14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is aiming to make 2010 a banner year for its Xbox 360 home console, holding back a renewed assault from the PlayStation 3 from Sony while also possibly closing in to the console sales number one position currently held by the Nintendo Wii. And with a good beginning of the year reflected in the NPD Group numbers for January, the Redmond-based company is keen on offering more exclusive content for its platform while working on Project Natal, which is set to revolutionize control of titles on the device when it arrives in the fall.
Talking about the announcement of a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 exclusive downloadable content pack coming during the spring, Steve Beinner, who is the product manager at the Xbox Group, has stated that “Xbox Live is one of our big differentiators, so the idea of having exclusive DLC, keeping our players engaged - I love it. When we talk about exclusivity, Live is a differentiator for us. And if we can bring exclusive content to our consumers, we will do it. So working closely with our third-party partners to secure that exclusive content is priority one.”
The Microsoft man also talked about the Game Studios division working on bringing more titles to Xbox Live Arcade, as it did in 2009 with Shadow Complex. Creating smaller experiences that gamers can quickly buy and download is important as the company has more and more games to put out and as publishers move to spread out their releases all over the calendar year.
Beinner also says that Project Natal, the motion tracking solution that the software giant showed off at E3 last year, will really change the way players look at the Xbox 360. In the coming months, the company will offer more details on the device itself and on the videogames that will accompany it when it is released, with E3 2010 being the probable venue for a big announcement.