E3 2010: Microsoft Press Conference Thread

[GrandAmChandler]

Microsoft Press Conference for this year's E3 starts today. Post all discussion relating to it here.

Want to watch? Check it out Live at IGN: http://e3.ign.com/2010/live/

-GAC-

EDIT: Join us today in #vbender to chat about today's press conference! Link: http://www.digitpress.com/irc/

[grolt]

Thanks for the video link. I thought this was going to be distributed exclusively on Spike TV (which is what M$ has been saying on Twitter and XBL) so it's nice that it's still going to be online for those of us who don't opt for a cable plan.

Hopefully we get some nice surprises here, rather than their fab four flogging of Halo, Gears, Fable and Natal erm, Kinect. Seriously, I was really liking the Natal name - had some significance and I liked the whole second-nature play on words. Kinect, though, is just really obvious portmanteau that reeks of marketers just trying too hard to emphasize how Active! and Involving! the system is.

[TonyTheTiger]

I think Kinect sounds worse, too. Which is funny since I was never even that big on Natal. It's just that Kinect makes the product sound that much more like a simple Eye Toy accessory or one of the many mid-90s "interactive" devices that never worked right.

[portnoyd]

Kinect? Really? Sounds pretty Stupet.

[Oobgarm]

Kinect? Really? Sounds pretty Stupet.

This one's gonna be hard to top, folks.

[Oobgarm]

MGS Rising looks incredible, of course. Could make Kinect worth a look...though I'd rather have a regular controller.

[Oobgarm]

Space Combat in Halo? I'll take it.

[Oobgarm]

Pretty much all of the MS-developed Kinect titles look like crap.

[grolt]

The thing I didn't like about the Kinect demos were that nobody ever seemed to screw up. I'm worried the games would be too forgiving because the motion recognition isn't good enough.

New system is "whisper quiet" and has a 250 GB HDD, and Wi-fi N built-in for the same $299 price point as the elite. Ships today.

[Oobgarm]

New 360 this week. Holy crap. I wonder if my old HDD is compatible somehow? I'd hate to think they'd abandon that, given how many are out there. Or at least include a transfer cable with each system sold.

[GrandAmChandler]

Uhhh..... what just happened? ESPN? Kinect? Kinectimals? Really?

None of the Following was shown:

Infinity Ward/EA Call of Duty Game
Dead Rising 2
Fallout New Vegas
Rock Band 3
Crackdown 2

Really Microsoft? REALLY?

Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank...

[Dr. Dib]

That had to be Microsoft's worst conference. At least last year they mixed the bad in with the good, but here it was just good, good, and straight bad throughout the entire conference.

Kinect doesn't really have any appealing games besides the Star Wars game which we haven't seen much of. It seemed like every game they showed was just a tech demo or a "WOW NO CONTROLLER LOL" game. I mean that may be good for a while, but eventually you need actual games.

I mean when Nintendo launched the Wii they followed it up with an string of great games the following year. Microsoft will need to do the same thing if they want Kinect to succeed. So far they seem lackluster or only good for a few days before they get old.

And of course we still need to see the price.

Edit:
The new 360 looks smaller than I expected, and probably will be nice for those whose Xbox dies and they need a new one. I'd get one probably if they had the money since the 360 I have now is technically my brothers. The big question is how long does it last before it red rings?

[Enigmus]

Uhhh..... what just happened? ESPN? Kinect? Kinectimals? Really?

None of the Following was shown:

Infinity Ward/EA Call of Duty Game
Dead Rising 2
Fallout New Vegas
Rock Band 3
Crackdown 2

Really Microsoft? REALLY?

Nintendo is laughing all the way to the bank...

This makes me hope for Wii 2 or HD tomorrow, since MS is pulling a Sega now. LOL

[megasdkirby]

The big question is how long does it last before it red rings?

Well, looking at recent "slim" designs, I say an RROD would be much faster due to overheating, even with reduced chipsets.

I hope not, as I plan on getting one as a spare model.

[Oobgarm]

Only decent things to come out of this conference were MGS Rising, Halo Reach, and the 360 redesign.

Otherwise, meh.

Sucks that they're letting most of the heavy-hitter titles stand on their own with their publishers since MS's focus has obviously shifted into the "Wii-too" camp.

[Ze_ro]

Don't want to sound like an apologist, but lets look at the bright side:
Everything that they did with Kinect *worked*. There were no real hiccups, and it seemed to recognize everyone from a black guy to a little asian girl to a fat white guy without any trouble. There seemed to be a bit of lag, but hopefully that's just the feed to the big screen causing that.
Most of the stuff they did was stuff that can't be done with a Wiimote or Move, since it required whole-body motion. So hopefully this means some variety (Yeah, I know... it's basically just an EyeToy with a microphone, but still).
The showed quite a few Kinect games, and a pretty wide variety, including some 3rd party support, so hopefully this won't be a Power Glove that gets forgotten right away.
Looks like everything aside from games (obviously) will be possible without a controller. This might not sound like THAT big a deal, but I think it'll certainly be convenient. In theory, this could provide a completely motion/voice controlled entertainment center.
Sounded like they said all the ESPN content was free for gold members? I'm sure most of the nerds on DP aren't into sports, but this could be a huge draw for the mass market.

Obviously, Kinect was never intended to appeal to the hardcore audience. This whole press conference was about appealing to the Wii crowd, which is something the 360 has never really managed before. To me, it seems like they're doing it right, though it might be too late to start now. It's a little disappointing that they didn't show much "hardcore" stuff, but hey, Gears 3 and Halo Reach, right? Besides, they already have the hardcore market, so they don't have to try as much there.

I wish they talked more about that Roman game running on the Crytek engine... Codename Kingdoms? Looks like it could be interesting. All they did was show the teaser and immediately moved on.

--Zero

[Therealqtip]

Worst e3 press conference by far. The only reason they gave the audience free xbox's is cause they had sit through that entire god awful press conference. Nintendo and Sony can win best in show by simply showing more then 4 games.

[The 1 2 P]

Although not one of their strongest shows(the last two years they completly stole the show at E3 with their press conferences) it still had it's moments. Interestingly enough, no price point was made for Kinect. This leads me to believe that the $149 rumor might be true and they want to hold off on announcing the price so that Sony can't say "ours is cheaper". But giving that you can control your games(and other features) with your hand gestures or your voice, $149 really isn't a bad price.

And even though it wasn't particularly a strong show, I'll hold off judgement until I watch the other two. Microsoft's show is always better than Sony's and Nintendo's so this may be a really bad year for shows or maybe we'll be surprised.

[grolt]

I know I've been gaming for 20 odd years now, but really, between all the Marios, Sonics and Quakes, all I've ever wanted to do is virtually pet a tiger. And Kinectimals lets me do that. Thanks, Microsoft. But no licking, that tickles...virtually.

[GarrettCRW]

As one of the many, many 360 owners whose system has bricked, I damn sure hope that there will be a way to transfer the contents of my hard drive to the new version of the system (which I saw coming the instant Natal was announced).

[megasdkirby]

Imagine a porn game using Natal/Kinect. Instant sale. LOL

[The 1 2 P]

Imagine a porn game using Natal/Kinect. Instant sale. LOL

Now thats a brilliant(if not slightly disturbing) idea. Someone needs to call Vivid up. Of course, Microsoft wouldn't officially allow this anyway.

[Swamperon]

Imagine a porn game using Natal/Kinect. Instant sale. LOL

Would be one sure fire way of increasing 360 sales in Japan ;)

[DonMarco]

I was busy napping when it aired, so I just now finished watching it on spiketv.com or gametrailers.com online.

MGS Rising: Bad ass slicing and dicing action was pretty cool. But what the fuck happened to Raiden? I missed out on MGS4, but the trailer gave me the impression that most of the gameplay would center around Raiden stealing his enemies' power (MegaMan) and using a wicked sword (Zero). Also, where does this game take place in the canon? Or is it like a pseudoworld virtual training mission set in an alternate history?

Natal renamed Kinect, which is easy to identify with. Better name than Natal. I don't know what the price will be (a later discussion), but I don't think it will be cheap. $120-150 for the device is reasonable, seeing as how the MS Live Vision cameras were $0, the EyeToy was... $70? Anyone remember? Price aside, those were basically two low-res webcams. The Kinect seems to be more high-tech, with two cameras and a infrared thing there too. It will have built-in hardware, be motorized to follow the player automatically, and require it's own power supply.

The best part was finding out the 360s would be in stores this week. Best-kept secret indeed! Aside from that one motherboard, no images of the case or packaging made it online, unlike the PS3 slim. Same price as the current 360s, and they should be going down in price to get rid of stocks. Having it match the Kinect tells a little about how serious MS is standing behind it. Lastly, it's been 5 years since the system launched so it's about damned time they updated the look.

The redesign adds the stupid wireless adapter, (larger?) more quiet fans, more ventilation BUT loses the faceplates. Probably not the most sucessful feature or selling point anymore, but some of us out there like having our football teams or games being the face of our consoles! And, sweet Jebus, Deathsmiles is only two weeks away!

The overall theme was new games, new technology. I can understand them not putting any effort in hyping up the features, outside of ESPN. The Hulu stuff was still tied up in red tape and many XBLA games would be better featured in second/third party developer booths at E3 rather than a clip reel or demo. I expect more on this as the week moves on, so it's not like I'm disappointed there was nothing at the press conference.

[kupomogli]

Imagine a porn game using Natal/Kinect. Instant sale. LOL


Would be one sure fire way of increasing 360 sales in Japan ;)

Especially if the girls were in the age range of 8-14. Everywhere else girls will be 18+.

[Enigmus]

Would be one sure fire way of increasing 360 sales in Japan ;)

Don't forget the Japan-only two player *shudder* tentacle mode.

[Dr. Dib]

The best part was finding out the 360s would be in stores this week. Best-kept secret indeed! Aside from that one motherboard, no images of the case or packaging made it online, unlike the PS3 slim. Same price as the current 360s, and they should be going down in price to get rid of stocks. Having it match the Kinect tells a little about how serious MS is standing behind it. Lastly, it's been 5 years since the system launched so it's about damned time they updated the look.

Actually the 360 redesign was leaked online yesterday. No one was sure if it was official though. I think it was leaked by the ad they showed at the end. It was just translated into a different language.

[swlovinist]

I really dont like the Kinect. By far this is where I think Mircrosoft has jumped the shark with the 360. Essentially they are trying to expand their market with a device that is trying to woo more families and family oriented games. I just dont think their user base is going to buy this or give a crap. The user base that they are going after is not going to switch over and play this soon to be overpriced failure. This would have been awesome three years ago. Now it just reeks of being a copycat of the wii, on top of alienating their fan base.

Now about the 360 slim. It was about time! A good move for them. Bottom line is that if it is reliable, it will sell very well.

Edit: At first I thought the redesign 360 it looked like crap. Now, I think it looks pretty neat.

[DonMarco]

Actually the 360 redesign was leaked online yesterday. No one was sure if it was official though. I think it was leaked by the ad they showed at the end. It was just translated into a different language.
One foreign ad less than a day before the event? The damn thing was designed, built, packaged and is on the way to stores as we speak. Hundreds of consultants, designers, engineers, factory builders, shipping people and nothing aside from that one motherboard image back in March, right?

Compared to the iPhone 4 and the PS3 slim, the new 360 came out of nowhere.

[Rob2600]

Kinect...$120-150 for the device...and require it's own power supply.

Which is exactly why it will flop.


I really dont like the Kinect. By far this is where I think Mircrosoft has jumped the shark with the 360. Essentially they are trying to expand their market with a device that is trying to woo more families and family oriented games.

True. $200 for a Wii is probably an easy purchase for many families, whereas $400 for an Xbox 360 with a Kinect - and having to deal with two power supplies - isn't.

Some people are comparing Kinect to the 32X. Are they wrong?

[heybtbm]

Kinect looks kinda lame. The technology is interesting, and I hope some people embrace it and all that...but it goes back to the same thing that makes the Wii-mote so frustrating. The tech simply doesn't do what the developers want it to do. I can't imagine Kinect being much different.

I know, I know...:deadhorse:

[BHvrd]

Gears of War 3 Beast Mode = Win.

Although Kinect looks pretty neat I can't seem to find a game I would actually play on it. It all seems pretty casual and not the type of stuff I would spend more than an hour or two with.

[Gentlegamer]

I look forward to interacting with my Xbox like Scottie in Star Trek 4.

Computer? Hello, Computer?

[Swamperon]

I think the problem with Kinect is that they didn't show anything that the Wii can't do, game-play wise. I'm interested in it but there was nothing in their demonstration that made me say "Yes, I must go out and buy one of these now".

If they can't do that they're going to have major problems.

[Robocop2]

Apprantly the 150 price point was correct MS has it up on their site for pre order
http://store.microsoft.com/microsoft/Kinect-Sensor-for-Xbox-360/product/C737B081
At that price I doubt its success. It's hard for me to see how an add on that's 50 bucks shy of a Wii will be successful at attracting the casual gamers. Not to mention the sheer volume of games out there for the Wii makes it more attractive. Its an interesting idea I suppose as much as I hate motion control.
Of course what do I know? I bought the HD-DVD addon :|