Microsoft unveils new Xbox technology, enlists Facebook
- From: happymlxd <meilixiaodao2002@xxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2009 17:31:53 -0700 (PDT)
Microsoft Corp Monday offered a glimpse into a future where the Xbox
360 console is the centerpiece of any living room, and games, social
interaction and communications are controlled with the wave of a hand.
At a star-studded event at the annual E3 video game conference that
drew appearances by Paul McCartney and Steven Spielberg, the company
unveiled “Project Natal,” which uses a camera to track a user’s
movements via full skeletal mapping. It also recognizes voices and
vocal commands.
The technology obviates the need for a controller or remote device to
enable a player for instance to drive a car in a game, interact with a
character on screen or show pictures and information to other Xbox 360
users over the Internet.
“You are the controller,” Shane Kim, Microsoft’s vice president of
strategy and business development for videogames, said in an interview
in Los Angeles.
“That’s a very powerful piece of technology -- full body gesture
tracking, not just two hands.”
On Monday, Microsoft also said it planned to boost its Xbox 360 gaming
console by integrating music-streaming service last.fm, Web social
network Facebook and microblogging site Twitter into its Xbox Live
online community.
The announcements underscore how the interactive gaming industry, a
growing business with estimated annual sales of about $50-billion
despite the economic downturn, is looking into ways to attract new
gamers while retaining their core audience.
Perhaps with an eye on the economy, Don Mattrick, senior vice
president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business, said the
“Natal” technology can refresh the gaming experience without making
consumers buy a new device, which typically costs $250 to $500.
Microsoft would also avoid hefty manufacturing and marketing costs.
“We can leap into a new era of interactive entertainment without
launching a new console,” Mattrick told reporters.
Kim declined to detail when “Project Natal” games and service will be
available, saying only that “it’s not a 2009 thing.”
Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft’s Game Studios, said the
technology has been well received by software developers.
“It’s pretty obvious that the controller is not going away, but the
ability to augment the gaming experience that people are used to is
one of the paths that people will take,” he said.
For now, Microsoft is focusing on beefing up its fledgling Xbox Live
service.
Users of Xbox Live will be able to keep tabs on and communicate with
friends using popular Internet services such as Facebook and Twitter,
without needing to use a computer.
The move broadens Microsoft’s goal of transforming the console system
-- a distant No. 2 to Nintendo Inc’s Wii machine -- into the center of
the living room and more than just a game-playing box. That goal is
echoed by Sony Corp, whose PlayStation 3 console also hosts community
and entertainment features as well as game playing.
“This expands the reach of Xbox live,” Mr. Kim said. “We have had an
effort of making Xbox live a next-generation social and entertainment
network.
The event was kicked off by a demonstration of the upcoming version of
Viacom Inc’s MTV Networks’ Rock Band franchise featuring songs by The
Beatles. Taking the stage briefly were surviving Band members Paul
McCartney and Ringo Starr, and Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, widows of
John Lennon and George Harrison, respectively.
.
- Prev by Date: Solar Companies Merge Technologies in Bid for Utility-Scale Production
- Next by Date: ۞~۞~۞~Cheap wholesale sport shoes,Nike,Jordan,Gucci,Adidas,Puma,EdhardyShox,Max,Free,Rift,＆Polo,Lacoste,BBC,Gucci,Armani,LV,Christina Audigier Tshirt and Jeans
- Previous by thread: Solar Companies Merge Technologies in Bid for Utility-Scale Production
- Next by thread: ۞~۞~۞~Cheap wholesale sport shoes,Nike,Jordan,Gucci,Adidas,Puma,EdhardyShox,Max,Free,Rift,＆Polo,Lacoste,BBC,Gucci,Armani,LV,Christina Audigier Tshirt and Jeans
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
