God i hope not. I just can not visualize how i can play Gears of War, halo, mass effect with natal. I just want the controller! nothing else

sounds like market confusion to me, just like what happened to the Genesis

hopefully it wont end up like the Genesis..

but I like the idea of evolving the 360 hardware a bit, and even adding Natal as part of the package. Will be interesting to see how this turns out if it does become true.

This would definitely be a good way to extend the life of the 360, as long as they keep the price within a good rang.

More overpriced microsoft products yay like my wifi adapter and charger didnt cost enough.

look, it soesnt take a genious to see microsofts future plans. theyre simply going to have different console packs. i guaratee it will be similar to this:

Xbox Arcade $200-same old arcade bundle as now

Xbox Natal $300- xbox console that comes with natal, no controllers. also includes xbox sports ;)

Xbox Elite $300- same old same old

Ultimate Xbox Experience $400- includes xbox, natl, and two controllers

you got to admit that that is a pretty believable strategy and i think its exacly what MS is gonna do. oh and all current xbox 360 will still work as already stated by MS.

I'm calling bullshit on this.

But if for some stretch it is true from what I read right now I will avoid it like I've avoided the Wii.

Freaking superstitious morons, I hate Them all.
1 Not happening, because ms stated already its an add on.
2 Ms counting on Pioneer laser disk of 400 GB to be in full scale in the beguining of 2011 and ms has value stocks already with them.
3 MS has the 45 NM Chip and 45 nm graphics already in development and will not be install until march 2010.
4 Rare already in development for the natal products and EA its doing the same, this games will not be here until late 2010.
5 PS3 sucks and its not a challenge to MS.
6 All sony droids suck babooms Nuts and those are facts.

i think microsoft said that...

I hope not.

I like the set up now.

Sony and Microsoft push each other, it's led to some amazing games.

I'm pretty sure I started this rumor earlier today....

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere until I wrote an article about it...

I'm going to go deflate my pompous ego now.....g'day...

edit: how can you disagree when my article was submitted to n4g around 2pm? This is fact....nobody else even mentioned natal possibly being the new console for Microsoft....

edit 2: I like the disagrees without reason...hello children...

I call bullshit on the ultimate level of bullshit. This is not a console MS would make unless it's a portable handheld to take out the psp and nds. Even then Natal is not a console, just another gaming experience.

*Reads title that states it as a rumor*

*Reads comments*

*sighs*

Yep...Despite no proof people already go beyond and tell it like its a fact..

if microsoft do that they'll fail

yeah bogus, they will make a new package with natal included but it wont be upgraded, then you can also buy natal as a addon.

Its that simple, natal itself is adding a new experience to the 360

Not only will it be used to play games but it will be used to control the xbox 360 and all its features, SO its doing 2 Big things and not just a new addon to play games.

So when you add natals ability to play games with no controller and the ability to some minority report type stuff by controlling your system with it, plus the way it recognizes the player and can tell if its a male or female, ability to turn on and shut off, the ability to go through menus and such.

That will give the 360 the legs it needs, ms obviously doesnt care that the 360 will be outdated soon. Natal solves that issue.

then in 2 years a new xbox can appear.

This is going to be funny.

are M$ abandoning the hardcore market? :P

LMAO well if it is its even worse than the 360. But i highly doubt this is their next console

Sorry what???

This gen is far from over, seriously if MS releases its new console next year that means all their big games wont be coming to the 360 as the new one will be more powerful.

I understand it'll make them more money but what about us gamers? Yes the 360 might get maxed next year but Im pretty unhappy with this and I hope it stays as a rumor...

Developers wont be happy, real gamers wont be happy, all this will please are the casuals who havent made the jump yet...

Just not sold on the Natal yet. I dunno, but I have a bad back so usually lay in bed when I play and I dont want to stand when playing a game. I can put in 12 hours straight playing Oblivion or whatnot and that would suck on the lower discs. Also, if my phone rings do I have to pause the game to answer it so the game doesn't think I'm interacting with it? What if I scratch my head real quick? Is this is the end of any sort of rumble option, I presume, if one doesn't have a controler to hold?

I can see why MS would being moving in an "innovated direction" but I like my media the way it is. I don't want to swim with the fish, play tennis or weild a sword. I want to be able to lay down, sit down, walk to my kitchen and have all the functionality of my avatar going through my controller.

A new console, with more powerful cpu, better graphics, and Natal as the standard interface? So how does this not further fracture the 360 platform, and piss off all but the most ardent, blind, by-anything-MS-at-any-cost crowd? All old jokes aside, this really does become a 360 v1.5 system.

I mean, think about it. All the online games where you have people with different hardware capabilities going at it - how does this work? I'm just supposed to sit there are get slaughtered by the guy whose system is more responsive, with better frame rate, screen resolution, etc.?

And how is a developer supposed to squeeze out the maximum from the new platform, really push the hardware to deliver amazing new games? How can they do this, yet still make something that's functional on the older, poor stepchild system?

And what's this frikkin' thing going to cost?:
1) Presumably it has to have a hard drive, to undo that whole debacle, especially with the new push for games on demand, etc.
2) Whatever souped-up CPU/GPU/RAM spec they come up with, it's sure going to cost more than what's there today.
3) Then there's Natal itself, with all indications are that it's a fairly involved system, comprising camera(s), IR emitters/sensors, microphone array, and (at least for now) some dedicated processing horsepower itself.
4) Talk about the PS3 being expensive, it's near impossible to see how this could be sold anywhere near the Wii's price point. And isn't that the whole point - to go after the casual & cheap Wii customer?

Mind you, I hope this all comes to pass, as I'll be spectating from the sidelines at the ensuing trainwreck. Aside from the predictable fanboy cheerleading, I'd love for someone to offer a logical response to the points I've made above; maybe there's something obvious I'm overlooking.

It's the release of a new xbox 360. The xbox slim or something.

New price-point, better reliablity, new design, and project natal packed in for 399.

They'll discontinue the arcade, drop the price on the pro and elite and provide natal somewhere between 99 - 149 usd for current owners.

Stupid rumor. The Natel will be first used with the 360 just like m.Soft said. Did you watch the vids? on everyone it was linked to a 360. Yes it will probably be integrated into the next xbox but with Halo reach and gears3 pened for Christmas 2010 you can bet they won't be releasing a new xbox until 2011 at the earliest. Doesn't take a genius. Some people just want the 360 to stop production so that the Ps3 can have a chance of getting out of 3rd place.

Jesus people are thick.

For a while at least I see Natal only being used for mini games/simple type games like you see come out on the Wii. Except with Natal you will play it in a different unique own way that will probably bring in some of the Wii crowd, and keep the real games being played normally. If it does move into the more serious games it's all going to have to be optional controls since not everyone is going to go out and buy it.

If anything they will probably test its popularity as a 360 addon. If its successful they may put it in the next xbox as standard. But I still doubt that MS will forget its hardcore fanbase.

After a long day I always like to chill on my sofa, gaming with controller in my hand. Dont plan to dance around the living room.

does anyone see the making of another sega sega this sound like sega cd or 32x. i wouldnt rest my control of the market on a new system that will probably fail. dont really care about motion control all that much. and to not have a controller is just dumb

M$ is abandoning the hardcore for sure just look at their show at e3

Please god, please god no.

@1.5 totally agree and if I were a shareholder with these results I be voting against another one being built and shut the xbox division down as I would have lost enough already from the hip pocket.

Maybe there going green and recycling any salvagble parts and building a WII knockoff. ;)

Remember he said their competitors will only last like 5 years?, guess what will be in Fall 2010? Xbox 360's 5th year in the game and looks like it will be its last LOL.