Rumor: body sensing motion control for 360 coming

Could be included with the Arcade SKU for free, but the Pro & Elite would still have the same wireless controller.

Tommy McClain

 

WiiFit costs $90 and it sold more than Halo 3 in a shorter timespan. Besides the gesture-based media player and Xbox UI, it should also include launch applications, which I'd imagine is similar to WiiSports. The boxing demo could be a bundled mini-game, so FN4 is out. Even Master Chief may make an appearance in one of the motion sensing games to help sell/demo the concept.

As long as Microsoft pushes this hard, they should be able to sell a lot of units. I expect them to go mainstream ads (like iPod and iPhone). So we may be seeing regular ads on this all over the place (Even building-size poster is possible).

They'd plan to tap on free marketing from the press though, given that it's a follow up from casual-centric Wii, Playstation Eye and recent Multi-Touch technologies.

 

Yeah, but WiiFit rode the hype wave among the general populace. The only thing the "casuals" who went ape**** over the Wii really know about the 360 is the bad press from all the hardware issues.

It was different where Nintendo was still relying on it's past successes and name brand/image in bringing out the Wii.

most people, wrongly or not, already have bad impressions of MS (whether it be due to anecdotes from friends, the Vista debacle, RRoD, etc) and especially since this would be a PIECE OF HARDWARE from MS, kind of has the deck stacked against it.

 

The Wall Street Journal:

 

This is the so-called NeoGAF -> Internet -> NeoGAF effect; essentially, MSM repeating rumors from our circle doesn't make them more credible.

 

If MS can bundle some good Wii-sport like mini-games that are family/multiplayer friendly this could be cool. I am not sure it will adapt well to established franchises where players want certain degree of control in a specified gametype, but allowing more "casual" play and interactive games could be fun. MS might as well put Rare on it Heck, we might as well put Robert on it >

Edit: 6 years if 50%% longer. If they target 32nm with a goal to move to 22nm rapidly and then 16nm then 2012 would seem plausible (7 years). A lot comes down to partners, market approach, consumer readiness, publisher support, etc.

 

This is a no-brainer if MS want fast adaption among the installed base. A sports title has broad appeal, so its perfect as a sample game. The cost of the development of the game will be part of the marketing budget.

 

Speaking of Rare, I remember there being something that mentioned Rare being reduced down to just 3 "tasks." One of which being the X360 UI. It certainly wouldn't be out of the question if another was some product/game tied to it. Add in the fact that they've had a lot to do with the current UI and that would also mean it'd be better integrated with the whole X360 experience.

As to X360 possibly going longer. There was a comment from the head of EA that they expected this generation to last longer than previous generations as momentum and sales both continue to grow on current gen platforms.

I'm sure both MS and Sony wouldn't mind more time to recoup sunk costs on current generation before moving onto the next.

Regards,
SB

 

I think that you are partly right. NeoGAF is never the primary source, but it is the first secondary source that many major reporting bodies read and then copy rumours from.

Just look at the PS3Slim rumour as an example. The news originates from somewhere else, but as soon as NeoGAF picks it up it then goes everywhere.

 

Somewhat related.

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/microsoft-patent-magic-wand-xbox,news-31141.html

 

That's just because everything eventually ends up on GAF.

The difference between "journalism" (most of the web) and journalism (WSJ print) with regards to tech news is that the former is based off "having read somewhere from that someone reporting having read somewhere that someone heard a rumor that something was about to happen". Now, the latter is pretty much the same, but with the important addition of "so I made a couple of calls to people who might know for sure, and while one of them kinda' confirmed it he declined to be named".

 

Ugh, close but not quite.

Web "journalism" by means of blogs or news aggregators just isn't journalism period. The vast majority of it is either news aggregation (does nothing to create news) or blogs (generally very opinion based with little to no research or fact checking).

Journalism actually involves real research via interviews, on the spot news reporting, research, etc. Added to that respectable journalists and the news outlets they sell their stories to should do extensive fact checking to make sure the news is correct and doesn't contain items that are basically opinions paraded as facts.

After all, how many blogs can afford to send reporters to cover news simultaneously in multiple locations around the world. And then spend even more to fact check what those reporters found in those locations? Heck, how many news blogs can even afford to buy the news stories from independant reporters?

No, they are far more happy to just plagiarize the works of others for their own revenue.

Real Journalism just doesn't really exist on the web. And is slowly dying as those with the ability to fund actual Journalism are slowly going by the wayside to be replaced by fly by wire blogs with little to no interest in reporting facts. And then said news aggregators which will soon have to be blog aggregators as more and more real journalism sources go out of business.

Not to mention most internet "news" sites don't even bother to have an editor and those that do, don't seem to have an editor with much interest in proper grammar. /sigh

Meh, sorry pet peeve.

Regards,
SB

 

More rumors. This time from VentureBeat...

http://venturebeat.com/2009/05/29/p...ofts-secret-gesture-control-system-for-games/

Not only are Microsoft getting 3D camera technology from 3DV Systems, but also Prime Sense. If true, then Microsoft must be pretty serious on full body motion detection.

Tommy McClain

 

Microsoft OWN 3DV, so they are not "getting" anything, per se...

This makes this article sound a bit fishy (read: bad/no research). But still, this could mean ANYTHING, from research to a new console...

 

Microsoft has never officially announced they bought ANY of them. It's all rumor & always has been. Though the Prime Sense rumor is new.

Tommy McClain

 

Correct^^ The best part is, that the rumor, that MS bought them comes from... you guessed it: Dean Takahashi^^

So either his "sources" were wrong, or he simply forgot he posted this.

 

Again, the Prime Sense rumor is the highlight here, but if you want to get stuck on the 3DV thing, check this out...

http://twitter.com/cbellfield/status/1418469351
http://twitter.com/cbellfield/status/1900325179

Hi Charles! Long time no see!

Tommy McClain

 

Project Natal is here ... all the rumors were true. What do you think mods, a new thread or rename this one? I vote new thread.

EDIT: I made a new topic for Project Natal in the tech-forum:

http://forum.beyond3d.com/showthread.php?p=1297702