E3 2010, we've gathered everything we know about Microsoft's latest in gaming, Kinect -- formerly known as Project Natal -- into one where you can study to your heart's content. Hit it up.
Mad Catz Xbox accessory shocker! Kinect, wireless controller get stands at E3
Mad Catz, our favorite provider of gaming accessories that happens to be named after mentally ill house pets, has announced a plethora of devices for the new Xbox 360. First off, if there is a Kinect in your future you are probably thinking: "where am I gonna put the damn thing?" Well, you can stop thinking right now! the Xbox 360 Kinect Floor Stand includes a weighted base, 2.5-foot mounting pole, and it costs $30. If you feel like saving a few bucks, a camera tripod adapter is available for $15. There also is something called the Controller Charge Stand, which -- for a mere $30 -- allows you to store two controllers and charge up to two Microsoft Rechargeable Battery Packs at the same time. Pretty great, huh? PR after the break.
Kinect Sports and Joy Ride previewed, in brief (video)
We've already gone a bit more in-depth with the likes of Kinect Adventures, Dance Galaxy, and Your Shape, but we also had a couple brief thoughts on Microsoft's motion-centric sports pack and cartoon racer. With Joy Ride, you'd think holding your arms out pantomiming steering would be burdensome, but in our time with Joy Ride, it really never became an issue. In fact, the one control aspect we were hesitant about going into the race -- power sliding -- turned out to be quite effortless. It made perfect sense tilting our bodies around sharp corners. It's during the windows where stunts were allowed that we discovered the full-bodied parallel to button mashing. Seriously, people were instinctively ducking jumping, twisting, and flailing hoping for some bonus points. As for Kinect Sports, Microsoft wasn't showing much of its track-and-field centered Kinect Sports title, but what we saw didn't fill us with confidence. The bowling game was particularly troubling, with numerous very random throws (that ended up in the gutter a lane over) and a very finicky depth-perception that wouldn't let us really wind up or step forward very effectively. Meanwhile, the 200 meter hurdles worked just fine, but it was also a pretty simplistic running-in-place experience that was possible a couple decades ago with the NES's Power Pad -- although Kinect makes it a lot harder to cheat. Miller vs. Miller video after the break. %Gallery-95217% %Gallery-95215%
Kinect Adventures preview unearths our frightening lack of coordination
Maybe we came into it as pre-judgers, but there's nothing about Kinect Adventures that really redeems the experience in our biased, fun-hating eyes. We're not really sure if our bigger problem is with the loose controls or the actual gameplay concepts, but it's certainly a mix of both. We started out with the mining cart obstacle course, which has a certain charm in its simplicity: side step, jump, duck, and the occasional arm spread to gather tokens. These grander gestures seemed pretty easy to handle, and while we'd certainly grow bored of the game after 30 minutes or so, it would at least be a good 30 minutes of cardio. Things went downhill from those middling heights, however, with the very vague and unsatisfying block-busting ball game, that seemed hardly responsive to our quick, desperate motions (or maybe we just weren't very good at it), and the frenetic but ultra-loose controls of the river rafting. At least the teamwork aspect of the rafting game is interesting, and we'd love to see how good we could get with a dedicated partner, but there's just something about hopping and side-stepping that just can't feel as complex and comprehensive as "real" controls. In all we recognize these experiences as stuff that could only be done with Kinect... we're just not sure yet if they needed to be done. You can check out video of our miserable performance after the break. %Gallery-95204%
Kinect Dance Central preview, or how we learned to stop caring and love the groove (video)
We're gonna level with you, internet at large, we jumped at the chance to be on camera for our hands-on with Dance Central for Xbox 360's Kinect. It's not because we think we're good dancers -- we don't -- but it was subsequently decided that a lack of shame was more fun. So let's get on with the details. Menu navigation was a little janky at times, but selection was a simple swipe from the extreme right to left of an arm's length. As we saw earlier, the game is a progression of dance riffs you have to emulate with the on-screen dancers. It took until the first chorus of MIA's "Galang" to really get a feel and comfort for the pace; by that point it was easy enough to keep an eye on future moves and correct past mistakes of similar grooves. Frankly, inherent embarrassment notwithstanding, it was very entertaining. Pictures below and video after the break -- and don't you worry, we'll be going back for seconds.%Gallery-95200%
Kinect, the new Xbox 360, and ESPN: highlights from Microsoft at E3 2010
My, what big showing you have there, Microsoft. We're still recovering from today and yesterday's big Xbox 360 Kinect unveiling party, but let's take a brief trip down short-term memory lane. First, Project Natal became Kinect, unveiled a handful of interesting / guaranteed-to-embarrass uses, and solidified its November release date. Then ESPN3 made an impressive debut on Xbox Live. Finally, the piece de resistance, a slimmed down Xbox 360 250GB that came (almost) out of nowhere and hits retail as soon as physically possible. Everywhere Microsoft was this past 24 hours, so were we: Liveblog Live from Microsoft's E3 2010 keynote! The new, slim Xbox 360 Xbox 360 250GB first unboxing! Xbox 360 naming guide: the new Xbox 360 vs. the Xbox 360 Original New Xbox 360 gets official at $299, shipping today, looks angular and ominous (video hands-on!) New Xbox 360 250GB now available for preorder at GameStop, Newegg and Amazon Xbox 360 Arcade to eventually be replaced by $199 new Xbox 360; data transfer cable will be $20 Kinect The new Xbox 360 Kinect port, up close Kinect priced at GameStop: $149, $399 for Elite bundle Microsoft Kinect for Xbox 360 launches on November 4 Microsoft Kinect to go on sale in November, somewhere Microsoft Kinect gets official, Video Chat announced Video Kinect: video chat and stream sharing over Xbox Live and Live Messenger Kinect in the flesh! Microsoft demos new Kinect dashboard and voice contro Other news of import Zune music heads to Xbox 360 ESPN3 comes exclusively to Xbox 360 Netflix for Xbox 360 adds search in November Galleries Eyes-on More eyes-on Press shots Unboxing Kinect in the flesh! Kinect press shots Liveblog highlights
Live from Microsoft's E3 2010 keynote!
After last night's Kinect-ic event, what on earth could Microsoft have in store for its big E3 2010 press conference? A slimmer Xbox 360? Valhalla motherboards? Hulu integration? Surely there's gonna be a new game or two in store. Stay tuned -- doors open at 10:00AM PT / 1:00PM ET and the magic starts shortly after!
Kinect in the flesh!
There she blows. Microsoft's Kinect (formerly known as Project Natal), real at last. Of course this unit isn't on or doing anything, but it is striking a sexy pose next to some other black Microsoft hardware. Hopefully it'll have an Xbox 360 Slim to hang out with after this keynote is over!
Microsoft Kinect to go on sale in November, somewhere
What you're looking at is the latest status update to the Xbox MySpace page showing a November release for Microsoft Natal Kinect. You know, just in case you were looking for something to purchase in the run up to the holidays. How much is the big question now. Update: John was kind enough to ping us and let us know about this mention of a November release date on a UK Microsoft press page, which we also have a picture of below. This would seem to imply it'll also be hitting Europe before the end of the year, but we'll find out when the timer on that page hits zero and Microsoft's second big event of the show kicks off. We'll be there. [Thanks, Bharat R.]
Microsoft Kinect gets official, Video Chat announced
You knew it was coming, right? Hot on the heels of getting leaked a wee bit early Microsoft has made official the rebadging of a device desperately seeking a new name: "Project Natal" is no more, replaced by Microsoft Kinect. At a circus- and celebrity-filled affair, MS wrapped everyone in high-tech panchos (pictured after the break courtesy of Joystiq) and then took the wraps off of the new title. Quite a few game demos were shown, ranging from Star Wars to tiger petting, the Kinect interface to the Dashboard was shown (said by some to be Minority Report-like), and a video chat app called, wait for it, Video Chat. Through here you can naturally talk to friends (up to four total people at once was "shown"), and also share photos. Sadly, no hands-on time was given nor did MS reveal the two crucial bits of information we're waiting for: price and date. Naturally a holiday release is expected, to give the Xbox 360 a nice sales boost, but we're hearing price rumors as high as $150. These choice bits of intel will surely be unveiled at Microsoft's event tomorrow -- if someone doesn't beat 'em to it. The hardware is still looking exactly like the early picture above, shattering hopes of a slimmer design to match new Slim Xbox 360. Update: We've got official photos now, though solid textual info is still scarce. Stand by! Update 2: So we're out of the wild, cult-like experience that was Microsoft's Kinect unveiling. Microsoft still has a lot of details to reveal, but there are a few things we gleaned from watching the demos: Almost everything was one person at a time, particularly in the Kinect Sports games. Even a game like beach volleyball or soccer was boiled down to individual "moments" of interaction that get strung together into some sort of competition. Even the running in place games were one at a time, though the river rafting and mining cart games (both with a similar mechanic of jumping and ducking through an obstacle course while picking up tokens) could be played with two people at a time. You can at least play games like volleyball simultaneously with someone else over Xbox Live. An interesting mechanic we saw was a second player "jumping in" to a game. In the mining cart scenario, when the second player jumped in it immediately went split screen, while in soccer different players took turns by just jumping into position. Sure, some of this stuff was edited for our benefit, but it seems Microsoft is working to make the introduction of a second player or the switching between players something less button-heavy. The Star Wars game was pretty badass-looking -- you play a Jedi, rushing down stormtroopers and deflecting laser bolts left and right, wielding a few Force powers, and confronting a certain deep-voiced Sith Lord for a one-on-one duel. Based on the gestures and action we saw, though, it was a pretty heavily scripted experience. Still, there's no scripting a two-handed light saber grip, and that particular action looked like everything we've ever wanted in a Star Wars game. The yoga game is actually a pretty smart use of the infrared and joint detection software we espied previously. Positions were "checked" by points on the joint -- making it certainly harder to fake the moves on Wii Fit -- and it seemed to have a tai chi element to it. Your avatar glowed a more intense red based on your three-dimensional approximation -- bright red for hands stretched forward, for example. Next up: Kinectimals, a baby tiger pet simulator. You can scratch its ears, snuggle, and teach the little guy to jump and play dead. Adorable? Dangerously so. No one can tell us the developer, but based on the lighting effects, art style, and similarities to the previously-shown Milo, we'd wager a guess that it was Lionhead Studios. The Kinect menu interface is about as simple as could be. You wave your hand to control a glowing cursor of sorts, and you push forward to "click" on the element you want. Of course, there's also a very simplified version of the Dashboard to go along with this control mechanism, so it's unclear if you'll be able to do everything via subtle hand waves, but the Twitter, Facebook, Zune and Netflix icons were clearly present. The MTV Games-developed Dance Central has some on staff divided -- only Ross will actually admit to being interested in playing it. A series of dance moves are presented, including elbow jabs, swinging leg, guitar, "rocking out" (with your hand in the air). The art style is akin to Rock Band / Guitar Hero, and to be fair, this is probably one of those games that can't be done as well on any other console. Update 3: Video of family gameplay and media playback control added after the break. Come on, what else are you going to do until its November retail launch? %Gallery-95071%
Microsoft Kinect revealed: Project Natal finally gets a name
USA Today just leaked the name of Microsoft's Project Natal motion control setup: Kinect. Microsoft was apparently planning on revealing these details tonight at a pre-E3 shindig, but the leaks got the better of them (including an Italian ad that also mentions the Kinect brand). There's still no word on price or release date, but hopefully we'll be hearing about that later this week. The USA Today writeup also mentions a few titles, including Kinectimals, Joyride, Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures, Dance Central, and properties based on Star Wars and Disney characters.
Project Natal game titles outed ahead of E3, 'about a dozen' available at launch
Looking for some last-minute Project Natal scoopage before we head into E3 2010? You've got it -- the LA Times has dished out details on the first four gesticulariffic games for the Xbox 360's new camera attachment this weekend, and says nearly a dozen other Natal titles will be available at launch. First up are "River Rush" and "Obstacle Course," the titles that inspired Parade Magazine to haphazardly flail appendages about last week, but there's also info on "Living Statue," which lets the social butterflies on Xbox 360 send video messages using singing, dancing avatars as a go-between. No video of this last quite yet, but on the off-chance you're not tired of watching humans slap dust mites silly (we kid) you'll find an unrelated Natal demo after the break.
Natal 'River Rush' gameplay glimpsed, first wild gesticulation-related violence reported
In a surprising expose on the seedy underbelly of pre-release gaming demos for the whole family, Parade Magazine's own A.J. Jacobs reports on a bit of fun gone awry. Mr. Jacobs details the horrific scene: "We next tried an obstacle course where you have to dart under trees and jump over logs. I was really working it, leaning my body and windmilling my arms. Unfortunately, Zane, 3, wandered a bit too close to me and, well, I inadvertently smacked him in the face. He started crying." Luckily, Zane bounced back quickly, and the Jacobs household (6-year-old Jasper was also in attendance) quickly determined that their best chances at beating the few Project Natal demos Microsoft was showing them might involve benching the old man. The Jacobs brood got three demos in all, including a couple we haven't had a chance to play ourselves: an obstacle course, and a river rafting game we've seen referred to as "River Rush." You can see a brief glimpse of it yourself (along with entirely more arm flailing than is strictly necessary) after the break.
Project Natal retail unit revealed at D8?
Hey -- you know Microsoft's Project Natal? Well we've just gotten an up close look at what appears to be the retail version (though it's clearly marked a developer unit). We couldn't storm the stage while Walt and Kara (and her son!) were showing it off, but no one seemed to mind that we took a load of these shots for your perusal. Check out gallery below for more pics! %Gallery-94197%
Project Natal to cost $149 by itself, $299 with 360 Arcade, according to latest rumors
Here we go with those trusted sources again. Edge has it on good authority that Microsoft's midlife rejuvenator for the Xbox 360, Project Natal, will cost a cool 149 bucks when purchased as a standalone accessory, or $100 when bundled together with the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade console. That's a mighty steep hill for early adopters to climb, but Microsoft did warn us that Natal will not be an impulse buy. An October 26 date is also proffered for the official launch, but that might shift, leaving us with the same window of expectation as before. Interestingly, the Natal name is expected to definitely change for the final retail product, which we should be learning a lot more about at E3 in a couple of weeks.
Robbie Bach: Project Natal a 'midlife kicker' for Xbox 360, 'absolutely confident' Courier innovations will appear elsewhere
Now that the proverbial cat's out of the bag, Tech Flash has caught up with Robbie Bach about his impending retirement from Microsoft. In a far-reach interview, the former President of Entertainment & Devices Division says he made his ultimate decision just last Thursday, and that while he and also-gone J Allard "had been talking [Allard's] situation for awhile," the conversation never went both ways and the timing of the departures is "pure coincidence... serendipity." Bach further claims that it was his choice and was not asked to leave, and as for pundits who might've thought he was in line for one day taking the reins from CEO Steve Ballmer, Bach downplays that possibility and says he never had interest and such discussions never took place. But enough business talk, what about some of the projects Bach oversaw? There were a couple choice quotes we noted from the report. First up is Natal, a motion-sensing project that he views as a "midlife kicker for the [Xbox] 360." For those watching a calendar, that would give the console an approximately nine-year perceived lifespan on the corporate side -- from November 2005 to 2014. Of course, we could be reading too much into that, but we could certainly believe it. On the subject of Courier, Microsoft's now-cancelled internal tablet project, Bach is "absolutely confident... a bunch of that innovation will show up in Microsoft products." It's a stronger wording that what we originally read, and given just how excited we were watching that leaked video, we can only hope his prophecy is foretold. Do yourself a favor and take 15 minutes to read through the interview -- hey, you're welcome.
Microsoft's Robbie Bach and J Allard leaving as part of broader shakeup; Xbox and Windows Phone teams now reporting directly to Ballmer
Well, it looks like the rumors were true. Not only is Microsoft's J Allard now officially leaving the company, but so is Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft's Entertainment & Devices Division, amid what's described as a broader restructuring that will effectively dissolve the division and give CEO Steve Ballmer more direct oversight of Microsoft's consumer initiatives like Xbox and Windows Phone as of July. Contrary to earlier reports, Allard says that he's not leaving due to the cancellation of the Courier, but instead says that after nineteen years with the company, he simply wants to devote more time to his personal interests, "particularly adventure sports." Allard also insists that he won't be moving on to Apple, Google or any other Microsoft rivals -- in fact, he's staying on as an advisor to Steve Ballmer. Robbie Bach's departure is equally curious -- despite being just 48, his move is being described as a "retirement," and he says that the decision was his own and that he wasn't encouraged to leave. He'll also apparently remain with Microsoft through the fall to aid in the transition. When all's said and done, mobile communications VP Andy Lees and interactive entertainment head Don Mattrick will each separately report to Ballmer -- both have headed their divisions for some time now, so we'd assume that things will otherwise proceed as planned. Still, the loss of talent at the top is certainly noticeable -- we'll see how Microsoft responds now that Ballmer is firmly driving its mobile and gaming efforts. We've got Ballmer's full letter to the company and Microsoft's official PR after the break, so take a peek. Update: Mary Jo Foley has J Allard's parting email to his employees.
