Xbox Unveils Entertainment Experiences That Put Everyone Center Stage
Microsoft rewrites the rules on fun with controller-free entertainment
The future of home entertainment has a new name: Xbox 360. Microsoft Corp. opened the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) with a historic Xbox 360 briefing that rocked, tweeted, revved and awakened the world to a new era of fun and entertainment. In addition to premiering 10 exclusive new games, revolutionizing the way we watch TV, and making it easier than ever to connect to friends, Xbox also welcomed visionary filmmaker Steven Spielberg to introduce “Project Natal” and controller-free gaming.
“Today with cultural visionaries at our side and controller-free gaming on our horizon, Xbox 360 authored a new page in home entertainment history,” said Don Mattrick, senior vice president for the Interactive Entertainment Business at Microsoft. “For us, this E3 is about breaking down barriers — between generations, between games and entertainment, and most important, between video game players and everyone else — in a way that only Xbox 360 can.”
During its briefing, Microsoft showed why Xbox 360 continues to defy industry sales trends. First: A lineup of blockbuster games to ignite every passion, including “Forza Motorsport 3,” “Alan Wake,” “Halo 3: ODST,” and “The Beatles: Rock Band.” Rounding it all out, “Project Natal,” a whole new way to play, no controller required.
“Project Natal”: No Strings (or Controllers) Attached
Unveiled for the first time to the public was “Project Natal,” pronounced “nuh-tall” and a code name for a revolutionary new way to play, no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips or speak, you and your friends can jump into the fun. The only experience needed is life experience.
Compatible with any Xbox 360 system, the “Project Natal” sensor is the world’s first to combine an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor running proprietary software all in one device. Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, “Project Natal” tracks your full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions and even a shift of emotion in your voice.
In addition, unlike other devices, the “Project Natal” sensor is not light-dependent. It can recognize you just by looking at your face, and it doesn’t just react to key words but understands what you’re saying. Call a play in a football game, and players will actually respond.
“The next step in interactive entertainment is to make the controller disappear,” said Steven Spielberg, visionary director and producer. “With ‘Project Natal,’ we’ll see games that bring everyone together through technology that actually recognizes us.”
Games for Everyone
Get behind the steering wheel of the sleek Audi R8. Rock out with your friends to the latest music and party games. Discover a new chapter set in the iconic universe of “Halo.” Xbox 360 has the most celebrated, highly anticipated games and experiences in the industry. With more than 1,000 titles to date, there’s more than just one for you.
• Get behind the wheel. Hit the straightaway in more than 400 cars on the world’s most beautiful tracks in the definitive racing game for this console generation, “Forza Motorsport 3.” Or get your avatar in the driver’s seat as you tear up the track with your friends in “Joy Ride.”
• Adrenaline-rushing exclusives. Xbox 360 is your top destination for the biggest exclusives this year and beyond, including “Halo 3: ODST,” “Crackdown 2,” “Alan Wake,” “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction™” and “Left 4 Dead 2.”
• Tap into your inner musician. Xbox 360 continues to be the preferred venue for the music games you love. Discover the magic of music and The Beatles with “The Beatles: Rock Band” or start a spontaneous singing party with “Lips: Number One Hits.”
