Microsoft denies new Natal-based console, as a new 3D rumor surfaces
by JC Fletcher 
{ Jun 16th 2009 at 1:40PM } 
Aaron Greenberg responded in a calmer manner, saying "I think part of the excitement about this announcement is that in many ways we are delivering a next generation experience this generation. With that said, I can confirm that Natal will run on Xbox 360 so no new console investment will be necessary."
Conspiracy theorists should note that both of these denials leave the door wide open for the rumor to actually be true. No new console investment will be "necessary" for Natal -- but it certainly could be an option, and there's always the possibility of Natal technology being built into the next console. And "the right thing for Natal" could certainly be "building a whole console around it." Releasing it as a standalone doesn't preclude the release of a later console with it built in.
Meanwhile, TeamXbox claims to have inside information about plans for the next Xbox console, specifically that Microsoft will not launch it in 2010 because the company is planning to include stereoscopic 3D functionality in full HD, and is waiting for the proliferation of televisions that support that technology.
Gallery: Project Natal
[Via Engadget]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
hunter2223 @ Jun 16th 2009 1:45PM
BAM!!!
Obie @ Jun 16th 2009 1:55PM
That was a hilarious moment, whoomp, there it is!
WINterfang @ Jun 16th 2009 1:59PM
BAM! 3D.
deaftly @ Jun 16th 2009 2:01PM
ZOINK!
dark_inchworm (on Steam!) dark inchworm (on XBL!) @ Jun 16th 2009 2:23PM
Great, now I'm stuck with a mental image of the Kool-Aid man and Batman dancing to "Whoomp! There It Is".
Ridgecity @ Jun 16th 2009 4:21PM
Stereo 3d? lol. I do believe there is going to be a new smaller cost efficient xbox360 since they already have the chipset ready to go, yet they have been holding on to it to clear inventory, and nows it's almost the perfect match to be considered a new console, so they can include the new camera, a couple games without raising the price and thus making it a must have for hardcore and casual!
SoulBlade @ Jun 16th 2009 1:45PM
damn straight their going to bust out the stereoscopic 3D. That's going to be a big part of the next generation.
Hedgeson @ Jun 16th 2009 8:36PM
Indeed. Sony is thinking about it for the PS3, NVidia has already releasted a new product, and big-name publishers are also looking at it.
Sweet.
tuck @ Jun 16th 2009 1:46PM
Can someone clarify this for me, because i think just read that the next xbox will only run on 3d tvs. But im not so smart.
Damian @ Jun 16th 2009 1:48PM
Its a rumor, if it is true, i doubt only 3d tvs,maybe if you have a 3d tv, you can use the feature, but the ones who dont are stuck with the normal 2d.
tuck @ Jun 16th 2009 1:50PM
That makes more sense. And makes me happy inside.
HitNRun @ Jun 16th 2009 1:51PM
No, just that they'll support it. Just like you can watch a movie in a standard theater, you can watch it in IMAX, and if it's stereoscopic 3D you can bring the goofy glasses and get varying levels of quality, but it's still the same movie.
Troy Powers (PSN: TroyPowers) @ Jun 16th 2009 2:01PM
WTF is a 3d TV? I thought I was doing good to have an HDTV.
K1LLER HORNET @ Jun 16th 2009 2:28PM
@ Troy Powers (PSN: TroyPowers)
you're doing good.........
for the time being ;)
BigFat @ Jun 16th 2009 2:29PM
3DTV is a new technology that there putting into brand new hd TV's. Its totally useless right now (Expensive future proofing FTW!) but basically someone gives you glasses you put on your head and then you put your TV in 3d mode and its supposed to be like your actually at the movies.
Cody @ Jun 16th 2009 2:39PM
"WTF is a 3d TV? I thought I was doing good to have an HDTV."
LOL my thoughts exactly.
Unlike HDTV, this will flop. I liken it to the Laserdisc, NOT the DVD.
atx1980 @ Jun 16th 2009 3:03PM
You do not need the glasses.
http://3dtvscreen.com/
cronos1212 @ Jun 16th 2009 4:31PM
You do not need the glasses.
http://3dtvscreen.com/
Wow... that site is not a very trustworthy site... For a site that is supposed to talk about a future technology and seem informative, the fact that the person spells like a prepubescent teenager (see examples like the word "Ruffly") does not bode well for the person's knowledge base...
I would link to Wikipedia sooner than I would to that site if I were one to provide links to sites...
Damian @ Jun 16th 2009 1:46PM
I like this new rumor, Mass Effect in 3D HD just sounds right.
SuiXide @ Jun 16th 2009 5:17PM
Welcome to PC gaming. And yes, it's wonderful.
HitNRun @ Jun 16th 2009 1:48PM
So basically "conspiracy theorists" were wrong and are trying to rephrase the situation so they could still be technically be right. As if there was any doubt that the eventual 720 would include Natal.
Troy Powers (PSN: TroyPowers) @ Jun 16th 2009 2:06PM
Or, basically, conspiracy theorists were dead on, and MS is doing damage control by denying SOMETHING...even though it's not what the conspiracy theorists said.
CS: MS will be releasing a new Xbox next year that already has Natal built into the system.
MS: We are not going to force you to buy a new Xbox next year.
Notice, they didn't say they aren't releasing on. Just that you won't have to buy it.
Conclusion: New Xbox next year. But, you'll be able to purchase Natal separately and upgrade your current Xbox to be pretty much equal to the nex Xbox.
Great job, MS.
Badboy1979 @ Jun 16th 2009 2:22PM
More than likely it's going to be a new SKU with Natal included. This SKU will be the first to include the new smaller chipsets and perhaps be in smaller enclosure.
Eventually all the 360 SKUs will include the smaller chipset and Natal will be available for existing and new customers to purchase as an add-on device.
Developers will still use the 360's standard controller for games that work better with that (FPS, RPGs, etc) and other developers will begin to develop games better suited for Natal.
That's my guess.
Cody @ Jun 16th 2009 2:44PM
"More than likely it's going to be a new SKU with Natal included. This SKU will be the first to include the new smaller chipsets and perhaps be in smaller enclosure.
Eventually all the 360 SKUs will include the smaller chipset and Natal will be available for existing and new customers to purchase as an add-on device.
Developers will still use the 360's standard controller for games that work better with that (FPS, RPGs, etc) and other developers will begin to develop games better suited for Natal.
That's my guess."
And that, my friend, is a reciepe for fail. That, and the fact it is Microsft doing it. Always a fail.
Deedubbadoo @ Jun 16th 2009 1:48PM
Xbox 360 slim redesign with Natal pack-in confirmed! Seriously there is no way in hell they are going to release a new console in 2010. Now that I have made my analysis, where is my Michael Pachter money?
Dale @ Jun 16th 2009 1:50PM
Too late, he snorted it off the chests of hookers before the economic downturn.
mr nimblewick @ Jun 16th 2009 1:52PM
That's means it's time to come up with names for the new slim design!
My hopes/suggestions:
the Casulolz
Mano
Jump (Jump In!)
Troy Powers (PSN: TroyPowers) @ Jun 16th 2009 2:11PM
Doesn't Natal have its own processor and memory?
So, wouldn't an Xbox with Natal (additional processor, more memory) built into it essentially be a new console?
I could be wrong about Natal having it's own chip and ram, but I thought I read that somewhere. Any Natal experts in the house?
mr nimblewick @ Jun 16th 2009 2:20PM
I read that it will have its own processor as well. But it probably won't be "built in" so much as "included in the box." You aren't going to have to balance the entire system on top of your TV.
mikey @ Jun 17th 2009 6:20PM
They're risking an industry wide bubble burst. This console generation has been difficult to adapt to already. Game developers are speeding several times more money than prior generations. And as I understand it they haven't received enough in regards to returns to be happy with their investments.
So a console for 2010 really shouldn't happen, even considering today's market climate. They should extend the life of the console for a little while longer than the usual 6-7 years Or in microsofts case 4 years...
Storm Eagle @ Jun 16th 2009 1:52PM
The stereoschopic stuff is definitely whats next. And Natal will even be able to take full advantage of that.
uncle jesse @ Jun 16th 2009 1:53PM
So this is the future of gaming:
Flailing your body around in your living room, with 3D glasses on while pretending to skateboard by jumping in the air and talking to computer-generated friends?
As Murtah would say, "i'm getting too old for this shit."
vidGuy @ Jun 16th 2009 1:56PM
Agreed. I'll buy MS's next console no matter what, but I'm actually turned-off by this idea. Hopefully it will be an option, not the only way to play - that works best for Wii games and should be the default position going forward.
deaftly @ Jun 16th 2009 2:02PM
Go Spit!
GiggMan @ Jun 16th 2009 2:03PM
You and me both uncle jesse, I thought I would be able to game with my grandkids one day, but it looks like I would need a cane, new glasses, and lots of Bengay.
mr nimblewick @ Jun 16th 2009 2:04PM
I refuse to wear glasses when seeing UP, I will refuse them on my games as well.
WINterfang @ Jun 16th 2009 2:05PM
Better than waggling those PS3 dildos that's for sure, still let's see if this fails or success, this Natal stuff is just too important Microsoft sure won this years E3.
uncle jesse @ Jun 16th 2009 2:09PM
You can take our controllers... but you'll never take our FREEDOM!
Troy Powers (PSN: TroyPowers) @ Jun 16th 2009 1:57PM
No, it's not a new Xbox. It's the same Xbox. Errr...only with new hardware. Let's call it the Xbox 360 1/2. :D
Man, remember all those PS3 fanboys who said that MS was going to HAVE TO release a new system sooner than expected in order to keep up with the PS3?
Then the 360 kids said, "Uh-uh! The 360 is gonna live forever!"
Enter the Xbox 360 Upgrade. Now everybody gets to be right.
Or wrong.
Glad I bought a PS3.
Professor Lario @ Jun 16th 2009 2:15PM
Why does EVERY conversation on Joystiq these days have to turn into a console flame war?
Badboy1979 @ Jun 16th 2009 2:17PM
I'm glad I bought a 360 and a PS3 ... and eventually a Wii (waiting to see if they'll ever launch a black one in the U.S.)
Out of curiousity, why do you feel MS needs a new console to keep up with the PS3? Seems like both are currently great to me.
mr nimblewick @ Jun 16th 2009 2:22PM
They aren't releasing it to keep up with the PS3. They are releasing it to keep up with the Wii.
Why would they have to keep up to a system it's beating?
CrossTheAtlantic @ Jun 16th 2009 3:19PM
@Mr. Nimblewick
You should've seen UP with the 3d glasses. Unlike other movies where the 3d just kind of gets cheesefest "IN YOUR FACE" shots, it actually added a lot of nice touches to the film.
mr nimblewick @ Jun 16th 2009 3:24PM
See, but that's why I didn't see UP in 3D. Sometimes it's fun to go to IMAX to see a 3D film for the thrill of it, but UP was a very somber, emotional film. Fidgeting with my glasses and worrying about my wife getting a migraine would have detracted from that.
3D glasses are just the latest trick of a movie industry that fears its viewers are losing interest in the theater experience, when in reality people just want better movies.
GiggMan @ Jun 16th 2009 1:58PM
Was there tech demo's of games running in 3D already? I remember reading something about it.
Basically can the current systems do it now but are limited to the TV tech?
ignfan69 @ Jun 16th 2009 2:15PM
Yeah 3d sucks in the movies. It also makes everything too dark.
BigFat @ Jun 16th 2009 2:18PM
the New avatar game (the one for the new movie) is the only one so far thats planned to use it.
deanb @ Jun 16th 2009 3:17PM
Sony showed off GT5 n Wipeout in 3D at CES on a standard PS3. They reckon they can get it out with jsut a slight BIOS/firmware tweak. Just waiting on saturation of 120Hz+ TV's to reach an acceptable level, as their tech was polarizing 3D(IMAX with the blackened glasses) where as if MS's 3D is stereoscopic it'd work on normal TV's and use red n blue lenses.
Nvidia also showed off (and launched) a 3D gaming set for PC, which is also polarising tech, and as Nvidia make the PS3 GPU n they both showed of 3D tech at same time I think they may have developed it together.
MystileArmor @ Jun 16th 2009 5:20PM
There is a code for Skate 2 that lets you play it in 3D. It actually works quite well.
tmmoore_nc @ Jun 16th 2009 2:05PM
3d hurts my eyes enough at the movies, why do they think games will be any different?