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EA: No Project Natal support for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11
When Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 was revealed to have PlayStation Move support, we wondered why EA would support every other motion-controlled peripheral (all two) and not Microsoft's Project Natal. So we hit up EA for an answer. As it turns out, EA just wasn't "in a position" to add Natal support to Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 -- but the company doesn't rule out implementation in future installments of the franchise. "We are always evaluating new technologies and Natal would be a perfect fit for the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise," an EA spokesperson told Joystiq, "however we are simply not in a position to do so with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11." There you have it: Natal is a "perfect fit," but Tiger Woods 11 won't have that functionality. Our guess? The Natal dev kits haven't shipped and a post-release implementation patch would not be cost effective.
Tiger Woods 11 to support PlayStation Move
Much like the star it's named for, it seems the Tiger Woods PGA Tour franchise isn't adverse to trying new things. EA has announced that the next iteration, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11, will support the PlayStation Move motion controller to "give gamers an authentic interactive swing experience." There aren't any other details about Move implementation at the moment, but the game is slated for release on June 8 -- well before Sony's motion controller's projected fall release. (And before you ask, no mention has been made of support for Microsoft's Project Natal.) It may be less flashy, but series fans may be interested to hear the game will also feature the Ryder Cup, allowing for two 12-man teams to face off against each other. We say 12-man, but we guess it could be 12 women against 12 men, right? Heck, maybe even 12 women against one man. Can you imagine, one guy trying to keep up with all those women? We sure can't. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will be available on June 8 for Wii (with MotionPlus support), Xbox 360, PS3 and iPhone. Update: Changed "PlayStation Motion Controller" references to "PlayStation Move," the now official name for Sony's device. [Editor's Note: EA's press release only included a box art asset for the Xbox 360 version. Go figure.]
Microsoft bringing 'the full lineup' of Natal titles to E3
GDC 2010 is the hotness this week, but according to Microsoft's Mindy Mount (speaking at a tech conference in NYC), E3 should be fun this year, too. As you might expect, Microsoft is bringing "the full lineup" of Project Natal titles to the convention in June. We know there are a whole bunch of developers working on Natal titles, including EA, Capcom, Forza Motorport's Turn 10, and SpawnPoint Studios. Mount promises that Microsoft is "putting some of our best people on coming up with great game ideas for this, and we're going to have some great stuff." We'll start working out now to make sure we have enough stamina to flail our limbs all week long.
Steve Ballmer teases new Xbox 360 form factors, price points and options
Turns out Steve Ballmer's talk up at the University of Washington delivered even more saucy info than we were initially led to believe. In a transcript of the subsequent Q&A session, Steve is shown to have delivered the following statement on the topic of large-screen televisions and Microsoft's related hardware strategy: For that big screen device ... there's no diversity. You get exactly the Xboxes that we build for you. We may have more form factors in the future that are designed for various price points and options, but we think it's going to [be] important. It's safe to assume new form factors point to a smaller rather than larger 360 chassis, though the price points and further options he mentions are wide open for speculation. It wouldn't be unreasonable to forecast Microsoft pushing out its own slimmed-down console to match up with Sony's PS3 Slim, but we also shouldn't discount the idea of an Xbox 360 with Project Natal hardware integrated into its shell. In other words, we really don't know what Steve has going on under that shiny dome of his, we just hope it's as exciting as he makes it sound.
Molyneux combats fear of Natal input lag
The problem of input latency is something that keeps popping up in coverage of Microsoft's Project Natal. It's something we noticed when demoing Natal at TGS last year, something Microsoft promised to address before launch. Apparently, certain outlets are still noticing latency issues, which has prompted both Microsoft and Peter Molyneux to come to the peripheral's defense. The comments come in response to reactions from a recent event held in London for non-enthusiast press. Speaking to GI.biz (account required), Molyneux noted his "frustration" at seeing the press use a version of Natal that has since been "exceeded many times over." Said Molyneux, "So very often you get a position that what a person's looking at is two, three, four months, a year old and you kind of want to go, 'no, no, it's 10 times better than that!'" He added that there have been "countless" revisions to Natal's camera and software since X10, which was held just weeks ago. Furthermore a Microsoft source told GI.biz that the unit demonstrated in London was "one-tenth as responsive" as the current revision. Microsoft doesn't have any Natal presentations planned for GDC next week, but maybe, just maybe Molyneux will show us how far the peripheral has come during his panel on intuitive game design.
Suda 51 wants to make new IP for Natal and PlayStation Motion Controller
Grasshopper Manufacture studio head Suda 51 is "very interested" in working on games for both Microsoft's Project Natal and the PlayStation Motion Controller, he told GameSpot UK. However, his interest doesn't lie in adapting No More Heroes or other Grasshopper games to the new control scheme. "I will make some original IP to fit that control system," he said. No More Heroes was the result of experimentation with the Wii Remote, and the same will be required for the other systems. Suda said that the new IP would be designed in response to the control scheme. Suda also spoke about Heavy Rain, saying that he approved of "designs and anything that gives new experiences to the players." Given his history with mindbending adventure games, his interest in the title comes as little surprise.
Pachter: Natal more than $50 after all, DSi XL won't sell
In a stunning show that game industry analysts indeed are fallible human beings, Wedbush Morgan's Michael Pachter has changed his mind on Natal's supposed price. The prolific analyst prognosticated last year that price would be the primary factor in moving Natal hardware, leading him to predict that it would launch for less than $50. However, he now tells IndustryGamers that it will likely cost more, noting, "consumers will come to believe that the product and software has a lot of value." Furthermore, Pachter says that the higher that Microsoft and Sony price their motion controls, the less likely a consumer is to buy the competing product. In other words, if you spend $100 on Natal, you probably won't be too keen to plunk down another $100 for Sony's motion controller (and vice versa). Pachter also tackles the DSi XL. He has some choice words for the beefy handheld, pointing out the $60 difference between the DS Lite and DSi XL models. "I'm not sure that bigger screens provide the value that Nintendo thinks," says Pachter, adding his belief that the entire DS line is due for a price cut. He concludes the device won't succeed at launch "since it costs only $10 less than a Wii." Other topics discussed include Richard Garriott's foray into social media, the marketing of Dante's Inferno and the specter of third party success on the Wii -- "most third party Wii games just plain suck," says Pachter.
Microsoft's Project Natal lag calculated to be a tenth of a second
Eager for a bit more Project Natal news now that Jonathan Ross let slip what may or may not be a launch date? Then you're in luck, as MTV's Multiplayer blog has taken advantage of a recent Natal demo session to peg down exactly how much lag we can expect from the motion-sensing system (assuming it's not fine-tuned any further, that is). After timing some 40 movements with a stopwatch, the site found that "life-to-screen" transitions ranged from 0.08 seconds to 0.12 seconds, or about a tenth of a second on average. That's obviously a bit slower than the response of an old fashioned controller (or even a Wiimote, for that matter), and is just enough to be noticeable when you're playing. Of course, it's the games that will ultimately matter the most, and we still haven't seen much more news on that front.
Project Natal coming in October, says Jonathan Ross (video)
As unexpected sources of tech news go, UK television presenter Jonathan Ross is pretty high up there. But lo and behold, the man's had a chance to spend some quality time with Microsoft's Project Natal setup and while he's not altogether impressed with the current state of it, his note on when it's coming out is the one thing nobody has known for sure yet. "Got until October" may mean an October release, or it may imply they can work on it through October in time for an early November release (something we heard earlier), but altogether we find this both credible and logical considering the natural urge to try and get the latest gaming tech in well before the holidays. Need more convincing? Skip past the break to see the Wossmeister having a whale of a time with that balloon-blocking game that's embarrassed many a journalist already.
Disney won't rule out Epic Mickey on 360, PS3
When Warren Spector's first Junction Point Studios title, Disney Epic Mickey, was revealed, many gamers were miffed to learn that the game was exclusive to the Wii -- especially after being inundated with some spectacular concept art for the game. It looks like there is still some hope that the game will hit the Xbox 360 and PS3, according to Disney's Graham Hopper. Hopper tells Gamasutra that one of the game's core concepts is its "ink and paint mechanic", making it ideal for the Wii. However, now that both Xbox 360 and PS3 will soon support motion controls of their own, things might be different. "If we started it 6 months ago we would have potentially thought differently about it," said Hopper. He noted that Disney has "a very large audience base that has Wiis in their home" but that the company isn't ruling out the possibility of a future port to other platforms. Making all of this a bit stranger, as Joystiq readers will recall, is that Epic Mickey actually started out as a project for the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The game switched to Wii development in 2008 when Disney raised the possibility of a port. At the time, Spector told the company that many of the design ideas wouldn't work on the console, noting that a Wii version would have to "be its own game." Disney apparently agreed, deciding to make the game Wii exclusive. Here we are two years later, and the game just might come full circle.
Project Natal makes cameo appearance on Smallville
Did you know that Smallville is shot on location in the future? We weren't aware of this fact until several readers pointed out that Project Natal made an appearance in Friday's episode, "Warrior." Want to see Natal gaming in action (as in, pantomimed by an actor)? Start watching this episode at about the 23-minute mark. The awkward product placement makes an already-awkward date scene super-awkward! "Maybe you need to look ridiculous!" the player says, trying to entice Chloe into a game of Ricochet. Could that be the tagline for the ad campaign? If you want to watch a thrilling yarn about a cursed comic book, that's the rest of the episode.
Project Natal makes a Smallville cameo, does not guarantee ability to fly*
We didn't get any more details about Microsoft's Project Natal add-on for Xbox 360 from the X10 event, but tonight Smallville viewers got to watch someone else whipping their arms and legs around trying to catch imaginary balls flying out of their TV screen. Short of some actual time gesticulating wildly in front of that motion sensing cam this is the closest thing we've got to actually using it, but as the clip (embedded after the break) shows, girls are likely to be more impressed by someone that can fly. %Gallery-85394%
Interview: Aaron Greenberg talks Xbox 1 Live shutdown, hard drives, and Games on Demand
If you thought the jam-packed Xbox lineup on display at the X10 event was exciting for you, imagine being one of the people in charge of it. Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg got to watch reactions to the lineup at the event all day -- except, of course, for the time he took out to speak to us about the crowded game schedule, Project Natal, and more. Greenberg remained genial even when faced with familiar questions about the ramifications of the removal of Xbox 1 Live support, and with random, odd questions generated from Joystiq's interview brainstorming session, such as: Joystiq: Can you make Kudo in Kodu? Aaron Greenberg: What? I don't know. Don't worry about it. Does not compute.
Microsoft's SpawnPoint Studios working on Natal launch title
So that's what they're doing! A pair of job listings on Microsoft's career site have revealed that the mysterious SpawnPoint Studios is currently hiring for a Project Natal launch title. The listings don't reveal any details about the title, though they do ask specifically for someone to "work on a Natal launch title, built from the ground up in MGS / SpawnPoint Studios." The listing notes further that potential employees will work with "a very strong team fresh off AAA titles, starting a new project in a start-up like environment." This is the most we've heard about the studio since Microsoft's Phil Spencer first dropped its name in a Joystiq interview last year. Spencer then intimated that SpawnPoint was "really doing a lot of the Natal work." Later in the same year, we tried to pry some SpawnPoint info from 343 Industries' Frank O'Connor with little success. So, SpawnPoint remains something of a mystery for now, though it sounds like we're guaranteed to know more come the launch of Natal. Hopefully, we'll hear something sooner. [Via VGTribune] Source - Software Development Engineer-Senior-MGS-Project Natal Job Source - Software Development Engineer-MGS-Project Natal Job
Fabled interview: Peter Molyneux at X10
It doesn't take much for Fable III designer Peter Molyneux to get going on and on about his latest project. We even managed to squeeze in a few questions for the Lionhead boss, who was on hand at yesterday's X10 media event to unveil his studio's next grand fable. Of course, it just wouldn't be polite to kick off a conversation with Molyneux without first checking in on the little one. Joystiq: So, how's Milo?
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.)
Two EA Sports Active games due Holiday 2010
Just before today's sure to be thrilling investor's call, EA released a fact sheet to the folks gearing up for the hour-plus finance-a-thon -- a fact sheet that revealed two "TBA" EA Sports Active games set for release on consoles in the third quarter of the company's fiscal 2011 (October 1 through December 31, 2010, in human being time). We've yet to hear anything on a new EA Sports Active title for the Wii, though we did hear some rumblings at E3 last year that the franchise would be headed to Sony and Microsoft's respective motion-based outings. And considering the unannounced titles are set for release in line with the announced release of Microsoft's Project Natal, and perhaps just after the PlayStation Motion Controller, there's a good chance that these pending EA Sports Active releases are for those platforms -- maybe one for Natal and one PlayStation; or one for Natal and Playstation and one for Wii.
Molyneux: Fable 3 news at X10 will make you 'super pissed off'
Speaking to Gamereactor, Lionhead maestro Peter Molyneux revealed that there will be some big Fable 3 news at the X10 event this week. "There's some very, very big things happening in Fable," said Molyneux, "Bigger than you think, and it's going to really upset people." Molyneux added that he is "really scared" about telling people the news, saying, "They're going to get super pissed off, they really are." Still, he concluded that it's "the right thing to do," and confirmed that he will be demonstrating the mystery announcement at X10 in San Francisco. Joystiq's theory: The entire story of Fable 2 was a dream sequence. Whatever it is, we'll be delivering the news directly from X10, so Joystiq's staff and readers can all get pissed off together. In the meantime, be sure to watch the whole interview, which also contains some really interesting talk about Project Natal. [Via VG247]
Project Natal prototype spotted on a makeshift Gorillapod stand, sensing your every move
We're not sure if this is a hint toward the final form factor, or merely the simplest conglomeration of parts available to get working Project Natal sensors in the hands of developers, but The Seattle Times has posted a picture today a developer prototype of the motion-sensing unit. The seems clearly slimmer in proportion than the soundbar-styled renders we've seen thus far, but also quite a bit different than the hacked together hardware used for the Jimmy Fallon demo of the tech. Of course, the fact that the assembly has been slapped atop a Gorillapod makes it hard to believe this is near-final hardware, but it's still fun to see this stuff as evolves toward our living rooms.
Natal prototype model revealed (it's either adorable or terrifying)
The image above could serve as kind of robotic Rorschach test. What do you see? A cute little tripod help-o-bot, whose head is cocked curiously to the side, as though it's studying its new master to better serve his or her robotic needs? Or is it a three-legged killing machine, who's observing his new master's weaknesses, which it plans to exploit with its now-charging eye lasers? Sadly, the answer's not as provocative as either of those two choices -- its actually a photo of a Project Natal prototype, as nabbed by the Seattle Times. According to the report which includes the photograph, Natal units and iPhones are being produced in the same factory. We're terrified of the thought of these two consumer electronics cross-pollinating -- we're pretty sure that's how SkyNet got started. [Via Siliconera]
