680°

Ex-Microsoft Studio Boss: 'Natal Will Fail'

NowGamer: Scot Bayless, a former studio manager at Microsoft, thinks Project Natal will 'fail'. Bayless was a Senior Producer at Sega of America when the 32X peripheral launched for the Mega Drive/Genesis, and thinks a similar fate could befall Microsoft's upcoming add-on...

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coolcut1355781d ago

the ground is brown, green and blue

Cevapi885781d ago

question?? lets say MS finally allows the E3 audience to test out Natal with some new games ok....so what if people in the background walk through Natals sensors since there will be a lot of people? will the device be able to distinguish the player and their movement from those who are walking around in the background?? just curious...

nix5781d ago

oranges are green and orange.

ok one thing we need to learn is that camera based game was already there even during PS2 days (or probably before that). i guess sony realised that there isn't much of a market when it comes to camera-based stuffs. that's why we don't see sony ranting about PS eye.

Blaze9295781d ago

http://www.bone-idle.ie/pag...

"The really cleaver thing about this is it can block out any interference around you. People standing behind you talking or even if the dog runs across the screen the Natal is smart enough to ignore them. Someone can’t just walk into your game and start messing with it. "

Cevapi885781d ago

thanks on the info blaze....much appreciated

Kleptic5781d ago

Nix...the PS move uses the PS eye though right?...not sure what you are saying...

only thing for sure is that if this thing really turns out to be $150...it will go into a death roll almost immediately...that almost the cost of a Wii...and that doesn't even include the 360...

so a bundled 360/Natal would be at least $300 right?...for the skimped 360 sku, maybe $400 for the 'real' 360 with an HDD...too far in this generation to do that MS...

Only way this will work is if MS gets natal out cheap on its own...and INCLUDES it with every 360 sold now...for the current price...thats the ONLY way to defeat the problems the gaming public has with add-ons...companies never do this, which is why add-ons ALWAYS fail...that advice goes the same way for Sony and Move...but the PS Eye is already cheap...most rumors hint at a single move controller and the Eye bundled for well under $100...possibly $60 or so for the controller alone...and even that is a stretch to get people to buy it and a game these days...the cheaper it is, the less like an add-on it is, and the more like a simple peripheral...peripherals can do fine...add-ons can't...that is all...

BattleAxe5780d ago Show
GreenRingOfLife5780d ago

Hmm, seems like this may be true. Also this might mean Sony will fail because developers will be wary about the split market of people who own Move and people who don't

vhero5780d ago (Edited 5780d ago )

I agree with the article (If you read it) have always said I cannot see it taking off the 360 is seen as too much of hardcore machine. Sure this is to get more casual players onto 360 but I think it will fail. People will never see 360 like that. Playstation however can pull it off with move its always had a mixture of hardcore/casual gamers that's why PS2 is the biggest selling console of all time. The wii is 95% casual 5% hardcore and that's why wii sold so much so far but can MS take some of those sales? I doubt it.. Especially not at those prices.. Nobody gonna pay more than a wii when they can get a wii.. Existing users are mostly too hardcore to bother with it. .

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5781d ago
captain-obvious5781d ago ShowReplies(5)
Doc Sony5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

An water is wet !

But in all seriousness, it may be technologically more advanced than the Eyetoy was back in the day, but in the end its still the same thing.

An add-on, a peripheral.

And like the Eyetoy, it will be fun at first but die out real quick.

sid4gamerfreak5781d ago

ooh, ooh my turn! Oranges are....orange....

(*no reaction* )

OT: well said shovelface88...

I for one won't believe the positives or negatives of natal before E3. Once Microsoft actually shows some footage, then the judgements can be imposed.

corneliuscrust5781d ago

GT5 head tracking id be pissed that i still have my eyetoy. Where are all the awesome games you demoed back at launch sony? Eyepet isnt gonna cut it

Grown Folks Talk5781d ago

Eye Toy itself wasn't the issue. The issue was neither Sony or anyone else really supported it with software. Apparently this is not the case with Natal, but we shall see.

tplarkin75780d ago

The 360 HDD is the only add-on to succeed. But, it was a part of the 360 launch. Even so, the developers do not support it completely.

It is too late for any add-on to penetrate the market enough to be considered standard.

The only hope is to make a casual bundle with a new name. Treat it like a new console. Casuals won't know that it's an Xbox 360 with an add-on.

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mookins5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

Roses are red.

Lol...but it is interesting hearing this from an ex-Microsoft guy.

ElementX5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

The Gulf of Mexico is oily

Inside_out5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

Hmmm...lets see...EX employee...Senior producer of Sega...thinks Natal is bad a couple of wks BEFORE it launches....LMAO...Well, if there's a guy that knows about failure it's him....

Move is an add on...Wii has regular controllers...HELLO...definetl y a good thing this guy is an EX employee...I'm curious what he does NOW...lol...fries anyone...

Natal is gonna be huge...to late to cry about it now Sega man...My mind fails me...how did the whole Sega thing work out...lol....

BTW..it's nice to know I don't have to buy a NEW TV to play it...Sony...KZ3 is great, you'll need a new TV & $10 a month to play...Computer...play video...

Biggest5781d ago

I challenge any of the Natal supporters to explain why it will be huge. I want to know why a gamer, as you guys claim yourself to be, feel that Natal will be a great addition to your game experience. I don't care about sales. I don't care about marketing. Please enlighten me.

simplyRealistic185781d ago

lmao your such a f****ing idiot, you dont need a new tv to play killzone 3, you need if you want the 3d aspect

2. natal is not week from launching it launching around fall

3. you talk about failure, he actually work at a big corporation, what was your big achievement in life, oh that right playing the product of a company he worked @

Biggest5781d ago

Since no one wants to tell me why they feel Natal will be a great addition to their gaming experience I guess the "haters" are correct. They highlight the lag, the difficulty recognizing what it is to recognize, and the very exciting game that features one of the most important gaming icons of all time. Of course I mean that lovable character named "Big Red Ballface".

Adrela5780d ago

I was going to explain why Natal is great, then I realized there's no point since this is N4G; home of fanboys.

Moonboots5780d ago (Edited 5780d ago )

Adrela is right.. It would be a waste of time explaining to you. Your comment history is full of hate for anything 360 and MS especially Natal. You are just here to cause flaming and trolling..

I will give it a shot.

How do I think it will add to my gaming? Well, for one I am not totally against motion based games if they are done right. What a great way to get some exercise while enjoying my favorite hobby.

From my hardcore/core experiences I could see it being used in games like Fable. Maybe I do a lot of stuff with the controller but when it comes to combat I use motion for my sword and use the facial and voice recognition for the conversation interaction.

Or playing a game like Gears and I can run up and do melee moves with Natal. Walk up and twist my hands and it snaps the neck of a Locust. Then grab for the controller to run to the next to mow it down with my Lancer.

Of course I'm no developer so who knows what type of interesting ideas they are going to come up with. One thing for sure is many seem excited about it.

Just a couple examples that has me excited for it. And I am excited for Move in the same way.

air15780d ago

Biggest

how about I chalenge you to wait for E3 and wait for Microsoft to enlighten you cause quite frankly you ask the same question on every natal news and no matter what anyone says you will find some kinda consperocy about it

I'll try again though. I'm excited for natal cause of the interface I love the minority report control. The facial recognition voice recognition and the idea of playing games with a controler is sick, like lobbing a grenade or reaching out to open Door in the next RE just little things like that has me excited about natal .

If you just open your mind a little and pretend to be a gamer instead of a pstation you would see that natal has huge potential, so does move.

Moonboots5780d ago (Edited 5780d ago )

come to think of it.. the Eye can do a lot of that same stuff. So in essence if MS is successful with this it might get Sony into it more as well.. Could be great for everyone. And of course it will ALWAYS be optional in the core games so nobody will be forced to use any of it.

I wouldn't mind snapping some necks or doing some wicked melees in God of War 3(or 4?) with the Eye. Combine that with the Move controller for a sword! Sounds like something I just might enjoy playing.

@biggest: I just want to add that if you don't like it that is fine and I do respect your opinion. You just seem extra hard on it..

PiTCHBLaCK5780d ago

Getting exercise is all good for some of us, but I feel sorry for the person who can't walk. so I don't think motion controllers will be for everyone, expecially the handicapped and disabled.

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Syronicus5781d ago

It is sure to fail big. Too bad too since so many xbox fans had so much faith in Natal.

bjornbear5781d ago

most 360 hardcore fans WILL NOT buy natal , possibly due to ridiculous price

ingiomar5780d ago

As a 360 ''fanboy'' i agree it will fail to sell well if the price really is 150... but if they show of some really cool-games at e3 using natal i know i will buy it regardless of the price... but thats just me.

MNicholas5780d ago

but if Microsoft manages to sell even one of those glorified webcams for $149, that alone would be quite an achievement of product marketing.

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Feckles5781d ago

Has Microsoft not learned from the lessons of the 32X, 64DD, MegaCD... and its own HD DVD add-on? Natal is slightly different from those add-ons – admittedly – but at $150 it might as well be the next (failed) console add-on.

Lou-Cipher5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

The only way Natal will succeed, is if Microsoft adds a controller to the mix. They need to swallow their pride and just copy Sony's Move/Camera Combo. (it's not like they are afraid to copy others)

Natal wont appeal to people for very long. The reason Eye Toy failed is because playing games without a controller is not fun for most.

I dont care what kind of advantages Natal has over Eye Toy, as long as you still play games in the same manner, it will lose it's appeal just as fast as Eye Toy did.

Feckles5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

I think Sony might have the right balance with Move – but it needs to be packed in with PS3s and with games like Killzone 3. And cost less than $60 standalone.

Rhythmattic5781d ago (Edited 5781d ago )

Lou-Cipher

I'm Thinking Sony has Patented the Camera/Controller Combo idea, Just as MS did with Crossgame chat and personal Music playback in-game.

corneliuscrust5781d ago

There are many ps3 games with custom sountrack options.

You will definitely be able to use a controller and Natal in tandem.

Rhythmattic5780d ago (Edited 5780d ago )

Opps, Must make myself clearer.... Hey I still could be wrong, just speculating as many a linked blog on N4G.

I believe Cross game chat, and choice of music is system wide on the 360, Correct ?

As for sony , in game music is possible through the individual developers choice, Correct ?

I'm not saying MS cant use Natal in conjunction with their 360 Controller, All i'm saying is the Camera tracking a gaming peripheral (such as move) might be.

Just my 2 beers worth.....

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Nicholas Cage5781d ago

i agree. and i know when this gets in the publics hands its going to be unrealistic how microsoft intended them to use it. people want remotes, they love them, dont fix whats not broken.

tudors5781d ago

maybe your right but hopefully you loose your remote more than you loose your hands, and this guy Tom Hopkins seems to have a real high opinion of himself.

kratos1235781d ago

wow it gets worse and worse every time it gets some news

palaeomerus5781d ago

Nah, it's just the usual silly people freaking out over rumors trying to spin ANYTHING they hear as bad because they are childish and angry that other gaming companies exist and prosper.

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70°

Two more senior Xbox leaders exit Microsoft

Microsoft has lost another two long-serving members of its senior team: corporate VP of partnerships, business development, and marketing, Lori Wright, and general manager of gaming AI at Xbox, Haiyan Zhang. Both announced their departures on LinkedIn.

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eurogamer.net
Paik3d ago

Who?

Also an AI person leaving is a good thing

SimulationDaily2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

People in this industry move around. People's reaction to this kind of (usually irrelevant) article is always hilarious.

Of course, it's a weekend, so you can't expect the "contributors" at Eurogamer to contribute anything relevant. Finding real gaming news is hard for some 😂

VenomUK2d ago

Xbox influencer Colt Eastwood made a complete fool of himself, again. He posted his assumption that Asha Sharma fired the staff, but when Haitian Zhang politely refuted his claim he deleted his tweet!

https://x.com/jamiesact/sta...

peppeaccardo3d ago

Abandon ship ... Abandon ship ....

darthv722d ago

Its the ones who were part of the team that decided on taking XB games 3rd party.... no real loss.

fr0sty2d ago

Microsoft's shareholders and CEO made that call, not Xbox.

gold_drake3d ago

they've definitely worked there for too long. their responses are "me me me me" shit.

no sane person talks like that.

1Victor3d ago

You know what the sailors say about sinking ships

2d ago Replies(6)
1Victor2d ago (Edited 2d ago )

@Maximus:” @elda - why bother replying to that delusional clown?”
.
The worse part is the wasted time replying and then getting erased when his account get banned

2d ago
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40°

Indie studio Speculative Agency returns Microsoft Xbox funding and urges others to boycott

Indie studio Speculative Agency - which is currently making "a narrative courtroom deck-builder about ordinary people who make the powerful pay for destroying our future", called All Will Rise (quote from Kickstarter) - has made the brave decision to return funding given by Xbox and Microsoft to join the No Games For Genocide boycott.

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eurogamer.net
StarcrossedBits12d ago

Oh good lord. Could Eurogamer wear their politics more overtly on their sleeve? While I disagree with Speculative Agency's decision the article by Eurogamer is painful. It's not a news article, its a propaganda opinion piece. Consider the language used:
*"Brave decision to return funding" -- A proper article would have said 'made the decision' or 'made the difficult decision'. Saying 'brave' editorializes in a way that isn't appropriate for news article.
*"All Will Rise narrative director Meghna Jayanth - renowned for her work on Inkle's 80 Days and, more recently, the genre-mash-up skateboarding dating game Thirsty Suitors" -- The writer is significantly exaggerating the relevance of this person. They are not renowned. I'm a former game journalist who is obsessed with game development and indie games and I vaguely remember those games as minor blips and nothing of real note. The narrative director is definitely not a well known name (something required to be 'renowned').
*The article provides no critical thought or counterpoint, nothing to to push back the idea that Microsoft is contributing to genocide. In fact the opposite, it accepts the statement as truth and then links to a video to educate their uninformed viewers about the evil of Microsoft. (Of course, Eurogamer has accepted significant funds from Microsoft)

TheGamersDojo11d ago

Yep, I stopped reading relatively quickly when I learned what it was about. They, like many other sites, have gone from one of the greats to unfortunate political propaganda site in recent years.

1nsomniac11d ago

… so no one cares about your opinion either. You’re a no one. What does it matter.

Huey_My_D_Long11d ago

Over 35 States enact laws on restricting BDS to protect Israel, but yeah this one piece is propaganda and needs to do both sides? Because it needs to offer counter points that MS is not contributing to a Genocide? Despite the business dealings they have with Israel like "Microsoft's cloud computing and AI services have been used by the Israeli military to facilitate its operations in Gaza and for mass surveillance of Palestinians"
.
I mean if you dont think there is a Genocide...how about you just say so? Or that MS services are not helping Israel in their efforts. Seems like propaganda already got to you
I see why you are a former journalist

Christopher11d ago

I mean, everything Microsoft (and Sony and Nintendo and Valve) puts out is also propaganda for their company. Are we criticizing every bit of propaganda or just Eurogamer?

I get your point, but it seems to be from an echo room and not as the industry as a whole.

Personally, I'm fine with people having their own opinions. Doesn't change mine.

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80°

Microsoft quietly retires 'This is an Xbox' marketing campaign

What is an Xbox now?

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gamedeveloper.com
Lightning7713d ago

Had a strong feeling they'd do this. Ok that's one step inthe right direction. Baby steps because the moment they do anything drastic they step on rakes.

Next give ppl reason to sub for 30$ a month to for GP. Second is the lower the price. They want to return to Xbox they need to be attractive again. Lower price won't sell them out as it's too late this gen but it's something.

1Victor12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

@lighting: “Baby steps because the moment they do anything drastic they step on rakes.”
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The first thing that came to mind while reading that was Tom setting the last mouse traps in a corner with the whole room full of them 🤣
.

@Christopher: “because without them it would just be two very different console markets doing whatever they want without someone to remind them to do their best constantly.”
.
I partly agree with you where I disagree is that there will never be only 2 consoles there will always be a company/corporation willing to jump in and fill the 3rd spot, Microsoft is shaking for the next gen and Valve is already getting gritty to take that 3rd spot from them.

TriniOutsider12d ago

This is wishful thinking, how can they drop the price of game pass? When just few months they raised the price of subscription service?

PRIMORDUS12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

I wish it would it have read Microsoft quietly retires Xbox, and just develop/publish games. The Xbox name doesn't mean anything anymore, the 360 era was the best they ever had.

Christopher12d ago

Look, I'm no fan of where they've taken the brand, but it's still one of the strongest brands out there regardless of where it is currently. We're in a small market and none of the big 3 are hurting to a point where they need to close shop or anything. And we need Xbox out there, because without them it would just be two very different console markets doing whatever they want without someone to remind them to do their best constantly.

peppeaccardo12d ago

SONY has done its best since PS1 with no need of MS reminder, funny enough MS has done its worse even though there are two other consoles reminding otherwise .... u see the light ?

isarai_lee12d ago

And only the first half of that, god that was such a great time to be an xbox gamer.

Rockstar12d ago

I had a blast with the OG Xbox. Many LAN parties in a friend's basement. Not to sound old but those were the days!

Lightning7712d ago

Yeah no...

Unless you're a fanboy but nobody cares what fanboys want or think.

Zerobalance12d ago (Edited 12d ago )

The PS fan media are always having a pop at MS but as a gamer I've had no issues playing my Xbox games, my PC games and cloud games. I've benefited from playing my games everywhere. For over three decades I've enjoyed many games. The media's failure, especially this site to have balanced view on anything Xbox is childish. The Xbox move to PC is an excellent idea. An open platform, endless possibilities and no fake paywalls. Don't forget that in the UK Sony has a class action against it for anti competitive practices. No one is reporting this. All those gamers ripped off and over charged. And don't forget Valve too. They are too powerful as well. Change is good.

isarai_lee12d ago

You do realize the intent is to go after every major digital market place, PlayStation just happened to be first but the class action lawsuit statement names xbox marketplace, apple store, Nintendo online store etc. they're all guilty, so holding it as something ms has over ps is dumb

ocelot0712d ago (Edited 12d ago )

Valve the peoples store choice on PC also has the same class action against them here in the UK.

It's not valve fault competing store front are rubbish. Barely any pc gamers want to buy from the MS/Xbox app or epic games or Uplay as they are garbage compared to steam.

As for Sony they have no competition unless you consider Nintendo there competition. Both lawsuits are going to go no where. Sony ain't forcing anyone to buy a playstation or to even buy digital for that matter. People can go and buy a switch to or for some reason a Xbox series or a pc.

Same goes for valve. People are free to go and use other store fronts if they wish valve ain't keeping them hostage.

They will probably try it with Nintendo next.

Z50112d ago

"especially this site"

Isn't this site an aggregate?

The_Blue12d ago

This site uses being discontent with Xbox as a cultural requirement.

Rockstar12d ago

This site uses being discontent with Xbox as a cultural requirement...now.

I fixed it for you.

Were you here during the PS3/Xbox 360 console wars? It was a hard time to be a Sony fan...

Christopher12d ago

Lot of victim complex up in here. You can like whatever you like here. Ain't no one giving others crap unless they go full console war. There's a difference between liking a platform and joining the war.

SimpleDad12d ago

Campaign was confusing af for the average consumer.

Next campaign: Everything is a console.

Yi-Long12d ago

Always hated this campaign. It goes against everything I want from a gaming-console.

An Xbox should be an Xbox. A dedicated home-console, focused on a pure console-gaming experience. Which, for me, means ease of use, physical ownership, no online demands, etc.

I wish we would just go back to the basics in this industry.

ocelot0712d ago

I agree but they started to ditch that right after the successful 360 era

Ninver11d ago

Greed was their downfall

Yi-Long11d ago

Halfway during the 360 era, I'd argue, when they had a massive success with 360 console gaming, then saw what Nintendo was doing with Wii, and went after that audience with Kinect. That's when it all went very downhill, very fast.

Their XBO announcements killed them.

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