Let me just start off by saying that I am not a critic. I'm just an average guy who likes technology and video games. With that being said, I try to keep up to date with as much information as I can, whether it be a new gadget, game or console because lets face it, who doesn't love new stuff? When a new product is unveiled for the first time, there's just something about it that excites me and gets me all jittery inside. Now, with E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) finally here, we've gotten our first taste of new products courtesy of Microsoft's Press Conference, that aired live on the internet and on Spike TV today, June 14. Now, I'm not gonna give a play-by-play of what went down in the briefing, you can easily find it on any game website in wonderful high definition. No, today I'm going to be giving just a few of my thoughts on two of the biggest announcements that came about, which are the new motion controller, now called Kinect, and the brand new hardware refresh for the XBOX 360.
Kinect, for those who don't know, is the motion controller Microsoft has been working on perfecting since its reveal at last year's E3. Originally called Project Natal, it has been touted by Microsoft as being one of the greatest innovations to hit the home market and will supposedly revolutionize the way we interact with not only our XBOX, but with movies, music and all types of multimedia. Today we got a small glimpse into Microsoft's grand vision and I came a way from it with mixed feelings to say the least. Kinect is clearly geared towards the casual gamer, and since I would consider myself a "hardcore" gamer, I have been skeptical of its success ever since seeing it back in 2009. Seeing it in action today, I hate to say that a lot of my doubts were confirmed. So far, I have yet to see any move by Microsoft to really appeal to their core audience of "hardcore" gamers with Kinect, It's going to take a lot more than a janky looking lightsaber game to convince me. They unveiled the usual, predicted bunch of sports and mini games cleverly titled Kinect Sports and Kinect Adventures and also unveiled their take on Wii Fit which was some kind of yoga game being developed by Ubisoft. As a "hardcore" gamer this was easily the most boring aspect of Kinect, where it got interesting was when they started to demonstrate how Kinect can be used to control many tedious aspects of the XBOX. One that really stood out for me was the whole voice activated aspect where the user can literally command the XBOX to pause and play movies and songs. This is a great way to make things easier and more simple for the user. I also found the whole "controller free" aspect to be very intriguing if done right. I just kept getting this whole Minority Report vibe where everyone is waving their hands in the air and controlling everything on screen. Overall, I think Kinect is an interesting concept but it really comes down to 1) the price, if this thing is 200 bucks no one's gonna buy it, and 2) the "hardcore" gamer appeal. If Microsoft can't come up with a clever way to integrate this device with the gamer crowd then it is just going to come and go like every other fad.
Now that I have Kinect out of the way it's time to talk about the other big announcement that Microsoft let leak a day before their press briefing, and that is the brand new XBOX 360. Yes, Microsoft shockingly unveiled a new hardware refresh for the XBOX 360. It was leaked on the internet late last night by a foreign advertisement and was officially unveiled, rather quickly, at the end of their press briefing. The new 360 will retail for $299 US dollars, the same price as the old Elite, which has now been bumped down to $250, and the Arcade has now been dropped down to $150. The new 360 boasts a slick and shiny black casing very similar to the first PS3 case, and retains a smaller compact rectangular design. One big addition is the built in 802.11n WiFi, which was a big critique of the original XBOX seeing as the PS3 and the Wii both already have built in WiFi. Now there is no need for an overpriced $100 adapter, which I sadly had to buy, and everything comes standard. They have also stated that it is Kinect ready out of the box, what that means I have no idea. To top it off is a generous 250 GB hardrive for all of your XBOX and multimedia needs. Personally I love the new XBOX 360. It's sleek, sexy and more compact than the old XBOX and if there's a deal to trade in my Elite and get some money off of the new XBOX I would definitely take advantage of it. I think the new XBOX is a much needed improvement from what we have. The built in WiFi and 250 GB hardrive already have me cringing that I bought an Elite and WiFi adapter for 400 bucks just a few months ago and have me seriously considering this new upgrade.
Microsoft never disappoints with their E3 press conference and personally I think Sony and Nintendo are going to have to step up their game if they plan on beating out Microsoft, that means no half hour of Vitality Sensor Nintendo and no rushed motion control tech demos Sony! Either way I'm excited to see what those two roll out tomorrow and will be looking forward to all of the big game announcements and previews that E3 has in store for us. Check back tomorrow for our thoughts on the Nintendo and Sony press conferences and for all of the latest news and reviews on all of the biggest games make sure to follow the Video Game Henchmen.
- Jacob
Monday, June 14, 2010
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