Microsoft:
James:
Microsoft took the opportunity to rebrand Natal as Kinect and shine a spotlight on their unique controller-free method of motion gaming. I witnessed a lot of interesting applications for the motion camera system, but as has been observed by other outlets, lag was present in some games and quite honestly, I'm not sure I saw anything that screams “killer app” just yet. That said, if Microsoft is looking to bring in more casual gamers, Kinect just might be the ticket. Fitness games like Ubisoft's Your Shape, and the dancing game from Harmonix Dance Central will likely appeal to a large female contingent who just might take the 360 plunge. Dance Central in particular does a tremendous job of replicating standard dance moves and getting the user far more involved than old dance-pad games like DDR. I can easily envision hordes of girls in the 13-25 age range flocking to this game – it's a clubbing girl's dream.
I'm still waiting to see how Microsoft plans to make Kinect a “must buy” for the hardcore, however – its primary audience for years on the Xbox. Moreover, I was surprised not to get any official pricing information, and I'm worried that the rumored $149 price tag will be a major hurdle for the average “casual” consumer, especially if that individual needs to buy a $299 Xbox 360 first.
The company does get kudos for unveiling the new slimmed down, redesigned Xbox 360, which consumes less power, generates less noise and features built-in WiFi finally. When combined with price cuts on the older 360 models, the hardware should see some acceleration on the market in advance of the big Kinect launch in the fall.
I'm also encouraged that Microsoft continues to add value to its stellar Xbox Live service. In addition to existing products like Zune, Netflix, Last.fm, Facebook and more, adding in a free ESPN channel for Gold members is a great way of retaining subscribers and attracting new ones. I would have liked to hear more about Hulu or a full IPTV service. It seems Microsoft is getting closer and closer to its goal of completely taking over all living room entertainment.
In the meantime, 360 continues to be a great hardcore gamer's console with exclusives like Halo: Reach, Gears of War 3, Fable III, 360-only DLC for Call of Duty and more.
Grade: B+
David:
Let me start with the good stuff for Microsoft. Kinect seems to function, in both its motion sensing and its voice recognition. The new Xbox 360 design looks nice, and we hope that all future models come with built in WiFi.
That said, Microsoft's Kinect oriented E3 was a bit disappointing. Dominated by dancing, fitness and party titles, there was very little that hasn't already been done before in some form. Demonstrations of these games were dull to watch and far too long certain games (Kinectimals, I'm looking at you) got way too much attention. And it was like Microsoft wanted gamers to ridicule Kinect with its Cirque du Soleil revelation of its name.
Besides that, the core games that opened the show had really nothing new to show. No new core game announcements (other than Codename: Kingdoms, which had a short, enigmatic trailer that did not contain gameplay) and what was shown didn't shock and amaze. Also, while the ESPN announcement may end up being a big deal, the E3 press conference just felt like the wrong stage to do it on; it contributed to the nervous energy that seemed to pervade the whole proceeding, making Microsoft's presentation uncomfortable to watch.
Overall, it felt like a combination of Sony press cons of old, where they did too much talking at the audience, and Nintendo's E3 2007 press conference, where they were so enamored by Wii Fit and wanted everyone else to be too to the point of spending too much time showing off the Balance Board technology. The revelation that whatever cost savings the new Xbox 360 would deliver would not be passed along to the consumer (still $299) and you cap a disappointing overall presentation.
Grade: C-
Mike:
Microsoft showed decent technology with Kinect, and I feel that is very usable technology for the future, but it's not very strong for games. Add in a possible price tag of $149 and they've priced themselves out of the casual gamer range. It's more of a curiosity. The biggest thing they announced was not a game, it was the ESPN content deal. I think with that, they're clearly on their way to becoming an entertainment services box, with Netflix, Zune, ESPN, and Facebook. Which is fine, but again, not a big impact in gaming.
Gamewise the best they're doing is keeping pace with Sony. Gears of War 3 will sell like it's going out of style, but I'm not sure it will pull in new players. The Call of Duty exclusive is nice in theory, but the franchise already sells higher on Microsoft's console, so I'm not seeing it as a net gain. And Sony trumped it with a number of other exclusive content deals. Their first and second party lags behind Sony's strong development teams, and they've already lost Bungie. Perhaps it's time for them to start actively hunting some new talent.
Grade: D
Ben:
Microsoft opened up the show, and they didn’t pull any punches. With a big stage production from Cirque Du Soleil, a massive assortment of games and of course, the new Kinect, it certainly was a good presentation by the numbers. The main problem continues to be the idea of motion control devices. The new Kinect was the major focus of the presentation, and though the games looked rather nice, it seems as though they will appeal mainly to social and family markets, rather than the core one.
Big announcements with ESPN, a slew of new games with the Kinect and some really cool features associated with the new device all make the experience appealing. That rumored $149.99 price tag will be a bigger impact than anything else though, and it could very well stifle sales.
Though the main focus was clearly on the new Kinect, there is a strong lineup in store for the Xbox. Halo: Reach, Gears of War 3, Metal Gear Solid Rising, Fable III, Bulletstorm and a whole slew of games will help Microsoft continue to enjoy support from the user base.
Then of course, we have the new Xbox 360 model, one that takes the Red Ring of Death out of the equation. Its pricing makes it appealing and so far, it seems to have taken care of a whole host of problems seen in the first-gen model. It definitely didn’t hurt Microsoft’s image by giving out free Xbox 360s to the attending crowd.
Will they come out on top? Well, besides a lack of stage presence from the presenters, it certainly wasn’t a bad show. Perhaps more focus on the games and some better stage presence would have helped, but a new model only goes so far. The focus has been on fewer titles than last year (seems to be with all the major publishers though) and the Kinect might not make the impact that Microsoft is banking on.
It was a year of mixed signals, and too much diversification could be a problem. Go with Kinect or get possibly three games for the same price?
Grade: B-
Overall IndustryGamers Grade for Microsoft: C+
7 Comments
June 21, 2010
uh oh
david didn't like nintendo's conference. do i smell a fanboy?
June 22, 2010
These grades are similar to what I would have given them, so no disagreement here. I probably would have gone:
Nintendo: B+
Sony: C
Microsoft: D
Although Kevin Butler makes a strong case for C+.
June 22, 2010
I said Nintendo had the best conference and gave them the best grade, How in any way does that make me a "fanboy"?
June 22, 2010
You guys missed a big limitation of the ESPN3 stuff. You have to already be a subscriber to an internet provider who is paying for the ESPN3 service. Then you get it for "Free" with a paid XBox Live Gold membership.
"...as long as they also subscribe to Internet service through a cable company that provides ESPN3. Those include Verizon, AT&T, Comcast and Cox."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/06/espn-xbox-360.html
June 22, 2010
That's interesting Randy. I don't recall MS ever mentioning that, so that was pretty misleading by them. I don't have any of the cable providers on that list, so I and many others will be out of luck even though I'm an XBL gold member.
June 23, 2010
I'm really surprised the media has not noticed on the Electronic Arts/Third Party segment of Sony's press conference, in fact, this feature does not bring it up once. From Dead Space 2 to Mafia II, a good chunk if not majority of the big mulitplatform million+ sellers for the next year are going to have extra content on the PS3 version, in some case being full games (Dead Space & Medal of Honor limited editions).
As a traditional gamer, Sony really killed it with epic Killzone 3 footage (platforming on icebergs in a massive ocean????), not a single casual on-stage demo for Move, all of the EA/third party exclusive content.
I've been using Steam since it launched, so when Gabe Newell came out and announced Steam on PS3 (which overshadows Portal 2 for someone like me), their press conference was overkill at that point.
Frankly, I'm not sure how long you all have been playing video games. I know many of you claim to go back to the 2600 and NES, but I have to question what you've actually played in between then and now. As far as business goes, Nintendo's obviously going to continue to rake it in, Sony's future is in the air, and Microsoft may have shot itself by having such an uncertain lineup for a $150 peripheral.
The 3DS is risky because this seems to be the first time since the Gamecube that Nintendo is investing in expensive technology. It's uncharacteristic, and may change their outlook.
No one bought a PS3 at $399, why would casuals want to do so when there's a better known version at half the price ($199 Wii's)? I think they're going to pull a Trojan horse with Move, like they did with Blu Ray - they'll get a dependable install base from hardcore gamers who want to sample what Killzone 3, SOCOM 4, etc. will be like. When the price comes down, there may be more people flocking to it.
With Microsoft, I just don't know. Their lineup has gotten worse every year, so they depend on multiplatform titles to make them the most money. With the changing milieu of third parties, they could be losing that as well. I'm not sure anyone wants to play Kinect - especially considering you can't do so sitting down. In that one video that circulated, it looked circular - the parents were doing it to get their kids involved, but the kids really didn't want to play it. So you just had two grown adults flailing their arms and legs around like lunatics while their children look for stuff to do.
It's going to be interesting, that's all I know.
June 23, 2010
Sony had a good press conference, with a couple good surprises. If you're criticizing us for giving Sony a lower overall grade than Nintendo, well, between their game announcements and the 3DS, we all independently came to the conclusion that they had the most exciting new, exclusive stuff there. That's not the same as rating what we're mostly likely to be spending the most time with over the next 12 months; we just felt Nintendo made the biggest splash.
Though to your points, Portal 2 on PS3 will be using Steamworks as a means of giving the game updates and DLC; that's not the same thing as the Steam service coming to PS3. That would be much more significant, and they certainly would have devoted a larger part of the presser if it was true.
Also, if Move was to be a “Trojan Horse” as you say like Blu-ray, it would have to come pre-packaged in all PS3s. As it is, it doesn't seem like it will be bundled with all PS3s after it releases – it's a neat technology with cross over appeal between between casual and hardcore that I don't think Kinect has, but it'll be a challenge getting a huge base.
Ultimately, I don't think the biggest hurdle for the 3DS won't be anything like publisher support (since it already has quite a bit) or really the price... it's the fact that it doesn't make phone calls.