Hasta La Gadget!

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Video: Beatles Rock Band books surprise gig at Xbox 360 meetup originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Jun 2009 07:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re itching to get our own, uh, body time with Microsoft’s Project Natal real time motion-capture accessory for the Xbox 360, but until that happens we’re eagerly soaking up every last bit of footage we can — like this teaser video shown during this morning’s keynote. Lots of little tidbits here, like voice and face recognition, custom texture scanning and mapping, video chatting, and all sorts of use-your-whole-body gameplay applications. Of course, we don’t know how much of this is real and how much is TV magic, but it certainly seems like Natal’s got tons of potential — check the video after the break.

[Via Joystiq]

Continue reading Microsoft’s Project Natal demo video has us jumping with anticipation

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Microsoft’s Project Natal demo video has us jumping with anticipation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 20:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In addition to debuting ten new games for the Xbox 360, Microsoft today kicked of E3 2009 by introducing a number of new features for the console’s online counterpart, Xbox Live, including partnerships with Facebook, Twitter, Last.FM, and the U.K.’s Sky TV.

Music is coming to the platform thanks to an exclusive partnership with Internet radio provider, Last.FM.

The company introduced a number of additions to its existing partnership with Netflix, including the ability to browse categories directly from the Xbox, without having to go through a PC. And users in the U.K. and Ireland will be able to view  movies and TV shows thanks to a partnership with Sky, which offers live TV, including cricket and soccer games, available without the need of any additional hardware.

The platform’s video offerings will be renamed Zune Video, offering video selections in full 1080p.  Zune Video will now be available in 18 countries, up from 8.

A newly announced partnership with Facebook will let users browse photos and enter status updates directly from their consoles. Xbox users will also be able to update users on their statuses via Twitter, thanks to a partnership with that company.

Yes, it’s real. Now you’ll be able to change a tire… virtually. At E3 today, Microsoft finally took the wraps off the that rumored motion controller we’d been hearing about. Apparently the small, black device — codenamed “Natal” — will allow for an astoundingly wide range of actions by utilizing a group of sensors (the box itself sits beneath your TV), and the accessory will be capable of juggling multiple users during a single session. The demo Microsoft showed off included a skateboarding game (replete with a young man “air” ollie-ing), and a family playing a racing game (the dad was changing a tire, the daughter driving).

The add-on will offer features such as auto sign-in for players to Xbox Live (based on complex facial recognition), and sports extremely detailed body tracking which will be able to follow the individual movements of separate limbs. During the press event, the company demoed a painting app, which lets you use your entire body to handle virtual painting supplies, allowing you to do things like throw buckets of paint onto a canvas. Another title was shown off which featured a woman interacting with a young boy on the screen — one of the company’s creepier demos in recent memory. Unfortunately for us, Microsoft says the device won’t be released during 2009. We’re working on snagging some face time (literally!) with a demo unit, so stay tuned… E3 is off to a wild start!

Update: Video added after the break!

Continue reading Microsoft announces “Project Natal” motion controller for Xbox 360!

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Microsoft announces “Project Natal” motion controller for Xbox 360! originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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As rumored, Microsoft unveiled its newest control scheme today: full-body motion control that doesn’t require a controller of any kind called Project Natal. Forgive my excitement, but on first glance this thing looks amazing. Nintendo should watch out. Update: Video after jump.

Project Natal is a bar that sits above or below your TV, much like the Wii’s sensor bar. But instead of sensing controllers, this thing has a camera, sensors and a microphone inside that lets it get an accurate sense of your space and you in it. This lets you control games just by moving around; kicking, jumping, whatever. But that’s really just the start.

What makes this so damned cool is that it lets you do more than just play games with it. You can also move through menus by swiping your hands back and forth. The camera allows for fun features like facial and voice recognition. When you have it running, your Xbox will recognize your face and sign you in automatically.

You can start to imagine the possibilities already. Everything from Minority Report style menu control to Dance Dance Revolution games that require you to actually dance rather than just hit buttons to videoconferencing in your living room, the thing just feels like the future. And it already makes the Wii seem like a gimpy and outdated piece of tech. There’s no way it can touch what this will do.

What makes this so exciting isn’t what they showed off today, which seemed like glorified tech demos. No, what’s amazing is to think about what creative developers will be able to do with the dev kits that just arrived on their doorsteps. This is a whole new way of controlling not only games but what’s quickly becoming the media and communications hub of your living room. Get excited.

Update: Microsoft explains how it works:

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.