Tag: E3
Microsoft unveil motion sensing controller – Project Natal
Microsoft has unveiled its much rumoured motion controller at E3 along with 1080p video-streaming, facebook and twitter integration, and Premier League football as part of Microsoft’s deal with Sky.
“Project Natal” is not as many were expecting a hand-held controller but rather a motion sensing camera, like the Eye Toy, but hopefully substantially less crappy.
Steven Spielberg lumbered on stage to demo the new technology, with his avatar moving in real time as he controled the UI. Unlike the Eye Toy which wasn’t really developed with any great vigour, Microsoft seem to have gone to town with Natal and look to have created a very immersive and interactive experience.
Maybe too interactive, because in an Orwellian overstep, Microsoft have included face recognition technology which will allow you to use the meat, sinew and cartilage, on the front of your head to as your password to log in to your Live account.
But Natal isn’t just for gaming: As Microsoft start to push the Xbox 360 as the home entertainment mega-hub, you’ll be able to use Natal to flick through your films and songs and use voice recognition to issue commands.
The demo came complete with a very Wii-esque trailer of a family enjoyed the delights of Natal’s motion capture, although all the voices had been dubbed so grimly that the whole thing takes on this sort of uncanny and unnerving ambiance, like they’re trapped. It’s weird – watch it. It’s a far cry from the light-hearted japes of the Rednapp clan.
Microsoft look to have created an amazing and deeply immersive piece of kit here, but they still can’t make adverts. Not for toffees.
Watch this till the end – it’s a good advert and then in the last 10 seconds the way the light on the Natal unit switches off is so creepy!
Has no one at Microsoft seen Space Odyssey 2001? It couldn’t be more menacingly Hal-esque.
PSP Go! to be announced at E3 with PlayStation 3 Slim to follow
The PSP Go!, the little brother of the PSP with a sweet slide-out controller is real, and will be announced this week at E3. Equally real is the PlayStation 3 Slim, although you shouldn’t expect any annoucment on that to come out at E3.
That’s the news wafting around the webwires today. The apparently flash-based UMD-less PSP Go! will be sold alongside its bigger brother and will mark Sony’s first step to an all-digital business model, with PSP-Goers downloading all their games.
While last week pictures of the supposed PS3 Slim were touted around like those of an alien autopsy, Ars Technica’s “very very well informed mole” says that, they too, are real.
Which when we consider his track-record: Patapon 2 sold as download only, Resident Evil V 360 bundle and not to mention the PSP Go! – it would seem they have someone very reliable, very deep within the bowels of Sony.
Suspiciously deep in my opinion. Call me a skeptic. No do. Say it. But I think Ars Technica’s mole might well be a double agent, feeding them what the old men of Sony want us to know, to generate some hype.
But that’s hardly important, it doesn’t do to speculate about the speculator’s speculation. What is important is the cool-as-your-gran, PSP-Go should be announced at E3 this week, and hopefully go on sale worldwide soonafter. What’s that? Your gran isn’t cool? Well mine is.
(Via Ars Technica)
New Mario and Zelda games to be unveiled at E3?
Are Nintendo going to announce new Mario and Zelda games at E3 next Tuesday? Well that certainly is the rumour.
It all seems to have started after Macquarie Research said: “We expect Nintendo to learn its lessons from last year and provide more gamer-centric announcements at E3 such as a new Zelda or Mario title for the Wii.”
Which certainly doesn’t sound to us like good solid fact-based information – it sound suspiciously like speculation. But well founded and oddly business-like speculation. But that’s the thing about speculation, it’s awfully exciting, sometimes more exciting than when the product actually arrives.
And you can’t deny, it would make sence to release a new Mario and/or Zelda game. It’s been two years since Mario Galaxy made its welcome appearance. Nintendo need to understand – people need more Mario. I need more Mario. We all, need, more, Mario. Come on guys – let’s have a Mario Party! No? Just me? And Mario…Not you Luigi. Nobody needs more Luigi.
(Via Play.tm)
Game makers having a grey old time in LA town
Remember the days when video games were packed full of wincingly bright characters, sharp sunny backdrops and vivid primary colours. God, they were awful weren't they? I mean, what kind of acid trip were those designers on? Look outside – it's all asphalt and concrete, aluminium and corrugated steel, heavy clouds and lingering smog. Real life is a kind of kind of dirty vomit colour.
E3 2008, best twenty video games, now done in Haiku
According to my watch, E3 is now finished. The conference has been shifted and downsized and generally turned upside down by format changes but it is still one of the biggest video games spectacles in the world. Nearly everything worth looking out for in the coming months and, in several cases, years was on show. I'm can't write up each one individually as it would take me till September, so here they are in a convenient Haiku form. I take no responsibility for whether these actually conform to rigorous Haiku format requirements.
Xbox 360 prices about to be slashed?
Ahead of 2008’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) speculation is rife that Microsoft is about to cut the price of Xbox 360 consoles in North America. None of this has been officially confirmed yet, but it’s fair to say that when the Wall Street Journal joins the rumour-mongering, we can’t be too far from the truth. The WSJ cites sources who say Microsoft is about to slice $50 off the price of the 20GB Xbox 360 Pro, bringing it to $299.
Doom creator latest high profile departure from the embattled Entertainment Software Association
The future is looking a little uncertain for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) as id Software, creators of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake, has announced its departure from the organisation. This in itself wouldn’t be a huge concern were it not just the latest in a line of high profile departures, including publishers LucasArts, Vivendi and Activision…
Nintendo president promises a 'fantastic' Xmas present in the shape of a new Wii game
Nintendo of America president, Reggie Fils-Aime, has promised the ever-increasing legions of Wii owners something special to look forward to later this year.
New flagship Olympus E-3 Digital SLR camera will keep you uploading to Flickr for years
Olympus has rolled out a brand new ditial SLR to join their other delectable models. Meet the E-3, which is now their flagship model. They’re claiming it has the world’s fastest autofocus (when you use their new Zuiko Supersonic Wave…
Nobody "won" E3 this year
Gary Cutlack writes…
Each year, a billion angry teenagers divide themselves into three groups, then start arguing over which console format had the best showing at E3.
Sadly for them, and for the E3 show itself, nobody won E3 this year.
