scruffybr writes "Today the first information about the pricing and launch of Microsoft’s Project Natal has emerged. The pricing for the hardware will be much much lower than many had anticipated, coming in at around £50 when sold separately from the console. The idea being that it’s low enough that people will purchase on impulse."
Wonder why summary left out the release date as it's a lot more interesting. Trying to get us to read TFA now?
As for the hardware launch, November 2010 is being touted as the month of release, with around 14 games expected to be released in conjunction with the new device.
So actually not that far in the future and with some games supporting it too. For example Wii's MotionPlus still only has 3 games in PAL region.
If its that low, Natal actually has a real chance of making a dent in their user base. Addon peripherals are always risky and usually end in less than stellar support but this sounds cheap enough to be bundled not only with the console but with hot titles much like Sony has done with Singstar and the Mics or Eyepets with the camera.
There are already 14 development studios confirmed to be working on natal titles, including Lionhead, Rare, Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft. Not a bad lineup for a peripheral, sounds more like a console lauch than a peripheral introduction.
I think you will see more of this, the console makers want to extend this "generation" out longer than previous ones. Instead of creating next gen consoles Sony and MS seem to be working on enhancing the current crop with things like this. I just hope that when the next generation does come around that they will be backwards compatible with all the games and addon hardware.
I think you will see more of this, the console makers want to extend this "generation" out longer than previous ones. Instead of creating next gen consoles Sony and MS seem to be working on enhancing the current crop with things like this. I just hope that when the next generation does come around that they will be backwards compatible with all the games and addon hardware.
Sounds good to me. The jump from cart-based consoles to the Playstation was completely astounding. Playstation to Playstation 2, also astounding. I haven't seen the PS3 up close but the jump between Xbox and 360 didn't feel as huge. I think they really should have held off another year or two so that the difference would be more astounding. The difference between generations shouldn't feel gradual, it should feel like night and day.
I'm intrigued by how much your post reads like a press release (or astroturfing), but you've got good karma and a low UID so...
The biggest thing Natal has going for it is the continued success of Wii peripherals (as distinguished from plastic non-peripherals like steering wheels and tennis rackets). But Wii Fit and the Motion+ add-on have seen pretty significant success despite a relative dearth of games for those peripherals (so far). This is par for the course with the Wii--first-party titles continue
Your right, nothing is confirmed but the number of 3rd party prominent players hyping things up on their own kind of assures me that there is at least some substance there. Wii Fit and Motion Plus are great examples and I think your on to something...MS probably does need to bundle in some sort of game likely a mini-game collection similar to wii sports, even the kickball demo and that Milo thing would do...just something that gives you a "natal" experience out of the box. Im expecting game bundles from M
Yeah, 7 comments and nobody has mentioned that this is just speculation from some "tip" heard by mcvuk web page (which is down right now) and that pretty much all game news sites have been running?.
"Now a child who doesn't own a skateboard, and doesn't have the skills to ride a skateboard, will no longer have the ability to play a game involving skateboards."
You know, I press buttons on a controller because I can't actually fight/fly planes/race cars at 200mph/pilot spacecraft/do magic... don't take these away from me!
... coming in at around £50 when sold separately from the console. The idea being that it’s low enough that people will purchase on impulse.
Maybe I am just a cheapskate...but isn't 50 pounds a little above the 'impulse buy' margin? Usually impulse buys for me run in the arena of $20.00 or less. 50 pounds converts to, according to google, $83.27. That's approaching that dreaded $100.00 limit. When I am walking through wal-mart stocking up on whatever I need, I rarely, if ever, see an $80.00 item and say, "Ooooh I need that!" and throw it in the cart. That's a week and a half's worth of groceries... I don't know, maybe I am the exception to the rule, but I think 50 pounds is a little on the high side to term it an 'impulse buy.'
And yes, people can fill in all the snarky responses about, "Oh, well, since YOU wouldn't spend the money I guess NOONE would...its not like anyone else has DIFFERENT buying habits..." and so on. I am not trying to say that nobody will fork over eighty bucks for the Natal, but it just seems a little high to be deemed an impulse buy type item...I mean hell, I won't even impulse buy new release games that I am excited about and they retail for $60.00.
Wiimote rip-off? Maybe a wii-mote killer, actually. Especially since Nintendo has hardly been using the wiimote to its full potential and most gaming on the wii is basically shovelware.
Keep in mind that I have never, ever owned a gaming console. But the wiimote was, by all accounts, a game changer. Instead of pushing buttons, you moved something you held in your hand. But it's still a handheld controller, and is in some ways a ripoff of a standard game controller - the "only" changes were that you had fewer buttons and you used actual motion of one arm to control the device. And it had a nasty habit of making holes in expensive large-scr
It will be implemented badly. They've already stated it will only do gross motions and have limited resolution. It's the 2d camera version of the Sega Activator [techeblog.com].
While a lot of people like flailing about, I rather prefer to be a tool [penny-arcade.com] and play from the couch.
Finger/hand tracking would be awesome. Limb tracking, not so much.
You can't convert £50 into dollars using the exchange rate for something like this. If it follows the standard trend then it will be $50 in the US and £50 in the UK.
I think OP was onto something when he defined an impulse buy as "in the area of $20.00 or less", and I don't disagree. The whole point being that £50, regardless of how you convert currencies, isn't an impulse thing. Admittedly, after looking at what MS charges for other XBox 360 accessories, anything short of $100 is a bargain.
I think it depends on what you are shopping for. If I'm in the market for a handful of new games at $60 each, adding in an ~$80 controller doesn't sound all that bad, and could be an impulse buy pretty easily.
When and where it will be marketed, it's cheap and attractive enough for an impulse buy for the type of person they are marketing to in the context of what they are likely intending to buy. It's the equivalent of putting bags of $1 candy at the checkout line or a $10 DVD bin near the DVD players. Or
would not look at phone, cable/sat, etc, contracts the same way.
I know people paying more per month for cell or tv service than this device costs! It is all about context. To some of us $100 is impulse, to others its "do I eat" or can I put it on lay away, and to some its a "tip".
This is a great price in the realm of video controllers, let alone the possibilities it opens up. Think of it as the razor, they will get you on the blades (games)
You can find more details from here [mcvuk.com]. Plenty of other places are commenting on them but most sight mcvuk.com as their source.
Google News Articles on Natal Details [google.com]
Reminds me of the Wii that supposedly had plenty of developers on board to make new and exciting games for the then-revolutionary wiimote... we all know how that turned out.
one of the funny things in the natal tech demos i've seen on youtube is how one of the presenters takes cheap shots at the wii's "waggling" of the remote and how stupid and silly blah blah blah... and then watching them arm-waving and making awkward poses to "draw" an elephant (pretty silly IMO) i wonder how much different natal is going to be.
Not that much, judging by the demos i've seen so far. Hope i'm wrong, though.
It's doing alright, depending on what sorts of games you enjoy playing. Despite all the talk about "changing the way we play games", Nintendo has gone pretty middle-of-the-road with the Wii, hence the Wiimote including buttons and not being 100% reliant on movement. In fact, Nintendo has released games for the Wii that are primarily intended to have you hold the wiimote sideways and basically use it like an old-school controller.
The motion sensing is really cool and fun when it gets integrated properly into
I play games on my Wii almost every day, and didn't have the same problem with it. Maybe it's just having used a physical controller for 30 years seeing people play without one at all strikes me as wrong.
Maybe it's that, while I'm comfortable with manipulating controllers I'm not comfortable with manipulating my body. Insert the standard nerd jokes here, but it's true: I'm not good
Have you looked at how much clothes, especially "fashion" and "designer" women's clothes, cost? A lot of people spend $83... or more... on impulse buys. At the mall. Or at Fry's...
Clothes are not really the "impulse" item, accessories are. That $80 handbag is a "must have" accessory when seen with the two $120 dresses, but the intended purchase was a $240 in dresses. The handbag is an impulse buy that, in the buyer's mind, adds perceived value to the purchase already made that is more than the money spent. So the dresses are not an "impulse" item, but the handbag sure is.
In the same vein, if you are going in to spend $240 on 4 new games, and you see a controller that could potentially make all four games more fun, $80 could be a "must have" accessory. If it makes all four games twice as much fun, or you think it might, then it's a no-brainer to add that to the cart, right?
That's impulse. The "hey, in the context of what I'm doing right now, this item seems really important to me in relation to its price".
If it's £50 in the UK it will probably be closer to $50 in the US. We always get screwed on the exchange rate (and quoted prices in the UK include tax).
An xbox game at launch is typically £35-40 over here (the RRP of Modern Warfare 2 was even higher, but I don't think that's a phenomenon unique to the UK).
There's a ton if it from E3 this year. I'm not sure how much of it was staged during Microsoft's presentation. However, people have said the floor demo of Burnout Paradise using Natal was pretty smooth.
It's actually quite brilliant. The technology won't catch on if it costs too much- but if it becomes pretty much a standard, MS just opened a brand new venue for games, it's like the 360 is brand new again.. giving them a steady new influx of cash before the next system is unveiled.
For the first time, I feel like MS is making a move on future planning, not just on a quick dollar today. Great move MS. I've always been surprised how well they market the 360 in comparison with the rest of their failures. Zune, anyone?
As to what PN is... (Score:5, Informative)
For the confused: Project Natal [wikipedia.org] (per Wikipedia).
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Re:As to what PN is... (Score:5, Informative)
Wonder why summary left out the release date as it's a lot more interesting. Trying to get us to read TFA now?
As for the hardware launch, November 2010 is being touted as the month of release, with around 14 games expected to be released in conjunction with the new device.
So actually not that far in the future and with some games supporting it too. For example Wii's MotionPlus still only has 3 games in PAL region.
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Certainly does add some new air guitar possibilities...
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So will Sony's new control system that competes with Natal will be called Project Bortion?
long way (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:long way (Score:4, Interesting)
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As has American grammar, apparently.
Maybe Natal has a chance after all? (Score:5, Informative)
If its that low, Natal actually has a real chance of making a dent in their user base. Addon peripherals are always risky and usually end in less than stellar support but this sounds cheap enough to be bundled not only with the console but with hot titles much like Sony has done with Singstar and the Mics or Eyepets with the camera.
There are already 14 development studios confirmed to be working on natal titles, including Lionhead, Rare, Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ and Ubisoft. Not a bad lineup for a peripheral, sounds more like a console lauch than a peripheral introduction.
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Re:Maybe Natal has a chance after all? (Score:5, Interesting)
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I think you will see more of this, the console makers want to extend this "generation" out longer than previous ones. Instead of creating next gen consoles Sony and MS seem to be working on enhancing the current crop with things like this. I just hope that when the next generation does come around that they will be backwards compatible with all the games and addon hardware.
Sounds good to me. The jump from cart-based consoles to the Playstation was completely astounding. Playstation to Playstation 2, also astounding. I haven't seen the PS3 up close but the jump between Xbox and 360 didn't feel as huge. I think they really should have held off another year or two so that the difference would be more astounding. The difference between generations shouldn't feel gradual, it should feel like night and day.
Maybe (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm intrigued by how much your post reads like a press release (or astroturfing), but you've got good karma and a low UID so...
The biggest thing Natal has going for it is the continued success of Wii peripherals (as distinguished from plastic non-peripherals like steering wheels and tennis rackets). But Wii Fit and the Motion+ add-on have seen pretty significant success despite a relative dearth of games for those peripherals (so far). This is par for the course with the Wii--first-party titles continue
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Your right, nothing is confirmed but the number of 3rd party prominent players hyping things up on their own kind of assures me that there is at least some substance there. Wii Fit and Motion Plus are great examples and I think your on to something...MS probably does need to bundle in some sort of game likely a mini-game collection similar to wii sports, even the kickball demo and that Milo thing would do...just something that gives you a "natal" experience out of the box. Im expecting game bundles from M
Re:Maybe Natal has a chance after all? (Score:5, Informative)
You mean something similar to Sony's initial funding deals for 40 PSN titles and their newer pub fund program which exchanges funding for exclusivity?
http://www.gaming-age.com/news/2006/11/1-2 [gaming-age.com]
http://www.ps3informer.com/playstation-3/news/sony-will-pay-devs-for-psn-exclusivity-010110.php [ps3informer.com]
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Speculation... (Score:4, Informative)
Yeah, 7 comments and nobody has mentioned that this is just speculation from some "tip" heard by mcvuk web page (which is down right now) and that pretty much all game news sites have been running?.
I'll believe it when I see it.
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realpeopleusedollars? (Score:4, Insightful)
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Colbert said it best (Score:2, Funny)
Colbert said it best. [kotaku.com]
"Now a child who owns a skateboard and has the skills to ride a skateboard, will no longer have to ever ride a skateboard again."
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"Now a child who doesn't own a skateboard, and doesn't have the skills to ride a skateboard, will no longer have the ability to play a game involving skateboards."
You know, I press buttons on a controller because I can't actually fight/fly planes/race cars at 200mph/pilot spacecraft/do magic ... don't take these away from me!
Purchase On Impulse? (Score:5, Insightful)
... coming in at around £50 when sold separately from the console. The idea being that it’s low enough that people will purchase on impulse.
Maybe I am just a cheapskate...but isn't 50 pounds a little above the 'impulse buy' margin? Usually impulse buys for me run in the arena of $20.00 or less. 50 pounds converts to, according to google, $83.27. That's approaching that dreaded $100.00 limit. When I am walking through wal-mart stocking up on whatever I need, I rarely, if ever, see an $80.00 item and say, "Ooooh I need that!" and throw it in the cart. That's a week and a half's worth of groceries... I don't know, maybe I am the exception to the rule, but I think 50 pounds is a little on the high side to term it an 'impulse buy.'
And yes, people can fill in all the snarky responses about, "Oh, well, since YOU wouldn't spend the money I guess NOONE would...its not like anyone else has DIFFERENT buying habits..." and so on. I am not trying to say that nobody will fork over eighty bucks for the Natal, but it just seems a little high to be deemed an impulse buy type item...I mean hell, I won't even impulse buy new release games that I am excited about and they retail for $60.00.
But like I said, maybe I am just a cheapskate.
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No it is.. £50 is a lot for what sounds for all the world like a wiimote ripoff.
£50 with a bundled game (where the game is £30-£40 anyway) makes more sense.
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Wiimote rip-off? Maybe a wii-mote killer, actually. Especially since Nintendo has hardly been using the wiimote to its full potential and most gaming on the wii is basically shovelware.
Wiimote killer? Give me a break (Score:2)
I don't think 360 fanboys have any idea how much dominance the Wii has in the marketplace.
Put it this way
- Nintendo sells the same amount Wii consoles every month than ALL OTHER HOME CONSOLES COMBINED - that includes the 360, the PS3, the PS2.
- This trend has been the same for pretty much the lifetime of the console, which means the Wii has sold over 20 MILLION more units than the 360.
- Unlike Microsoft, which still loses money on each 360 sale, Nintendo makes $6-$7 on each Wii sold, before anyone buys a si
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I'd say it's more the "next generation" wiimote.
Keep in mind that I have never, ever owned a gaming console. But the wiimote was, by all accounts, a game changer. Instead of pushing buttons, you moved something you held in your hand. But it's still a handheld controller, and is in some ways a ripoff of a standard game controller - the "only" changes were that you had fewer buttons and you used actual motion of one arm to control the device. And it had a nasty habit of making holes in expensive large-scr
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It will be implemented badly. They've already stated it will only do gross motions and have limited resolution. It's the 2d camera version of the Sega Activator [techeblog.com].
While a lot of people like flailing about, I rather prefer to be a tool [penny-arcade.com] and play from the couch.
Finger/hand tracking would be awesome. Limb tracking, not so much.
Re:Purchase On Impulse? (Score:4, Interesting)
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Parent
Re:Purchase On Impulse? (Score:5, Insightful)
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I think it depends on what you are shopping for. If I'm in the market for a handful of new games at $60 each, adding in an ~$80 controller doesn't sound all that bad, and could be an impulse buy pretty easily.
When and where it will be marketed, it's cheap and attractive enough for an impulse buy for the type of person they are marketing to in the context of what they are likely intending to buy. It's the equivalent of putting bags of $1 candy at the checkout line or a $10 DVD bin near the DVD players. Or
Too bad many more people (Score:3, Informative)
would not look at phone, cable/sat, etc, contracts the same way.
I know people paying more per month for cell or tv service than this device costs! It is all about context. To some of us $100 is impulse, to others its "do I eat" or can I put it on lay away, and to some its a "tip".
This is a great price in the realm of video controllers, let alone the possibilities it opens up. Think of it as the razor, they will get you on the blades (games)
well what about us poor Americans? (Score:3, Funny)
at that price it could be 3000 USD by the time it comes out...
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Link dead. (Score:3, Informative)
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Well... (Score:3, Interesting)
Reminds me of the Wii that supposedly had plenty of developers on board to make new and exciting games for the then-revolutionary wiimote... we all know how that turned out.
one of the funny things in the natal tech demos i've seen on youtube is how one of the presenters takes cheap shots at the wii's "waggling" of the remote and how stupid and silly blah blah blah... and then watching them arm-waving and making awkward poses to "draw" an elephant (pretty silly IMO) i wonder how much different natal is going to be.
Not that much, judging by the demos i've seen so far. Hope i'm wrong, though.
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It's doing alright, depending on what sorts of games you enjoy playing. Despite all the talk about "changing the way we play games", Nintendo has gone pretty middle-of-the-road with the Wii, hence the Wiimote including buttons and not being 100% reliant on movement. In fact, Nintendo has released games for the Wii that are primarily intended to have you hold the wiimote sideways and basically use it like an old-school controller.
The motion sensing is really cool and fun when it gets integrated properly into
I could only think of one thing when I saw that (Score:2)
It's 1984 (Score:2)
Your TV with a camera. They should build one into an LCD TV next, and give it a catchy name like Telescreen.
So... (Score:2)
I haven't tried it.
But the demo videos at http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/ [xbox.com] strike me as extremely weird and creepy.
I play games on my Wii almost every day, and didn't have the same problem with it. Maybe it's just having used a physical controller for 30 years seeing people play without one at all strikes me as wrong.
Maybe it's that, while I'm comfortable with manipulating controllers I'm not comfortable with manipulating my body. Insert the standard nerd jokes here, but it's true: I'm not good
And you thought Wii remotes were bad? (Score:4, Funny)
Not so bad if you're in a house, but God help the guy on a penthouse balcony.
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They just need to tie the ankle strap to their ankle and the couch.
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Re:$83 (Score:5, Insightful)
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Obviously you have not met a woma...
Oh right, this is slashdot.
Re:$83 (Score:5, Insightful)
Clothes are not really the "impulse" item, accessories are. That $80 handbag is a "must have" accessory when seen with the two $120 dresses, but the intended purchase was a $240 in dresses. The handbag is an impulse buy that, in the buyer's mind, adds perceived value to the purchase already made that is more than the money spent. So the dresses are not an "impulse" item, but the handbag sure is.
In the same vein, if you are going in to spend $240 on 4 new games, and you see a controller that could potentially make all four games more fun, $80 could be a "must have" accessory. If it makes all four games twice as much fun, or you think it might, then it's a no-brainer to add that to the cart, right?
That's impulse. The "hey, in the context of what I'm doing right now, this item seems really important to me in relation to its price".
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Parent
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If it's £50 in the UK it will probably be closer to $50 in the US. We always get screwed on the exchange rate (and quoted prices in the UK include tax).
An xbox game at launch is typically £35-40 over here (the RRP of Modern Warfare 2 was even higher, but I don't think that's a phenomenon unique to the UK).
Gaming addicts and rich kids with daddies card (Score:2)
Most normal people would consider that sort of money a fairly large purchase.
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Re:Awesome (Score:4, Interesting)
For the first time, I feel like MS is making a move on future planning, not just on a quick dollar today. Great move MS. I've always been surprised how well they market the 360 in comparison with the rest of their failures. Zune, anyone?
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Oh man, this is gonna be the biggest thing since the Virtual Boy!
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its not an xbox 360, its an attachment _for_ an xbox 360. imagine a $75-100 wii-mote (depending on exhange rates)