The Tech Throwdown

With the need for innovation becoming an increasing factor in the console market, Microsoft shows the world what games can be without the need for controllers by introducing Kinect. Though this new device was the central focus of the presentation, Microsoft also showcased exclusive titles, new Xbox Live content, and a redesigned system with new features.

Get Yourself “Kinect-ed”

Formerly known as “Project Natal,” Kinect is a peripheral  attachment to the Xbox 360 that uses cameras to detect the movements of the player and translates the movement to the screen.  The device integrates voice recognition so that players need only speak there selections for the Xbox dashboard and with friends online. The philosophy behind Kinect is for hand-held controllers to be a thing of the past and that the body will serve as the controller.

“By making you the controller, we will transform how you and your friends experience games and entertainment,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft.

On-stage demos of launch titles promoted this characteristic, including Harmonix’s Dance Central, Kinect Sports, and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved. Although the latter two titles may try riding the coat tails of Wii Sports and Wii Fit, third-party companies are poised to bring out the originality of this device, including Ubisoft’s Child of Eden.

Questions do arise from functionality issues. While the on-stage demos seemed suspiciously staged (no pun intended), they did not address other issues beyond body movement and controlling menus with the hands. For example, the Forza demo may let you enter the car and steer, but gas and brake pedals, looking behind you while driving and pulling the e-brake would be needed to make an accurate driving simulation. There was no description of how button-related commands which do not require movement, like squeezing a trigger, would be interpreted by Kinect. This is Microsoft’s first attempt at a unique accessory for their console, which means technical problems need to be minimum if Kinect is to succeed.

Kinect is scheduled to release on November 4, 2010 at a retail price of $149.99.

Xbox 360′s Video Game Line-up

While Microsoft’s video game previews weren’t as prominent as the Kinect demos, they were certainly needed to appeal to their hardcore gamer crowd. Microsoft announced an exclusive deal through Activision to give first-release rights to all downloadable content on Xbox 360 for the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops. After the major success of Modern Warfare 2, Microsoft chose to bank on exclusivity with the next game in the popular franchise.

Other major titles included Halo: Reach and Gears of War 3, both of which may be the final titles to each series (or at least by their original developers). Both demos showed promise, but didn’t sway to far from their original formulas. Previews (non-playable) included Metal Gear Solid: Rising and Fable 3, which both creators claimed will reinvent their franchises. Outside of Kinect, most of Microsoft’s original titles are playing it rather safe, so the results could please or upset each game’s fan-base.

It pays to be slim (maybe)

The final announcement came as somewhat of a surprise to everyone when a new model of the Xbox 360 was revealed. Aesthetically, the system is smaller than the original, having ditched the concave design and white color for a black finish and much needed side air vents. Internally, the system supports a 250GB hard drive, internal wi-fi, and quieter hardware. These new features are long overdue, but Microsoft did not address the dreaded red-ring-of-death problem that plagued the previous model. Critics of the disc tray from the previous model won’t see any changes, though Microsoft should have reconsidered the idea.

The new model has been shipped out last week and retails for $299.99, while retailers already began marking down previous remaining arcade and pro SKU’s of the original model 360.