Tag: microsoft (Page 4 of 4)

      Microsoft Confirms Xbox 360’s 10-Year Life Cycle

      June 5, 2009 /

      I’ve had a hunch, ever since Sony announced the 10-year life cycle for the PS3, that the Xbox 360 would take the same route. After all, who wants to launch a console months or years in front of a competitor, giving them plenty of time to get their hands on your stuff and gain some serious advantage.

      While talking to Venturebeat, Microsoft VP in charge of strategy and business for interactive entertainment, Shane Kim, has confirmed the 10-year plan as official policy. This is no surprise whatsoever coming on the heels of the Project Natal announcement, but it’s nice to hear you won’t have to give up on the big investment you’ve likely already made into your console.

      Kim also took to the interview like a victor in battle, claiming Microsoft “won” E3 with their keynote address. “We had a lot of content for a normal E3 briefing. But Project Natal doesn’t come along every year, and it is very difficult to match,” Kim said. True, and with Sony’s new wand device, Microsoft is sitting just where Nintendo was before E3, the the pioneer trying to get more people playing games, instead of getting gamers to play more games.

      Kim said Natal is a mid-cycle release for the 360, so we’ll have at least another 5 years to see how Sony and Nintendo plan to answer.

      Source: Venturebeat

      Gaming, microsoft

      Can Project Natal Change the Console War?

      June 1, 2009 /

      Promo videos always show the best side of things. That’s their point. To promote the goodness of something and get people interested in buying it. If you’re like me, you probably watch those videos with a healthy dose of salt in your hand. That’s exactly how I watched Microsoft’s promo video for Project Natal, their controller-less full body motion capture toy, but it didn’t work. Try as I might, my skepticism has left me. This thing looks like the ten year evolution of the Wii done in half the time.

      Project Natal is a sensor bar, much like that of the Wii. Instead of picking up the signal of the infrared camera in the controller, though, Natal senses your movement. All of it. The bar is equipped with a couple 3D cameras and a microphone, allowing for voice recognition. I’m sure your imagination is already sprinting towards Dance Dance Revolution or punching Mike Tyson without worrying about throwing a controller. Watch the video below – it says it all.

      Gaming, microsoft

      Zune Phone’s a No Go, No?

      April 29, 2009 /

      Zune Phone is Bust.Plenty of rumors have been flying this week concerning Microsoft’s hushed “Project Pink” and the advent of a Microsoft/Verizon iPhone rival project. Of course, all of this came on the heels of even more whispers that Apple and Verizon were in discussions for two new iPhone devices, an “iPhone Lite” and a beefier version that could support HD video playback and so forth. Would Microsoft really enter the mobile manufacturing market to compete, though? And would the product be so iPhone-like as to be a Zunephone (I think we know how the iPod/Zune war ended)?

      A Microsoft spokesperson stepped into the fray to set everyone straight…ish. “Microsoft is not going into the phone hardware business. Microsoft is not building a Zune-specific phone.” There you have it, clear as a first-gen iPod screen. Of course, we can gleen plenty of info from a statement like this. If Microsoft won’t make the phone, you can bet your earbuds someone else will. No Zune-specific phone? That’s probably for the best. Windows Mobile is about providing business functionality on a hand-held device. Why turn it into anything less? So Zune will be sitting shotgun on this one. I can think of worse things.

      Source: Engadget

      microsoft, Mobile

      Next Gen Console Sales Decline in March

      April 18, 2009 /

      Next Gen ConsolesMarch saw a surprising decline in sales of video game hardware and software, despite hardware growth over last year for the Xbox 360. The Nintendo Wii is still the most coveted hardware on the market, but even Nintendo’s cash cow was struggling.

      At first I was a little surprised, but as far as life cycle goes, the current generation of consoles is heading toward a mid-life crisis. There are certainly enough peripherals now to extend the life of any console, but as games like Resident Evil 5 show, developers seem to have caught up with the hardware, producing games that can start to truly tax the machines we love.

      My question, then, is who goes first? Sony, whose PS3 is looking like the Gamecube of last generation, could desperately use some new life. And though the Wii is still selling out of…everywhere, there could definitely be improvements on graphics and game design. As for the 360, well, do you really want to see the next Bungie App on the same console?

      Gaming

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