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Microsoft Unveils Smaller Xbox 360 Model, Kinect Details
E3 kicked off today, and Microsoft took advantage of its early keynote presentation to show off a ton of new games and features for the Xbox 360. The biggest news for the very near future is that they're releasing a smaller, revamped version of the console, with immediate availability. It's black, it comes with a 250GB HDD and built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi support, and it's priced at $299. Microsoft also put a release date on Kinect, the motion control scheme formerly known as Project Natal: November 4 in the US. It will launch with 15 games, mostly casual-oriented, several of which were demonstrated on-stage. Many new Kinect features were shown as well, such as the dashboard interface, video chat (with support for playing movies both parties can watch), and a partnership with ESPN to provide live and on-demand sports, all controllable with hand gestures and voice commands. (It presently includes college football and basketball, soccer, the NBA, and MLB.) Also notable is a partnership with LucasArts for a Kinect Star Wars game, a fitness game from Ubisoft, and a Forza racing game that uses Kinect and allows players to inspect the cars with an impressive level of detail. Engadget's liveblog of the event has a bunch of pictures from the demonstrations, or you can read a more detailed play-by-play at Ars.
I was wondering the same thing. Details are noticeably absent. Though, most peoples 360s will RROD, requiring them to buy a new one anyways, so the new one they will inevitably have to pick up will have the port on it. Also, people talk about how awesome it will be to play racing games without a wheel. Sure, I guess. Just do this. Go ahead and stick your arms out in front of you and hold them there like you are holding a wheel. Now how long do you honestly think you can go before your arms get tired? At least a wheel gives your arms something to rest on...
This is MS shooting itself in the foot. I see a new connector on the images, I bet that's for Kinect.
In essence they are saying buy this new console if you want to use Kinect.
I got hooked on to Halo when I was unmarried and had no kids, now I play it exclusively, never got hooked on to COD. Not because I don't like it but instead I can't spare the time to learn a new title, particularly to compete with teenagers who can play all night long. Halo entertains, Halo I learned, Halo I play.
I would have bought kinetic for its geek value, and then a few games for it, unlikely I will buy if I need to get a new console. I mean, I have about two dozen games that I bought and regret buying because most suck. I never play them, those were $50 bucks a pop. I can't see spending 300 bucks for this gimmick. And gimmick it does look like.
Maybe I am not MS's target audience, maybe I'm too old to keep up with all night gamers.
The Kinect demonstration was the worst presentation I've seen in years. A bunch of insincere, over-rehearsed routines performed with the most poorly feigned enthusiasm a human being can muster. Direct line to the cringe button in my brain.
Unfortunately they didn't demonstrate the tech very well either - just a bunch of minigames and emulations of things we've all seen before. Some of them were really awful. It has potential but I don't think we say it implemented today.
The actual tech was interesting. They've certainly got the full-body tracking down well. That said, it appears to have substantial latency; I'd estimate >750ms from the video. Maybe it varies depending on the level of tracking being done? They were playing racing games on it, and that just wouldn't cut it for those.
I didn't hear mention of the price. I seem to remember that all the processing was supposed to be done on the 360's CPU, so it shouldn't be that much. Anybody know?
That's right, I'm a paid shill posting under my real account, which I use nearly every day on here. That's right, I'm a paid shill posting under my real account, which I use nearly every day on here.
Why not? It would make you a better shill. And yet you accuse some AC's with pitiful arguments of being shills.
A shill is a person who is paid to help another person or organization to sell goods or services. The shill pretends to have no association with the seller/group and gives onlookers the impression that he or she is an enthusiastic customer. The person or group that hires the shill is using crowd psychology, to encourage other onlookers or audience members (who are unaware of the set-up) to purchase said goods or services. Shills are often employed by confidence artists. The term plant is also used. The term is also used to describe a person who is paid to help a political party or other advocacy organization to gain adherents; as with the situation of selling goods or services, the shill gives the impression of being unrelated to the group in question, and gives the impression that he or she finds merit in the ideological claims of the political party.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
I was just pointing out that he could also be a shill, no way for us to know really.
Just because some un-informed AC's made posts regarding an old issue with the Xbox 360 that everyone knows about, somehow they are shills for making the comment.
Hell regarding the RROD's and a smaller form factor I had the same question. No shilling involved.
Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.