News MS: Natal doesn't need a new console

http://www.bit-tech.net/news/gaming/2009/06/16/ms-natal-doesn-t-need-a-new-console/1

Microsoft has downplayed rumours of a new Xbox console in the next year, promising that Natal will run on current systems.

 

I have a feeling this isn't going to work. On a technological standpoint it'll probably succeed, but fiscally I think it will do poorly. If it requires the same amount of motion that was unveiled in the preview then people just aren't going to want to come home to play it. At least for me and other gamers I know we play games to relax from a long day of school or work and sitting on the couch with a controller is perfect for that.

I'm all for the jumping and moving around because it means gamers will get more exercise but c'mon... I don't perceive most gamers to be up to that.

 

The fact that Natal works on 360s and no new console will be needed, does not necessarily mean there won't be one.

 

Agreed.

Also, expecting a newer version of the console with potentially more powerful chips but the same os/support list is absolutely daft. Even MS know that doing that would create more bad will and, most likely, lawsuits.

A totally new console, however, isn't as insane a. expectation. Totally unlikely, but not as insane.

 

I think you underestimate what the take-up will be based on this - just because gamers won't be playing *all* their games using natal, even if most of the time you will be using a controller I still think ~80% of xbox owners will get one of these, largely because of the novelty and because those times you do use it it'll be awesome.

 

i think i will gain arterial hypertension with the amount of salt i am ingesting in order to digest this...

 

Agreed
If you read what he says, he dosent actually say anywhere that there will be no new console, only that no new console would be needed to run Natal.
Interesting.

 

x360 has been out since what, fall 2005? almost 4 years?

you'd be silly to think there isn't already a development team working on the new one, and they have been working on it for at least 2 years. How soon we'll see the results, I don't know, but I think they'll wait at least another two years.

 

seems to me natal will either be an all encompassing change in the way we view interactivity


or an expensive eye toy

 

If there is a new console I expect it to be a slim low power one, after all they have what 55nm chips now?, Cant see a new one for at least 2 years tbh as the next one is rumoured to use Larrabe

 

New Console in 2010....

It will be able to play all old 360 games as it essentially will have a 360 mode which runs the CPU/GPU at 360 speeds.

It will be bundled with Natal, Wireless, and have a next generation CPU/GPU.

Game developers will ship 'enhanced' versions of the games on the same disc for the higher power console , or offer downloads for the higher spec model as 'premium content DLC'. Its a way for MS to offer console users some form of 'upgrade' path just like the old Amiga 600 / then 1200 days..... which worked out quite well.

It will also stop people buying PS3's which people will then consider to be 'old tech' as some amazing demos/games will be made available for the 360+ which look astounding...


The above model was NORMAL in the 16bit computer era with the Atari ST to STE, Amiga 500 to 600 to 1200 etc etc
**just an idea**

 

Amiga 600/1200 - aye, that went well :/
My 1200's in the loft, with a 68030/16MB card stuck in the bottom and a high density diskdrive modded into the side.

I can see where you're coming from though. The promise of ever better things, grass being greener, etc, just buy our stuff and you'll see.

 

man if this works as well as it does, I will certainly go buy a 360 and this thing

 

New console, I feel like I still got another 5 years to go on my 360, why the rush to release another console, make more games dam it.

 

world cant afford a new console is the main issue to releasing one. Despite owning all 3 of this gens consoles, I still only use my pc,
natal is another gimic if 80% of xbox users by this good for them, But i cant see this been cheap.

microsoft need to do a massive upgrade of cpu and gpu, And bring it somewat close to pc standard. 360 is at least 4 gens behind current tech. soon to go 5 gens if nvidia and ati get there act together.

Of this gen theres only been about 15 good games total. and only 2 great games.

 

Well really they've not said that they're not releasing a console next year, they've said natal will work with the 360, which is what we knew anyway (why announce it at E3 if it wouldn't work on the 360?). So there's still the possibility of a new xbox next year.

However, seeing as the 360 was the first of this generation to be released by a year or so, I would expect it's life cycle to be a bit more than 5 years, more comparable to the PS2s life before the 360 was released. Still seems like it's got a lot of life in it, it's only really got into the swing of things in the last year or two. Hell Alan Wake hasn't been released yet and that was announced before the console was released.

This ambiguous statement tells me two things, either Aaron is actually a woman or they are releasing a new console, it might not be next year, but it's going to be relatively soon. If they weren't releasing one, they would have straight up denied it.