490°

4 New Natal Games Detailed, Over A Dozen More At E3

It’s not about reinventing the wheel, it’s about no wheel at all. That’s what Microsoft is trying to do this generation by introducing Project Natal. Los Angeles Times has revealed a new list of games that they were able to play with Project Natal, and a short description of them. LA Times also confirms that Microsoft will be showcasing over a dozen more Natal-licensed titles from other game developers this Monday and Tuesday

THC CELL5068d ago

sound like eyetoy games to me

Hideo_Kojima5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

Well they are going to be similar since neither use a controller. This are the type of games you will get on Natal.

That is 3 new games detailed Ricochet has already been talked about.

PixlSheX5068d ago

Can't wait to E3. Got to see a celebrity doing Elaine's kicks dance.

Focker4205068d ago

ROFL
Ok you deserve some bubbles. That was f*ckin hilarious!!

HolyOrangeCows5068d ago

Maybe they'll have Julia Louis-Dreyfus on stage.

Biggest5068d ago

So like. . . Hardcore? Or should we just wait for E3 and keep expecting better?

SonyGoogle5068d ago

They've already shown a hardcore game, remember the Burnout demo? Where half the experience was lag, and the other half was even more lag?

Parapraxis5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

@ SonyGoogle, you should have split it into thirds, as you left no room for 1/3 of the experience is only being able to accelerate, no breaking and no variation....ON or OFF.
Who wouldn't want to play a racing game where you have no brakes and no throttle variation! LOL

doa7665068d ago

I was having my fair share of doubts but now I'm convinced: I'm buying Move

oohWii5068d ago

Honestly, I have never hear as much BS clowning on something as much as you frightful PS3 fanboys appear to be about Natal. You claim it's not going to be worth a hill of beans, yet it seems to trouble you enough to the point that you CONSTANTLY bash it. Why worry about it if it's nothing to it.

Additionally, EVERY Natal article has 5 times more PS3 Fanboy trolling comments in it than 360 fans commenting. Why not just put all Natal articles in as PS3 news being that PS3 fans seem to have the most interest in it.

The level of hate some of you guys are spewing, can only be explained by jealousy for fear, both of which are SOLID traits of a HARDCORE fanboy.

I can say this, at least Natal is different, but Move is nothing more than a wiimote and nunchuk, a straight copy.

k-Lan5068d ago

Nice post! The best thing to do is sit back and watch them make fools of themselves. They know it, we know it. If you hate a console or a company would you follow their every move? Obviously not. I associate such people with one word. It starts with an L and there are a hell of a lot of them in the wrong section!

Milamber5068d ago

"Instead, the games will rely on a device the size of a stapler that perches on top of a living room TV to recognize faces, obey voice commands and track body movements."

What kind of staplers do they use in LA?

:S

Parapraxis5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

LMAO @ the picture.
Maybe their slogan should be:
NATAL: It'll make you suspect your own parents are gay.

sonnyz5068d ago

What are you talking about? I think that "Obstacle Course" is a UC2 killer!

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 5068d ago
Cajun Chicken5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

Not the 'dozen more', the four covered in this article.

KingKionic 5068d ago

At least now there`s more then riochet .

WildArmed5068d ago

Agreed.
I like the idea of an obstacle course.
If it's a rainy day and u dont feel like going out, time to get some exercise in your living room!

SonyGoogle5068d ago

Because if it wasn't raining, you'd be outside in your obstacle course.

WildArmed5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

Actually, while I don't own one myself. The gym I go to does!
Sadly it's an outdoor one!

But it's only fun the first few times.. then you just wanna go back inside -.-

/s

The point was getting excercise in your living room.

I'm glad such intellects come and comment on N4G!
This is what keeps me coming back to N4G! The great minds that come together in the comment section!

Oner5068d ago

@ SonyGoogle ~ F'ing classic! You got me with that and made me literally LoL! +Funny & Agree.

outrageous5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

Well that is some really dumb trolling. Video games are played INDOORS. By attacking Natal with that line of thinking, you've attacked gaming at large. It's bad enough when the President of the United States attacks video games and gamers, now we have gamers ( assuming your a gamer ) themselves attacking gamers. Rather sad.

Project Natal is a casual gaming device, no different than the Wii or the Move. If you don't like it say so. If you have a problem with video games or gaming at large, go find a web site that caters to ignorance such as yours.

WildArmed5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

lol? I'm trolling?

Oh yes yes, i forget.
If you say something positive about Natal.
it's still considered trolling.

Thanks for your in-genius input.

now you can shove it back where it came from ^^

once again, gotta love the great intellect @ n4g.

They definitely understand the world sitting behind their computers.
It's funny when people think having an opinion is trolling.

W/e helps you sleep at night mate.

xc7x5068d ago

oh no,this don't look good for the hardcore crowd,in fact it's looking scary.

IcarusOne5068d ago

"Using facial recognition software, the camera checks who is playing and pulls up their personal avatars on the screen. The feature would, for example, let parents control which games their kids can play. If the console sees that the person playing is associated with a profile with parental controls, it will restrict the types of games that can be played."

That's kind of scary. In a brilliant kind of way.

xc7x5068d ago

the technology of Natal is cool,never said it wasn't but these games are not meant for hardcore user.

jerethdagryphon5068d ago

honestly photo recognition not exactly that hard
yes natal uses that only instead of a static photo it checks the face and outline against stored images.

still not impressed by ms offering

CYCLEGAMER5068d ago

Im loving it, I think that the "statue" game is gonna be a hit. I can imagine sending my friend a video of my avatar pop locking.

webeblazing5068d ago

jereth is right face recognition isnt new its even on pseye for the ps3 it can even sort the mood people in your album is in and sort happy and sad. but thats not new cause most cams got face recognition

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 5068d ago
Tony-A5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

I've seen half of those detailed, so we (obviously) still have much to see.

I predict that some will be disappointed by how many casual games will be shown at E3, but I'm pretty sure Microsoft won't care. They won't be aiming for the audience they revealed it to.

@disagrees: You're saying you won't be disappointed if they show a lot of casual games?

@Dark: Yeah, for instance, in the demo that they showed using a kid and his mom, the lady demoing mentioned E3 and the guy said "What's E3, I've never heard of it". Guys on N4G like to think E3 is like the Oscars, but in reality, it's not nearly as popular.

D4RkNIKON5068d ago

ironicly the E3 audience won't be the target market for games like this. Most casuals don't know what E3 is.

WildArmed5068d ago

At this point, most casuals dont know what Natal is.

Casual gamers are the gamers that look at best buy catalogs or think that a gamestop employee is a one way ticket to know it all gaming.

Once the hardware comes on the market, thats when the casuals will start to notice it.

oohWii5068d ago

This is why Microsoft have the Natal briefing being televised on both MTV (10 and up) and Nick (3-10, watching with their parents.) It appears that they will have ALL audiences covered at the same time.

outrageous5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

I agree, E3 is not mainstream like the Oscars, BUT THANKFULLY Microsoft does think it is. They, the casual gamers out there, may or may not of heard of E3, BUT they have heard of MTV and Spike TV.

Microsoft knows what they are doing. Project Natal will blow the casual gamers away. Did you notice that this article is from the LA Times? Do you think casual gamers read newspapers?

k-Lan5068d ago (Edited 5068d ago )

Ummmmmm... Weezy? Maybe that's why there are TWO conferences? What about Sony? Will Move be for the hardcore? lol. I can't wait to find out! Just make sure you're here afterwards, alright?

Show all comments (105)
240°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv7220h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle7h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Sonic18814h ago

I thought darthv72 and Obscure_Observer already work for Microsoft 🤔

dveio4h ago

MS: "Xbox services and content without AB up 1%, with AB up 62%. Hardware down 31%. In total a loss of 350 mill."

darthv72: "Seems about right."

MS: "Excuse m ..."

darthv72: "I don't hardly play on my consoles directly."

MS:

Cacabunga7h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff21836h ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

Cacabunga5h ago

Hardware sales are so bad that Sony and Nintendo are blowing the sales off the water with their hardware.

If Xbox are losers, others aren’t..
Xbox already tried everything with Xbox live then subscriptions went down so much that they had to find something else. Their fans subscribed then reached saturation rather quickly.

Hardware and exclusive games is where it’s at! Keep gamers excited, announce decent software and people will support you

itsmebryan1h ago

@shin
Well keep it simple Sony 's operating income is down 26% and Microsoft's is up 32%. No MS spin there, just facts. 😉
Cheers

purple1019h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos9h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

XBManiac8h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1018h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic6h ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

Show all comments (26)
300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 17h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 14h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 12h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN1d 5h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 6h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies1d 2h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 14h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic1d ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows901d ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 16h ago (Edited 1d 16h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 16h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 16h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 13h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 15h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 13h ago (Edited 1d 13h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 14h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

Show all comments (21)
280°

Xbox's Preservation Step Sets A Much-Needed Example, Especially For Nintendo

Hanzla from eXputer inquires: "If Xbox can care about preserving its games and legacy, what exactly is wrong with Nintendo, trying to kill game preservation single-handedly?"

purple10112d ago

Ahh yes the good old game preservation of saving all your games to a removable hhd on the Xbox 360, taking it round your mates house, setting up multiple tvs to
Be met with “save data corrupted, please re download”

Or how about removing 360 games
From the store
, download them now or else, and, better hope to god that save data doesn’t corrupt, or it’s lost for ever

Nice one ☝️

Zeref12d ago

It's better than what Nintendo and Playstation is doing. It might not be perfect but at least they are TRYING. Unlike the others.

DarXyde12d ago

Trying? Take off the blinders for a moment, mate.

1. A failure to preserve games is just that: a failure to preserve games. Don't try to sugarcoat it: NO ONE is doing it properly. Better than awful is nothing to write home about.

2. At the time of this comment, isn't it the case that you need an internet connection to play Xbox games even if you buy physical discs that are hardly in circulation anymore? I don't have a Series X and I can't verify, but I think that is correct. I'm fairly certain you can at least play PS5 games at version 1.0 (not much of a win really when many games require day one patches). I think Microsoft's all digital, licensing approach is by far more aggressive than anyone else's. They really try to push you to game pass where you lose your entire library by umm.... Skipping a month of payments.

I don't think anyone is doing it right whatsoever. Don't get me started on Nintendo, who goes after anyone looking to preserve their games better than they ever would with extreme litigation.

Don't be a simp for any of these companies. Get it together.

PhillyDonJawn12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

@DarX never speak on Xbox again. You lost all credibility with your internet connection comment. Smh you have 0 clue and misinformed yet speaking on something you don't no squat about.

Einhander197212d ago

What has Sony done exactly? You guys keep deflecting to Sony but I am not actually seeing any results, and ai am certain nothing that you can come up with even comes close to what Microsoft has done and what they have tried and failed to do, like tie all your disks to your account on xbone.

Microsoft removed their whole indie section when they moved to the xbone because they were going to only allow games on the service that came from a publisher, id@xbox started after xbone launched and it only exists because Sony embraced indie and Microsoft was forced to cancel their plans and reverse course.

And every single game that was part of games for windows live including disk games (I have gta 4 on disk that won't work) so hundreds of games that use that DRM no longer work unless the company themselves patched it out which of course very few did.

MrBaskerville12d ago

Not trying. Tried. they killed of the backcomp program years ago. They set something up again, but sounds like it's more of an attempt to save the current library on whatever they are planning next. With luck they save everything and more, but let's see. I could see them killing off parts of the OG xbox and 360 libraries. Can't imagine that they would allow us to play Forza 5-7 in the future.

With that said, I do like what they've done and really wish they could have done more.

shinoff218311d ago

Zeref

So killing off physical media is trying what exactly. Ms don't really give a fk if you think they do your kidding yourself.

Profchaos11d ago

They are not trying this team is established for forward compatability the team is. It interested in preserving Xbox or 360 games.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
isarai12d ago

Is that why Hellblade 2 is digital only?

Zeref12d ago

Just because it's digital only doesn't mean you can't preserve it. Just put it on an external and you have the exact same functionality of what a disc does.

MrNinosan12d ago

Guess you're trolling, but if you actually think that's how it works, I'd recommend buying some braincells.

mkis00711d ago (Edited 11d ago )

Volitile vs nonvolitile data. A disc will not corrupt either. A drive can be corrupted.

Einhander197212d ago

This is just a scammy PR move to distract from the fact they are going digital only and trying to push streaming and subscriptions only.

No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft.

Without discs there is no preservation, preservation can't be done by the rights holders it can only be done by the consumers, anything else is a lie.

12d ago Replies(3)
Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember xblig which Microsoft removed their whole 360 indie section removing hundreds of games from people?

12d ago
12d ago
Zeref12d ago

Do you know you can put your games on an external and preserve them that way? There are no benefits to discs. ZERO. Idk why some of you are still obsessed with them.

DarXyde12d ago

Because games like Persona 5 exist. It's STILL V1.00. On Playstation, that's a win because 1.00 is installed on the disc—no need to download anything.

If a game does not require any updates, it's all on the disc.

Extremely low bar in the modern era, of course. It's not much of a win by any stretch.

But for now, physical media does have a purpose, at least on Playstation.

Einhander197212d ago

That is factually not how game licensing works, try plugging your hard drive into someone else xbox, It's not going to work, and it won't work if the licensing servers ever go down.

Einhander197212d ago

Anyone remember games for windows live.

I have around a dozen games, some on Steam itself that will not work because Microsoft shut off the licensing servers.

BehindTheRows12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

I do. I STILL have games (Gears of War being the big one) I cannot access because Games for Windows LIVE is total garbage and no one has held Microsoft accountable.

Zeref12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership.

Chevalier12d ago

"You don't have an Xbox apparently. Because you can 100 percent plug in your external and play games from it on any Xbox console lol. You just have to be logged in to prove ownership."

Damn how many times do people got to explain your idiocy to you? You can take a copy of Persona 5 like someone used as an example and play that game on ANY console WITHOUT logging in which means I can lend the game to a friend without internet and they can play my game. Can you lend your hard drive to anyone without logging in for them to play? NOPE. That is a huge difference and if you think otherwise then sorry you're an idiot.

Tacoboto12d ago

"No gaming company has pushed harder to remove ownership than Microsoft."

Ubisoft is literally erasing games people bought from their libraries... My PS1-3 discs are useless on modern hardware. Nintendo's re-published and resold almost their entire Wii U library, and the eShop is completely dead with no BC mechanism in the Switch software. Microsoft publishes everything they make today day one on Steam and Xbox/Windows. Sony only brings to PC the titles they think you might want some years later and Nintendo won't even design a functional long-lasting joystick.

You're absolutely trolling and not serious if you think Microsoft today is the worst offender.

shinoff218311d ago

Yay steam

Not everyone fks with computers though. The disc is still the best way as a console player. Period.

Tacoboto11d ago

How do Sony and Nintendo feel about these discs from 2001-2013?

Don't be stupid, you know Xbox is the best at this today.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 11d ago
Hofstaderman12d ago

Nobody wants this. Sales or the lack of it in the case of XBOX is very telling. I wonder how the adorably all digital series X will fare. Adorably dismal perhaps?

crazyCoconuts12d ago

Only time will tell, but for from someone like me suspecting that Xbox is trying to gracefully exit the console market, that "forward compatibility" team is trying to get Xbox games playing on Windows PCs. I mean, it's nice that they're not planning on exiting with a "enjoy your games while the hardware still works" message, so that's nice. They still have a brand to protect via Microsoft so probably feel obligated to have a better exit strategy.

Xeofate11d ago (Edited 11d ago )

That is not their plan, their plan is to transfer users accounts to the cloud.

Phil Spencer himself said as much a few months back, plans could have changed but I think people are reading way too much into one statement where Phil said he would allow Epic on xbox because he wants to be able to sell xbox games directly on other platforms. Aka, instead of selling Sea of Thives through PSN he wants to have an xbox store to sell his games on PlayStation without giving PlayStation any money.

Again, it's extremely unlikely that Phil plans to put PC on xbox and licensing would prevent them from just giving out other publishers games purchased on xbox copies of thier games on PC, Microsoft does not own their games.

crazyCoconuts11d ago

The thing that doesn't align with the cloud strategy is the giving up on exclusives. You'd still need strong exclusives for cloud streaming - it's still a "platform" , just with a lower upfront hardware investment. I feel like they've learned what PS learned with PSNow long ago. We're not ready to stream games and it's only gonna lose them money to try at this point

FinalFantasyFanatic11d ago

I would love that, I'd buy up some of the Xbox games if they could run on PC, like the Rare Replay, Lost Odyssey and Dead or Alive Ultimate, probably a pipe dream though.

Show all comments (43)