With the news that Project Natal would offload the image processing to the Xbox console – as opposed to handling those duties in hardware on the device itself – and consume as much as 10 to 15 percent of the console’s overall “computing resources,” we became concerned that the potential for “supplemental” input in core games would be blunted. When asked what percentage of the Project Natal-enabled games in development would be Natal-exclusive as opposed to Natal-enhanced titles, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg told Joystiq, “Our focus is on most if not all them will fall into that category of completely unique, brand-new experiences for Natal.”

“We’re going to manage the portfolio very carefully and our focus is going to be on bringing completely brand new original experiences to the market when we launch Natal,” Greenberg said. “We’re not looking at just adding little Natal components to games, we’re looking at how do we actually bring an entirely new category of controller-free games and entertainment to the market so I think that’s where we will continue to focus.”

But that doesn’t mean that other developers aren’t able to supplement their game’s input with Natal controls. After the release this holiday, “developers will have that out there at their fingertips if they want to enable those features,” Greenberg told us. “But I can’t speak to what that means from a game development standpoint. As far as I’m aware, there’s no real sacrifice.” But Greenberg wasn’t just talking up “new games” and “new ways to navigate” the console, but Microsoft is mysteriously promising “new entertainment-like experiences that will be enabled” because of the new interface.

With the “focus” on “controller-free games” and not just adding “little Natal components to games” we’re left wondering how Peter Molyneux’s Fable 3 – which he confirmed will have Natal support – will implement that support. With a 2010 launch for both Fable 3 and Project Natal, we expect it will be one of the device’s bellwether games.

Project Natal focus on ‘brand-new experiences’ not ‘little Natal components’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Discussing specifics of the company’s forthcoming Project Natal, Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg told Joystiq, “We think that there will be millions of Natals in consumer’s homes this holiday.” To put that number into context, Microsoft sold 2.3m Xbox 360 consoles and Nintendo sold 1.7m copies of Wii Fit with bundled Balance Board in the US during the months of November and December, 2008.

“Millions” of Natal units in a single holiday season is certainly an ambitious goal and one usually out of reach of most video game peripherals; however, Project Natal will be released with more than a year of hype behind it, not unlike the highly anticipated Wii Fit. With more than 39 million Xboxes worldwide, there’s certainly a large enough platform footprint, and Greenberg (re)assures us that Project Natal will work on every Xbox 360 released to date, whether a hard drive is present or not. “As far as I’m aware, there is no requirement for a hard drive,” Greenberg said.

There is a 50mb software package that powers some of Natal’s magic, which raises concerns that original Xbox 360 Arcade units wouldn’t have the storage availability to use Natal. Greenberg assuaged our concerns, reminding us of Microsoft’s NXE outreach, offering a free 512mb Memory Unit or a discounted hard drive. “It’s kind of like the digital TV conversion you know, [subsidizing] the box,” Greenberg said. “We did that with the New Xbox Experience because it did require some space and so we feel like now we’re in an environment where we feel like we’re fine.”

Greenberg: ‘millions of Natals in consumer’s homes this holiday’ originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scrap Metal rolls onto XBLA this Spring originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 09 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I recently had a chance to check out their PIXMA MP990 printer. What’s great about having printers such as the MP990 support Device Stage is that all that you need for all your printing and scanning needs are all on one screen. It’s a one-stop-shop for managing your printer.

The PIXMA MP990 also supports Jump Lists in Windows 7 too!

Special thanks to Canon for giving me the chance to check out the MP990.

Did you know AMD has shipped 2 million of its DirectX 11 capable graphic processors?

Three years after being unveiled at CES, Microsoft’s Mediaroom software is finally coming to Xbox 360 (in the form of Mediaroom 2.0) “later this year” thanks to AT&T’s U-verse service. But, that’s all the details we had. Until today, when we spoke with Xbox’s Aaron Greenberg as well as a Mediacenter spokesperson on the show floor who, between the two of them, managed to answer most of our questions.

First, we asked Greenberg to explain the three-year delay between the technology’s 2007 debut and this announcement. “Well, the technology that we showed [in 2007] was brand new and showing that it worked,” Greenberg said. “What we then did was we went out to the IPTV content providers and said, ‘Hey, now this is an option for you.’” And that option was, of course, to use the Xbox 360 to deliver IPTV content. Greenberg said, “So the technology works … the Xbox 360 can serve as a set-top box, be a DVR, and run Mediaroom.” But not so fast! We got a tour of the service and found a few disappointing shortcomings to that nominally appealing feature-set.

Continue reading Details, limitations of Xbox 360 Mediaroom 2.0 IPTV support

Details, limitations of Xbox 360 Mediaroom 2.0 IPTV support originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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After the break, we’ve embedded off-screen footage of the faux-retro downloadable game’s stadium stage, captured and written up in preview form by The Mega Man Network. Capcom didn’t allow the boss’s name to be released, so it’s just “the stadium stage” for now. The MM Network blogger managed to play, and record, the stage in both normal difficulty and the new Easy Mode, allowing us to see some of the differences. It’s especially notable in the goal post mid-boss area: in normal difficulty, there’s a spiked ball that constantly slams into Mega Man, but in Easy Mode that obstacle is absent, making the boss a fairly simple matter. At the end, the game announces that, like Mega Man 9, there will be DLC and a time attack mode.

Mega Man 10 will be available on Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 as a download in March.

[Via GoNintendo]

Continue reading Mega Man 10 footage caught on tape

Mega Man 10 footage caught on tape originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just like Capcom has done for Super Street Fighter IV, the publisher’s unloaded a healthy dose of new Lost Planet 2 media during CES 2010. In our gallery below, you’ll find we’ve tactically placed seven new screens to study, each with the requisite number of explosions and gigantic metal killing machines. Oh, and light bloom. There’s a lot of that.

If moving pictures are more your speed, head past the break to observe a group boss battle against Akrid X, courtesy of GameVideos.

Continue reading No light lost in these Lost Planet 2 screens

No light lost in these Lost Planet 2 screens originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You can check out the new screens in our gallery below, but you’ll have to jump past the break for the conclusion of this two-part combo of fresh gameplay clips. It’s totally worth it, we assure you.

Continue reading Here’s Muay Super Street Fighter IV media to Thai you over

Here’s Muay Super Street Fighter IV media to Thai you over originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peripheral manufacturer Razer is dipping its shaved toes in the console market, announcing “preliminary approval” from Microsoft to produce an Xbox 360 controller and headset. The $50 wired Onza — that’s the controller — will have Razer Hyperesponse technology that’ll “give faster actuation and a crisp, tactile feel.” What’s that now? Oh, oh, we pressy the buttons and they make the things happen? Gotcha! Why not just say that? That’s what we want from a controller.

The Razer Chimaera headset, which will retail for $130, features 5.1 channel virtual surround sound. The headset also allows “multiple Razer base stations to be connected to create a direct, private communication channel for in-game team conversations” — or the rest of us can just start a party chat? Best part, though, the “circumaural design of the headset allows for optimum noise isolation for long-hours of comfortable gameplay.” Thus allowing gamers to totally tune out their parents, spouse, or crying and hungry child.

[Via GX]

Razer wants cut of Xbox 360 peripheral business originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Jan 2010 19:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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