Official MS E3 press conference thread

[itch]

BTW, can you guys clarify the Netflix deal as well? Netflix online catalog is free to gold members now, even without a Netflix account?

I'm confused about that as well. But this post on engadget suggests you need to subscribe to netflix.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/14/netflix-on-xbox-360-and-falls-revamped-dashboard-guide-detail/

- Netflix will be for Xbox Live Gold members only, so you'll be paying that $50 per year if you want it.
- Netflix video sharing ONLY works with other Netflix / Xbox Live Gold subscribers. You can't share video with a Silver member, or who doesn't subscribe to Netflix.
...

 

[AzBat]

I haven't watched the press conference, but I can see value on community movie experience, especially with voice chat (???), or is it just like PSN sharing but simultaneous.

Sounds like it's sharing simultaneous. They just happen to support Live Party with it as well.

BTW, can you guys clarify the Netflix deal as well? Netflix online catalog is free to gold members now, even without a Netflix account?

They said you had to be members of both.

Tommy McClain

 

[dobwal]

Oh The Internets! People always say they can do better.

I'm not terribly impressed with this conference. No new, high-profile game announcement. Once again MS is focusing on "right here right now" but Sony will steal the spotlight with promises of tomorrow.

I wonder how much does MS have left for Games Convention.

More like, "promises of yesterday". I find highlighting games that will be available in the near future more exciting than highlighting games 2 or 3 years down the road. Its not Sony's fault that its key titles have been slow coming especially third party titles. But Im not too excited over seeing a conference where 75% of the titles have been well covered in previous E3s. Its now at the point thats Sony's conference is the easiest one to skip because most likely you have seen it at numerous past E3s and if not you gauranteed to see at numerous future E3s.

Next time I get excited over KZ2, GT5 and FF13 it will be while Im in line to purchase them.

 

[dobwal]

Here's a good game summary:
Fallout 3
Fable 2 (Exclusive)
Gears of War 2 (Exclusive)
Viva Pinata : Trouble In Paradise (Exclusive)
Banjo (Exclusive)
Lips (Exclusive)
Resident Evil 5
Rock Band 2 (Exclusive, briefly)
Geometry Wars 2 (Exclusive)
Portal 2 : Still Alive (Exclusive)
Infinite Undiscovery (Exclusive)
The Last Remnant
Final Fantasy XIII

Out of those:
Banjo
Gears 2
Fallout 3
Fable 2
Geometry Wars 2
Rock Band
are a must for me this year.

What happen to Alan Wake? Based on MS's recent trend of highlighting titles due in the near future, AW might end up being released post E3 2009.

 

[AlphaWolf]

What happen to Alan Wake? Based on MS's recent trend of highlighting titles due in the near future, AW might end up being released post E3 2009.

Were you really expecting Alan Wake this year?

 

[silhouette]

It is pretty evident that MS is now going after causal gaming crowd at full-speed towards the end of this year. Their only missing link is the motion-sensor controller, one similar to Wiimote, but with the amount of information presented today, I guess they are keeping it (if one exists) for either Leipzig or E for all later this year (probably together with a real price-break annoucement).

With Fallout3, Fable 2 and Gears, hard-core games is covered.. With everything else they showed today including the new dash-board, I think they are pretty ready for the casual-gamers as well.

Btw, all major EU/US 3rd parties are missing today.. No-one from EA, Activision and Ubisoft was on stage (except GH4 and RB2).. I wonder if they will be on Sony's stage tomorrow.

 

[liolio]

Nobody is a bit concerned about the lack of "new controler announcement"?

MS is really serieous about social/party/casual gaming, the arcade pack is cheap (already in Europe soon in US) and MS doesn't seem willing to give up this market to Nintendo.
They need a new input device some persons just won't put theirs hands on a standard controller.
They should try harder to make the arcade pack to look like the "do it all / cheap / ultimate gaming platform".
And worse announcement like "complete game installation" questions even more the positioning of the arcade pack. Even the average gamer won't go with an arcade pack (especially as patching on console system must have made its way in the minds of costumers).

I really wonder if Ms should not better discontinue the arcade because as it stands (without a wiimote controler) it has no chance to reach its public.
EDIT

I would like to add that a lot of games aiming for the foorementioned market could be live arcade games which questions even more the relevance of the arcade pack.

 

[AzBat]

Here's a good game summary:
Fallout 3
Fable 2 (Exclusive)
Gears of War 2 (Exclusive)
Viva Pinata : Trouble In Paradise (Exclusive)
Banjo (Exclusive)
Lips (Exclusive)
Resident Evil 5
Rock Band 2 (Exclusive, briefly)
Geometry Wars 2 (Exclusive)
Portal 2 : Still Alive (Exclusive)
Infinite Undiscovery (Exclusive)
The Last Remnant
Final Fantasy XIII

Here's what I found via the press releases...

1 vs. 100 - Xbox Live Primetime
Banjo-Kazooie - Xbox Live Arcade
Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
DanceDanceRevolution® UNIVERSE3
Fable II
Fallout 3
Final Fantasy XIII
Galaga Legions - Xbox Live Arcade
Gears of War 2
Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2 - Xbox Live Arcade
Grand Theft Auto IV
Guitar Hero® World Tour
Halo Wars
Infinite Undiscovery
The Last Remnant
Lips
Madden NFL 2009
Portal™: Still Alive - Xbox Live Arcade
Resident Evil 5
Rock Band 2
Scene It? Box Office Smash
South Park - Xbox Live Arcade
STAR OCEAN®: The Last Hope - Xbox Live Arcade
Too Human
UNO RUSH - Xbox Live Arcade
Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise
You’re in the Movies - Xbox Live Vision

Tommy McClain

 

[AzBat]

Nobody is a bit concerned about the lack of "new controler announcement"?

I was initially. But the all the other news helped me forget about it for awhile. I agree though that Microsoft needs to do something in the motion controller department. I'm sure we'll find out why Microsoft didn't make the announcement when Sony has their conference tomorrow. Something tells me Sony is going with a Motus controller.

Who knows, maybe they're saving it for Bungie's announcement on Wednesday?

Tommy McClain

 

[betan]

They said you had to be members of both.

That's what I expected.

For those who don't know there is this $99 Roku device for watching Netflix streamed vidoes (which are "free" with a Netflix account) on TV. Unfortunately it is limited to content available to PC.

I was wondering whether it would make sense for console manufactures to do something similar since Netflix is clearly on board.

I decided it wouldn't really , of course story for paid membership is different.
Still pretty good deal for already Gold members.

 

[AzBat]

That's what I expected.

For those who don't know there is this $99 Roku device for watching Netflix streamed vidoes (which are "free" with a Netflix account) on TV. Unfortunately it is limited to content available to PC.

I was wondering whether it would make sense for console manufactures to do something similar since Netflix is clearly on board.

I decided it wouldn't really , of course story for paid membership is different.
Still pretty good deal for already Gold members.

The PC content is smaller, about 10,000 and SD only. BTW, awhile ago a guy named Anthony Park made a free MyNetflix app for Media Center that allowed you to watch this content on your 360 or other Media Center Extender. They decided to hire him back in May. It was only time before Microsoft provided the same functionality as standard.

Tommy McClain

 

[PARANOiA]

Wow, what a conference! I just got to work and am catching up on all the news.

• FFXIII is huge, since it was my biggest PS3 hook - but it's being discussed elsewhere. The internet is simply melting.
• Portal 2! Fallout exclusive content! Banjo! Wow!
• XBLA seems to be having some great stuff on the horizon
• New dashboard... but when is it out? Hard to comment on what it does well without playing with it personally
• Full game installs is huge IMO. In a lot of ways it flips the bird to the PS3 mandatory installs since all 360 games will have faster loading times and silent playing plus the ability to play without any install if that's your preference, rather than the "make a sandwich" on every second game approach the PS3 seems to be moving towards. It's the best of both worlds, and really highlights the thing I like about gaming since the Xbox1: a standardised way of dealing with everything (resolutions just work, Dolby Digital just works, put a game in and it just works, etc). It's not fractured. Pity I have only 2gb free on my 20gb... so MS, get to making USB/network HDDs work, or drop the damned price already.
• Netflix is great... if you're in the US. There are other people out there you know :/

That's about it for now. This is one of the biggest E3 conferences I've seen in terms of building excitement for me as a gamer. Only a few months ago I was posting about how MS need to start telling us what I should be excited about. Now 2008 and beyond looks great

 

[AzBat]

IGN posted details on something Microsoft forgot to mention...

Limited Edition Red & Green Controllers...

Bleh. Rather have a motion controller instead.

EDIT: $65 each...

http://gear.ign.com/articles/889/889097p1.html
Tommy McClain

 

[DrJay24]

$15 for a different color plastic?

 

[AzBat]

$15 for a different color plastic?

Blame the cell phone manufacturers. They made it hip years ago.

Tommy McClain

 

[liolio]

I agree with you PARANIA Full game installs is a huge news.
I think most people will make clever use of it and limit it to their most played online games.
Anyway this could still be at least three games say:
a shooter
a racer
a sport game

20GB is not enough, 60GB is welcome.
I agree MS should do something about it whether it's through use of external storage or through a price cut on accessories.

 

[betan]

The PC content is smaller, about 10,000 and SD only.

Don't tell me 360 deal is for all the Netflix DVDs and unlimited?
That would be very big indeed. Biggest news of all.

BTW, awhile ago a guy named Anthony Park made a free MyNetflix app for Media Center that allowed you to watch this content on your 360 or other Media Center Extender. They decided to hire him back in May. It was only time before Microsoft provided the same functionality as standard.

Tommy McClain

Interesting, but I don't see why Microsoft would need such a coder, it doesn't really seem very difficult to do especially for MS and Netflix since they have all the necessary API already.

edit:

I agree with you PARANIA Full game installs is a huge news.

I think for those of us who have the other console only, that virtual drive thingy is the best news from the conference.

 

[AzBat]

Don't tell me 360 deal is for all the Netflix DVDs and unlimited?
That would be very big indeed. Biggest news of all.

No. The deal is only for direct access via the dashboard to the ~10,000 SD streaming movies made available to Netflix subscribers for free. You have to be a Netflix subscriber to get these free downloadable movies and as a subscriber you're already renting your unlimited DVDs(1,2 or 3 out at a time). Only thing new is that they're now they will be watchable on a every 360 without the need for a PC or a Roku box.

Interesting, but I don't see why Microsoft would need such a coder, it doesn't really seem very difficult to do especially for MS and Netflix since they have all the necessary API already.

I guess I should have been more clear, Netflix hired him.

Tommy McClain

 

[eastmen]

IGN posted details on something Microsoft forgot to mention...

Limited Edition Red & Green Controllers...

Bleh. Rather have a motion controller instead.

EDIT: $65 each...

http://gear.ign.com/articles/889/889097p1.html
Tommy McClain

oh my god i own that green controller .

Its mine ... you can't have it !

 

[DrJay24]

Don't tell me 360 deal is for all the Netflix DVDs and unlimited?
That would be very big indeed. Biggest news of all.

Guys, Netflix has a limited amount of content for digital streaming on the PC, this is what the 360 is getting (probably the PS3 too, it just need a browser with a plug-in). Netflix doesn't have anything else to give, no other DD content. It's been available for a while now on the PC. Netflix has no intention of killing their revenue by giving 360 owners all their movies for a $8/month Netflix subscription.

IMO the good news is you don't need a PC hooked to your TV to use it, the bad news is the content in general sucks.