Project Natal Launch Date & Pricing Rumor...

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Jerome36

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A supposed leak from closed-door Microsoft meetings in the UK has made its way to MCV, who has all sorts of new details on Project Natal's launch next year. Rumor is that the device will be released worldwide in November 2010 (we've heard "late next year" before), with 5 million camera units ready for day one, included in solo and console-bundled SKUs. Word varies on the price, with some saying "under £50" (about $84 USD), while others say as low as £30, about $50 USD. Apparently Microsoft is aiming for "impulse buy" territory, and it makes sense to subsidize the unit and make that money back in games sales, like a regular console launch (which Microsoft sort of sees it as, in many ways). There are supposed to be 14 games readied for launch, but no specifics on which developers that've signed up for Natal work will be among those on launch day.

~Full Engadget Article
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Back during E3 I think a lot of us figured, or were hoping for a below $100 price, with the exception of one particular posted ;) Anyway, this is just rumor, but a $50 price tag would be pretty good. Hopefully there's some interesting games that put the tech to good use.
 
For a price that low, maybe there will be note-worthy development for the add-on. I got burned pretty bad by the Wii, so I'm still a little paranoid.
 
Yeah, I'd grab one for that sort of cash. Even if I only ended up using it a few times.
 
$50?

If Microsoft can get Natal out there for this price, its going to sell.. and sell well. Thats impulse buy right there. Of course, the big unknown with Natal is the software. Everything shown at E3 were simple demos thrown together by Spawnpoint Studios, and not what Natal launch will look like. Rare is focused on Natal, as are other MS studios so I'm expecting we'll see some good software. Time will tell, but software will be the driving force.

Microsoft needs to pull in new audiences, while not alienating the core base they have. This means, core games coming out next holiday will likely have some kind of Natal support built into them. Fable 3? Halo Reach? I wouldn't be surprised to see a core franchise game built specifically for Natal. Remember, MS has stated several times that Natal can be used by itself but most like in combination with the existing controller. This device isn't meant to be an all or nothing solution.

So with aggressive pricing, good software and a large marketing budget.. I can see this device actually working. MS plans on bundling Natal with newer 360 SKUs, and if the 5 million unit numbers are even close to legit .. show that MS is really behind Natal as the future of the Xbox brand and not just an accessory.

In the end, I think many core gamers are scratching their heads at Natal, not sure what is there for them. I suspect MS knows this and will likely present some core software that will showcase Natal for everyone and not just soccer moms. Natal gets tons of hate, and tons of praise but I think we'll all find out what its all about as we get closer to E3.

Personally, I'm banking on some surprising software that will really wow people. Until now, we've seen nothing but crappy demos over and over.
 
I'm thinking this would be REALLY cool with RockBand, GH, et al.... You could do like leg kicks and head banging to get special bonuses going, all the while wailing away on the guitar controller....
 
The most most important thing to me is that it works in low light, it's been said by MS that it does but I'm still skeptical since Sony said the same thing about the new PSeye that was released last year and it doesn't perform worth a shit in low light.

And I'm seriously skeptical on MS selling it on the cheap, they are not known for selling affordable peripherals.
 
Bohica69 said:
I'm thinking this would be REALLY cool with RockBand, GH, et al.... You could do like leg kicks and head banging to get special bonuses going, all the while wailing away on the guitar controller....
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I want to see this too. I have a bad feeling the initial push of games will not be using a combination of Natal along with a standard input device like a controller or guitar. Based on all the demos and displayed video so far, they have not yet involved a controller in anyway. This would basically shatter music games, since there is not way that thing is going to accurately pick up fingers on an air guitar fret board :p
 
Creepingdeath1977 said:
The most most important thing to me is that it works in low light, it's been said by MS that it does but I'm still skeptical since Sony said the same thing about the new PSeye that was released last year and it doesn't perform worth a shit in low light.
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Natal has a separate IR camera. In theory, it should work quite nicely in low-light conditions. (I am vaguely recalling this was even tested by some bloggers, but perhaps I am misrecalling.)

And I'm seriously skeptical on MS selling it on the cheap, they are not known for selling affordable peripherals.
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As others have said, selling this thing cheap in order to sell more games would make a certain amount of sense.
 
although ill be buying it no matter the price, if its $50 then ms will be losing shot loads on it or it will be shit or a real let down
 
Actually Rash, the original developers of the camera said that they could do it for $69.99 in a bundle with a game... and that's without the scale that MS will be pushing. This tech aint expensive, people just got it into their heads that it somehow should be.
 
Psychotext said:
Actually Rash, the original developers of the camera said that they could do it for $69.99 in a bundle with a game... and that's without the scale that MS will be pushing. This tech aint expensive, people just got it into their heads that it somehow should be.
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Fair enough, i just envisioned it to be, maybe it was all the reading about natal having its onboard processor so none or hardly any of the 360s cpu has to be used making me think the hardware will be expensive, i think deep down im just feeling that we wont see the true benefit until the 360s successor is out. I still think th bundled game will be something like a tech demo. Sorry to be negative but i need to see some games running without loss of too much detail.
 
Creepingdeath1977 said:
The most most important thing to me is that it works in low light, it's been said by MS that it does but I'm still skeptical since Sony said the same thing about the new PSeye that was released last year and it doesn't perform worth a shit in low light.

And I'm seriously skeptical on MS selling it on the cheap, they are not known for selling affordable peripherals.
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Natal uses a 2 cameras, infrared. Basically they can see in the dark. Also, pricing model for Natal will not follow other accessories. Its important to understand the fundamental difference between the two, from a business standpoint. All current accessories are used to supplement the gaming division. Microsoft takes the hit on other products, makes price cuts etc.. and supplements those losses with accessories. A $99 wireless adapter is priced so, firstly because its optional and secondly because they can. Natal will be used as a means to generate software sales, re-invent the brand, and extend the life of the platform. Its basically a mid generation boost to carry the 360 into its successor a few years from now. Its completely different from a wireless adapter or racing wheel. Microsoft has gone on record stating that they fully plan on bundling Natal in future 360 SKUs, pricing it competitively, and backing it as the future of the brand.

Microsoft is planning on spending millions on marketing this product and basically re-launching the 360 at the same time. It would be a fundamental mistake for them to price this device over $99. Matter of fact, it would be a mistake to price it at $75 if you ask me. However, I'm expecting we'll see something like $75+bundled game. They need to get Natal in as many hands as possible, so there are a few ways to do this.

1. Bundle it with a game at a cheap price.
2. Bundle it with 360 SKUs

1 could be done several ways. It could be bundled with some Wii Sports like game to attract the Wii audience, and it could also be bundled with say Halo Reach to get the device adopted by the core base. I'd be willing to bet a large sum of money that their model will be something like this. I fully expect core franchise titles to have built in Natal 'support' at its launch. Whatever the flagship franchise title is next holiday season, expect Natal support.

edit. I like the idea that someone had about a Rockband-like game using Natal to capture body movements for in game bonuses. This is the type of stuff I think the core will go for. Supplemental gaming experience, instead of Natal replacing the controller. In the end, we're all geeks and I don't understand the hate this device gets. Its mind-boggling awesome technology, fucking full body motion capture. Sure we saw some shit demos but I would hope an educated, intelligent geek has the foresight to see the potential this device has.
 
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Two cameras, one is infra-red sensor with infra-red lighting and the other one has enough resolution to recognize a face 10" away from the camera? Good if they are selling it at $50 but I'm sure the cost is much higher for them. I wonder whether the hardware will come with some sort of data processing chip or the data will be processed on the console CPU.
 
Who cares about the hardware. If the games are shit, it'll go nowhere. Wake me up when there's actually some compelling software.
 
alg7_munif said:
Two cameras, one is infra-red sensor with infra-red lighting and the other one has enough resolution to recognize a face 10" away from the camera? Good if they are selling it at $50 but I'm sure the cost is much higher for them. I wonder whether the hardware will come with some sort of data processing chip or the data will be processed on the console CPU.
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There's on-camera processing, but, obviously, a fair amount of work will need to be done by the 360 as well.
 
It's not really the most complex stuff in the world to handle anyway. You're just dealing with a number of points in 3D space.
 
Games with button-press QTE sequences are going to get a massive immersion boost if they use Natal properly. Why press A to counter-punch your assailant when you can flail around and do the same thing? These games typically already have long cutscenes before+after QTE events, so there really shouldn't be any negative impact in terms of the user letting go of the controller, either.
 
imo $50 is the MAX you can try to sell a peripheral and have it actually catch on
devs wont dedicate much time to a niche market
 
Psychotext said:
It's not really the most complex stuff in the world to handle anyway. You're just dealing with a number of points in 3D space.
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The face recognition too? The technology behind this is quite expensive but as long as they don't apply the cost to the consumer then it will sell.
 
I still want to see how well this thing works. I thought the promo video was ridiculous and I was never able to play the game that came with their previous camera because apparently you have to stand against a solid color wall.
 
yeah if this sells for 50 dollars ill end up throwing my Wii in the closet and using my 360 for more then just forza 2 and 3..
 
DragonMasterAlex said:
I think he meant for the Live Vision camera (which was a shitty camera).
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Bah, I think you're right. I was thinking he was talking about the previous concept or something, like when it was shown at E3. I don't know what was going through my head :) Either way it seems like this Natal camera setup does a much better job, though the IR camera is probably a REALLY big help.
 
If you look at Microsoft SYNC (the feature in the ford cars) the hardware for that costs like 30 bucks. So, using that as a guide, I think they could get the price of the Natal hardware down pretty low..... So $50 isn't outside the realm of possible chance.
 
Jerome36 said:
Bah, I think you're right. I was thinking he was talking about the previous concept or something, like when it was shown at E3. I don't know what was going through my head :) Either way it seems like this Natal camera setup does a much better job, though the IR camera is probably a REALLY big help.
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No doubt! Between the two cameras the system should have very little problem detecting positions of all sorts. It really is quite the clever setup when you get right down to it, in spite of the naysayers. Now all that's left is: what will the implementation look like?
 
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