Project Natal Pricing and Release Date Revealed 156
tekgoblin writes "According to Edge-online.com, their source says that we can expect Microsoft's Project Natal to cost around $149. 'The figure for the standalone unit is significantly higher than a previous sub-£50 estimate, but less than pricing recently suggested by European retailers. It’s also more expensive than Sony’s Natal rival, Move, which will be available later this year with a game for less than $100.'"
Facial recognition controlled by a 3rd party? (Score:3, Insightful)
A camera? In your house? Connected to a computer not controlled by the owner? That can do individual facial recognition? No fucking way.
This is going to be a massive hit with the "privacy, that's for squares who don't use facebook" crowd, though.
Re:Swedish prices is not a measurement for US pric (Score:3, Insightful)
The previously-leaked pricing has nothing to do with the estimate they're reporting. They're mentioning it because it's background for the article. Journalists often report the background on a story when writing an article to provide context for the particular news item they are reporting. While this may be a mind-blowing novelty for you, it's actually a component of the journalistic style which has been around for quite some time.
Edge is a print magazine which has been running since the early 1990s.
Re:OT: Currency (Score:5, Insightful)
If it costs $149 in the U.S., it's going to cost £140-£160 in the U.K.
Difference between natal and wiimote/PS3 Move (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Terrible headline / body combo (Score:3, Insightful)
"The last foray of MS into this trying to sell games to "casual gamers" was in holidays 2008 IIRC, and it was such a huge failure everybody in the game industry just do as if it never happened."
What exactly are you referring too here? About the only real serious foray into casual gaming Microsoft has made so far with the XBox was with the 1 vs 100 release which was a resounding success with millions of unique players having played and over 100,000 people in a single game. There have been a few casual games released, but they were never done as part of any full blown casual gaming strategy. The major interface change the console saw might be seen as a step towards the casual market I suppose, but again it only ever seemed intended to lay the groundwork for future attempts at pulling in casuals (i.e. 1 vs 100).
"A killer app like Wii Fit isn't even at 50 % of Wii sold, and it's already selling at amazing levels. That's the apps Natal needs to succeed, not just say "it has this and that and can do that"."
Yet your entire argument is based on mere speculation that Microsoft doesn't have any such killer app.
The fact is, anything regarding what will/wont be a success with regards to Natal is mere speculation right now and nothing more. Again, E3 in a few weeks will be the real test for MS to show whether they actually do have something people will want or not. It's only after that point any serious discussion can be had about how worthwhile and succesful Natal may or may not be. Of course, even then the real test wont come until the post release sales figures start rolling in.
Re:Natal is a motion sensing camera for the Xbox (Score:3, Insightful)
Indeed. What would have been wrong with
It would have saved me from clicking on the damned thing to find out that I have no interest whatever in it.
Not shipping with the system from the start = fail (Score:3, Insightful)
The problem Natal has (and Sony's Move) is that the vast majority of 360 and PS3 owners will not have it. It didn't come with the system originally and many aren't going to be willing to pay $100 or $150 to add it. As a result the market, already smaller then the Wii, is going to be infinitesimal. Sure, 3rd parties often produce crap for the Wii, but if you think it's bad there, just wait for the 3rd party games for Natal and Move. Only the most foolhardy of game developers will put any substantial amount of money toward Natal or Move games. These add-ons shouldn't have been add-ons, rather they should start shipping all 360's and PS3s with the respective technology. You shouldn't be able to buy one without Natal/Move. Then at least all new buyers would have it. As it is, they might as well give up now.
Re:Difference between natal and wiimote/PS3 Move (Score:4, Insightful)
Is that the $149 will be good for all users of natal's functionalty WHile multiple players for the wii or the ps3 move may require multiple hardware purchases. Once you start pricing out 2-4 players playing simultaneously, then the prices aren't that different.
I could swear I heard bitter complaints about being forced to buy a bunch of functionality all at once vs parts at a time somewhere at some point even though "the prices weren't all that different."
I just can't recall.
Re:Natal is a motion sensing camera for the Xbox (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Natal is a motion sensing camera for the Xbox (Score:3, Insightful)
You do realize this is the Games section, right?
How could you possibly have even a passing interest in games, and not be aware of Project Natal?