14 DAY TRIAL // The Xbox 360 is a very popular console that is selling quite a lot of units thanks to its low asking price and the fact that it has a pretty big library of games that appeal to many types of players out there.
Microsoft, the company behind it, hopes to achieve even bigger sales when it will introduce its motion-sensitive technology in the form of Project Natal. We've heard a lot of things about it, as the Redmond-based company has hyped it up quite a bit, but it now seems that things have gotten a bit out of hand, and that rumors are circulating about a new Xbox, which would either be a revamp or a completely new model.
It also seems that there isn't a lot of communication at the large corporation, as its CEO, Steve Ballmer, recently declared at a meeting in Chicago that a new Xbox 360 would arrive in 2010, and would be equipped with a “natural interface” and a built-in camera. This sounds extremely familiar to what Natal will bring to the table in terms of equipment, so Ballmer might potentially refer to a new type of Xbox 360, which would have the Natal technology embedded.
But as soon as the story hit gaming websites, Microsoft' director of Product Management for the Xbox 360, Aaron Greenberg, revealed that there would be no new console and that: “We're not going to be launching a new console any time soon. We want to make sure people know that we're excited about Project Natal. But we're barely halfway through this generation. We're happy with the Xbox 360, so there are no changes from that standpoint. For the time being, we're really just showing a whole new category of gaming.”
When asked if Microsoft considered embedding Project Natal into a brand-new Xbox 360 configuration, Greenberg revealed that: “Yes, we have looked at that, but we haven't announced any details for something like that. We are saying that the Natal will run on the Xbox 360, so there's no new hardware to purchase. What we're doing that's unique is, instead of asking you to invest in a new generation of hardware, a generation that's already well established, extending the experience even longer by adding this whole new category of experiences with Project Natal. We're changing the rules a little bit just like we did with the New Xbox Experience.”
With two statements from executives coming head to head, things are still quite blurry for Xbox 360 fans. Hopefully we will know a few certain things in the near future about the platform and Project Natal.