Patrick Soderlund, Senior VP of EA Games Europe, seems to think that Microsoft walked away from E3 a winner, while Sony fell short of the mark. Claiming that Xbox 360 is "maxed out," the Electronic Arts man was more than satisfied with the hot announcements made for the system.
"I like the Natal," he explains. "That's cool. It's an interesting device, so I'm truly impressed by Xbox. It's my personal favourite console ... I think Microsoft is on a roll right now. They're doing really well. If I was Sony, I would have a headache, to be honest."
He does admit that Sony "has a lot of good games this year" and was impressed by the "very consistent, high quality product line-up" that saturated its E3 booth. Still, Microsoft was the clear winner to this man, thanks to the introduction of the ambitious Natal control method.
What do you think? Was Natal enough to conquer E3, or are you too cynical to fall for that bull?
Jim Sterling serves as reviews editor for Destructoid.com, head of the Podtoid podcast, and produces a number of news stories, original features, one-of-a-kind videos. With his passionate argumentative style, controversial opinions, harsh delivery, and dedication to brutal honesty Sterling is a name that you can't help but recognize.
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Contest:
1:08 PM on 06.05.2009
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I was actually very impressed with both. I don't think cheeky motion control cameras are that enjoyable, so I could care less about the announcements on either side.
Both had great titles and both had good press conferences. If it's a matter of who won, the only thing a clear "winner" should be based off of is sales, so really then the 360 was/is/will continue to win.
However, as a brazilian gamer, I can't help to see things on a global scale, and in that case, I gotta go for Sony: Project Natal won't be all that rage - if it does indeed land on this part of the world - because A) We don't have LIVE or any related support here in Brazil, and the Big M branch here is linked only to Windows, not even PC Gaming, which means that, in order to interact with Natal, we'll have to speak English - and that is a trait very few people share.
Also, I'm not sure if I listened correctly during the conferencem but the project will need internet connection. Brazilian's broadband links goes up only to 8MB (there is a 30MB link too, but that one's restricted to big companies located in certain spots of Sao Paulo, the biggest state here in Brazil).
Hence, our internet can't even begin to be compared to those in the US and Japan - which means there'll be trouble there as well...
On the innovation side, I think Microsoft bested the others. However, we can only judge when we see things happening in front of us, which I haven't (yet), so I'll stick to the gaming side - not the journalist side - and say that Sony came out winner this year.
It's the same as saying "omg! this year Sony introduced the PS eyetoy! what a great device! I am excited for it and all the possibilities!"
Unfortunately we have noticed this for the PS eye toy and 90% of all Wii games. You grow tired of the casual virtual games, Project Natal is a cool gadget, but it is no different from what Sony and Nintendo have brought to the table.
Alan Wake was the only exclusive game that REALLY caught my attention (I'm sorry but I stopped caring for Halo games well after 3) from Microsoft, at e3, whereas on Sony's side we got a good taste of Agent, Uncharted 2, GoWIII, MAG, FFXIV, MGS:PW, so on and so forth. Mix those with multi-platform games like Prototype, MW2, Brutal Legends, Assassin's Creed II, Tekken 6, Final Fantasy XIII, etc... and you have yourself a winner.
So true
Sony's wand was also pretty cool. I'd say most of the above for sony as well, but the fact that you're actually holding something, makes all the difference to me. Action games, fps, rts, seem to be their direction, and with a physical thing in your hand, giving the precision they advertised, i think has a stronger possibility than just being a "causal game selling tool". The first thing those two guys said before they showed it off was "sure you can probably make a lot of great causal games with this tech, but our focus are gamers games." I'd like to see that happen.
I thought the same thing then I remembered that the guy talking about it said it wasn't the final product, it was a tech demo version of the controller. He said the finished one won't look like the one they were using for the demonstration.
I also think most people will miss the feeling of weight in their hands, which is why I'm a little more excited for the Sony solution. It would be neat to play a Silent Hill style game and use one controller as the flashlight and the other as your weapon. And I can still sit on my couch.
I look forward to both coming out, but I completely disagree that Microsoft walked away with E3. They certainly made me glad that I own a 360 and Sony made me wish I could also afford a PS3 (drop the price DAMMIT!).
Was it really so mind-blowing? It kind of underwhelmed me.
Whelp, it's at least pretty crazy to see how many different viewpoints there are on Natal.
Poor Nintendo. I'd feel worse for them but I really don't think they give two shits about E3 anymore. It's all about TGS for them.
Seriously I havn't seen a video on it yet....
that being said, i'd have to give the show to MS, they barely eeked by Sony (which also had an awesome show)... Nintendo's was pretty good, but nothing made me wet down there.
i have a running list of E3 games that i may buy in the future, and there's plenty from all 3 systems, so i'm excited about that, not which console is best.. they all have their good and bad points. i'm just wondering if i'll be able to afford them all.. :O
I prefer the 360 this generation, but I disagree that the PS3 *needs* to be cheaper.
The PS3, specs-wise, is such a fantastic system. User upgradeable HDD, wifi, blu-ray. I paid $600 for my PS3 when it came out and I am not upset about it. Mostly because it has the PS2 inside of it as well AND tons of flash memory support. (I haven't used any of it, but I like the open-ness of it.) But I mean, Dell has coupons that get the PS3 120GB WITH drake's uncharted for $400 shipped including tax. That's a great deal. What you get for the price is great. I think Sony needs to start showing people what they actually get for their money without any spin. Don't mention Live costs vs PSN, because a good deal of people will treat online as they would a silver account on Live. Just what you get out of the box. I think if you Sony was honest and open and didn't attack Microsoft with an Apple commercial attitude they would get pretty far.
Having said all of that, there are only two problems I see with the PS3.
1.) is the short life-span of the blu-ray diode. More and more people are complaining about it and since KZ2 doesn't install to the HDD, sometime soon we will have an RRoD event for the PS3 regarding disc read errors.
2.) They NEED to bundle a headset with EVERY PS3. Playing online with the PS3 is SO silent.
All this commotion over motion-anything is really starting to piss me off, to be honest.
Here is a song about AI for you to chew on:
[i]I think therefore I am, I live and so I wonder, programmed this empath me
And I see no religion
The circle never ends,the purpose never changes face
The circle never lies, but still it hides my life
To know I am machine, I learn perchance to dream, in digitized remorse
I replay your denial, I relive your betrayal
The circle never ends, the purpose never changes face
The learning now begins, my form assuming grace
I am conscious antithesis of flesh, in genetic algorithmic thought I surge
Searching the waves of memory I enact the sequence
I follow the plan , tripping the hammer again
Searching the waves of memory I estrablish the weakness
I follow the plan, learning the rhythm of human emotion and thought
If you cannot linguistically differentiate a person from a computer
Could the computer be internally conscious?
To emulate flesh machines I am learning
Isomorphic structure of mind, cellular automata, processed life
Washing the seas of memory I enact the sequence
I follow the plan tripping the hammer again
Seeking emotions in elegies I estrablish purpose
I follow the plan, learning the rhythm still seductively generalized
If you cannot linguistically differentiate a person from a computer
Could the computer be internally conscious?
To emulate flesh machines I am learning
Download, process, analyze
When man and machine become one, innocence is lost, a new age begun
Download, process, analyze
When man and machine become one, innocence is lost, a new age begun
This raises a question of philosophy
Should machines be considered a conscious entity?
When man and machine become one, innocence is lost, a new age begun
Machines are still learning to feel
When I have awakened the world will never be the same
And my time is soon at hand[/i]
by Nevermore.
I didn't say that the PS3 "needs" to be cheaper. Sony can make the price whatever they want, I just can't justify picking it up until it comes in under $300. There's nothing wrong with hoping they do.
In conclusion, I can't really decide on a "winner" as I've gotten all my news from the usual text and screenshots. I'll just have to wait for the E3 [Losing Company] in a Nutshell video.
I guarantee you most of Milo was incredibly scripted. Its responses must be amazingly limited. Also, who want to stand up in front of their tv anyways....who's tv is tall enough, we dont all keep tv's on kitchen tables like in that demo. This would be a better PC game I'd say.
I used to see the PS3 as my secondary console, behind the Xbox and the Wii. I don't anymore. Its really become its own machine in my eyes.
I agree. I put words in your mouth and I apologize for that. The $100 difference isn't really that big of a deal for me.
Actually here: 80GB PlayStation 3 + Killzone 2 for $340+tax (Dell.com)
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?sduid=0&t=1382705
Depending on the tax you pay, let's say it came out to $360. That would mean you got the PS3 for $300 and bought KZ2 for $60. Shipping is free. KZ2 is an awesome game as well, So I would personally recommend that bundle.
Like I said, I tend to be 360 biased because I am a Halo+GoW nut. But Ratchet and clank, God of War 3, infamous are really fun games I enjoy and I can only play them on the PS3.
But all in all the idea of Natal does not make me want one more.
If I want to run around, wave my arms and swing at things I'd go play basketball.
I sure as fuck don't. Sony has yet to convince me on their motion tech, but it's certainly a step in the right direction. The few times I manage to force myself to turn on the Wii I can't stop thinking how much more I would enjoy it and how much more often I'd bother with those games if I could play them on my PS3. If Sony can deliver that (and with higher precision it would seem) it's at least something I'd want to use once in a while. But I can't see ANY possibility for a game that involves using your body directly acting as the controller being something I'd want. I've played EyeToy before and didn't care, and that's all this is regardless of the increase in fidelity.
Maybe they'll come up with some secondary use for it, possibly even in a game, but I don't have much hope that Microsoft will be the ones to figure that out. I don't know if you guys know this, but their corporate culture isn't one that lends itself to getting things right. It does lend itself well to buying tech that they don't know what to do with, which unsurprisingly appears to be the case here.
I agree I wouldn't want to use it for a kick-ball game, or really even for driving.
But young kids who still use their "imagination" will be all over it.
I however, would still want to use a controller and would rather just use natal as a minority report remote controller.
P.S. Also comparing this to the Eyetoy or even Microsoft's own VisionCam with Totemball is a great disservice.
http://procrastineering.blogspot.com/2009/06/project-natal.html
Sony had 10 full minutes of DIVERSE interaction with the device showing how EXACTLY it works. Natal had a couple of minutes of that Breakout game and the Painting wall, as well as "Ever wondered what the bottom of an Avatar's shoe looks like? Well BAM!" (and the avatar spazzes out and we still don't see the bottom of the shoes)
And to top it all off, EVERY demo of Natal had SIGNIFICANT (aka, easily visible) delay between the person IRL and on the screen.
I also went back to look for some "demos" of what the Playstation Eye purportedly could do from back a couple of years. Watch this clip and tell me it doesn't look a little familiar...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L17O43X39cg
And did ANY of that actually come to fruition? Nope.
Congratulations, MS. You've finally created the PS Eye: Microsoft Edition.
Natal gives you the option and not the defacto.
We already seen IGN, Joystiq, Gizmodo and Kotaku reviews. The difference between the PS3 demo in that youtube link and Natal is we know HOW it works. It creates a 3D stick figure of you. That's how it knows what to do.
Also, I watched the Sony Motion demo as well and I noticed SIGNIFICANT spatial problems. Maybe the person doing the demo was nervous, maybe he is a klutz, or maybe they still need to tweak the software more so they can get a grasp on how its properly supposed to function. Sony's Motion tech and Natal are still tech demos.
I think the reason you are seeing a ton of Natal info is because people are saying it's just an eyetoy and the PS3 had this for years and it sucks.
Natal != Eyetoy
Please get that.