The fall/holiday period in 2010 should be quite interesting for the video game industry, as both Microsoft and Sony will be releasing their respective motion control technologies, which some analysts believe should give the casual market a boost. Microsoft has been hyping Project Natal ever since the technology's first unveiling at E3 last year, likening its launch to that of a whole new console.
In a new interview with CVG, director of product management Aaron Greenberg talked not only about Natal as a game changer, but also about the lifespan of the product. "The richness of the technology is going to really enable experiences that never had existed before," he stated. "And we're not just speaking about what we're doing this year, but I think two, three, four, five years from now as this evolves. Millions of consumers this Holiday will be able to experience Project Natal and this is just the beginning of something that will change the way consumers interact with entertainment and change way our publishing partners think about game development."
Greenberg was also asked about how Microsoft felt regarding accusations that Natal is nothing more than a "jazzed-up EyeToy." He responded, "We obviously could have done a motion controller if we'd have wanted to do that, but we felt that would be a much more interruptive experience. We had an opportunity here to really do something that's transformative and brings a whole new category of experiences to life. Now we're saying to creators: 'We can see when you move your hand, when you move your feet, we can track your body. I can stand in front of this sensor and it can recognise my face and know if it's me, or my brother or my sister.'"
If Project Natal does indeed last five years, it could have a very positive effect on the lifespan of the Xbox 360 itself. The original Xbox was cut short by Microsoft so that they could rush to the market with the 360 to beat the competition and gain a year's head start.
2 Comments
February 17, 2010
As long as it's interesting(and good) it will last for awhile. And it better, if no other reason but to further extend the life of the 360. They better not pull another "original Xbox" and leave too early.
February 17, 2010
I don't see them pulling an original Xbox, and leaving "early." This console cycle has been far too expensive for both Sony and MS. They need to recoup costs. And the nice thing is that the longer these platforms get supported the more awesome games you'll see as the devs learn every trick to squeeze power. Look at God of War II on PS2. Could you ever have imagined a game that good looking on a PS2? So in a few years we could see some stunning looking games on PS3 and 360.