Ubisoft working on 10 Project Natal titles, 4-5 PS Wand games

There will be no lack of games for Project Natal and Sony's "Wand" controller at launch, at least not from Ubisoft. That's what the company said in their first half of 09/10 results call.

Ten Project Natal games and Five for Sony's Wand. The announcement was made by Ubisoft president Yves Guillemot. He said that over 70 percent of the titles for both motion devices are new IPs. The games for Natal will be released six months ofter it's release.

Next year will be an interesting one. It'll be a sight to see how these motion controllers are received by gamers. I for one don't care too much about jumping up and down all over my house trying to play a game; so the only way I'll be getting the device is if Microsoft and Sony send them to GamesThirst. Other than that, I'll watch from the sidelines.

11/30/09 Ernice Gilbert

Microsoft says Natal could replace remote controls

Gamers have long feared news like this, but then again, what's there to fear? Will we trade in our controls for a motion sensing device? If left to Microsoft, that answer would be yes.

According to Xbox Live general manager, Marc Whitten, we could soon see the death of the control in the not too distant future.

Speaking at a streaming media west show, he described the growing amount of 360 video applications as the "biggest surprise" of his work.

"With the flick of my wrist I can change a channel. With the power of my voice I can start a movie," he said.

"I don't believe we're in the golden age of television or the golden age of game console or the golden age of the internet; frankly, five years from now I know that you'll be able to tell the difference between those worlds."

So what say you? Giving up on controllers anytime soon?

Thanks GI.

11/27/09 Ernice Gilbert

GH5 Dir.:Motion controls could bring new life into genre

So you're dreaming of using Natal whilst playing Guitar Hero 5? What about using two of Sony's motion controllers dubbed "Sphere" to help you become the biggest baddest Rock band drummer? Keep your hopes up, because you're not alone. Brian Bright is the project director for Guitar Hero 5, and he shared some interesting outlooks with Playstation: The Official Magazine.

"I think if we just continue to focus on what makes a game fun and if we can come up with gameplay stuff like the jump-in, jump-out [co-op added by GH5] - stuff that's fun and not just a gimmicky and just really compelling," Brian said when asked about the staying power of rhythm games. "I think there's staying power in there. And I'm pretty excited about Natal and the Sony motion control stuff they announced at E3. That could bring new life to the genre as well," he relayed.

PTOM: What kind of role might motion controls play in music games?

"The obvious things would be like motion controls," Brian continued. "The camera tracks you: you're doing stuff and your guy on screen is doing stuff now. Animations systems are pretty complicated and there's a lot of massaging of the data to go through, but that could be one.

"Also, if you look at our music studio, I could see Minority Report-style building blocks, putting musical blocks together in a virtual space and creating music really easily."

"When I used to sit in middle school, I would always do drum beats on the desk. So now with frequency analysis and the ability to map those frequencies to different samples, if you do this [drums on table with hands] you can map this to a kick drum and sample this to a snare and have it in real time - we're playing a drum machine," he said.

"So maybe there's a way to do that through audio. Or maybe if I hum something, it creates a melody and that becomes a building block that I can paste somewhere else. I mean, just integration between audio and motion control, we can take music creation and make it even more fun than what we've been able to with a guitar controller. It's really fun to create music if you can remove the tedium," Brian concluded.

Sounds like fun or like work? You decide.

10/24/09 Ernice Gilbert

At first, Natal will be expensive

Think that fancy named new device from Microsoft would be cheap from the onset? Ha, think again, because the execs in Redmond apparently got pricier plans. Speaking to an audience at a Microsoft open house event, Xbox boss Robbie Bachs said:

"Relative to Natal we'll see how the pricing cost works out."

Robbie also refused to endorse Natal as the device's final name and when asked when will Microsoft require folks stop and use another, he said, "we will tell you when to call it something else."

Microsoft's Project Natal will be available next fall, and it will be pricey.

Via Variety

10/07/09 Ernice Gilbert

Wii MotionPlus, Sony's Wand Controller or Natal, which is the best?

It's all in the motion these days, as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft made a big splash at the Tokyo Game Show, showing off their versions of motion tech, and although the Wii Mote's been around since 2006, the battle royal is only now commencing. Sony and Microsoft, after criticizing Nintendo's device as a gimmick years earlier, recognize the importance and potential of the technology and want in. So now the battle for who has the best "motion" is on. First to the stage is the Xbox 360 and partner, Project Natal, let's see how they dance.

With what was one of the best kept secrets in gaming this generation, (everything gets leaked these days) Microsoft dropped a bombshell at this year's E3 and stole some thunder from both Sony and Nintendo. They introduced what according to them, will be the next step in the way we play and interact with games. It can recognize your voice and face, even know when you enter in a room, and by the sound of your voice, determine what emotion you're feeling. It's Microsoft's Project Natal, there's no physical controller, just hand and body movements; No word yet on the games being developed for Natal or the cost the device, but I have to admit, it looks interesting. However even with all its capabilities, Project Natal is good as dead if there're no games to boot. Microsoft knows this, so they gathered some of the best minds in game development to support their latest effort. Verdict: Project Natal combined with the Xbox 360 have great potential together, and by fall 2010, all kinks should be ironed out, making for an even greater and more accurate motion sensing product. Next up, the PS3, the eye-toy, and the wand controller.

According to Sony, it has been in development before the Wii Mote. Its accuracy is second to none, casual and hardcore gamers alike will find the device extremely handy and appealing. It has force feedback and up to four players can be tracked at once by the eye-toy, a barrage of games that support the device have been announced, and according to the hardware giant, a lot more to come. It's the Wand Controller from Sony, (there's no name given... yet) and already developers from across the board have been taking notice, some have expressed the desire to port some of their Wii games to the PS3, hoping to find even greater success. Verdict: Might not be as exciting as Microsoft's Project Natal, but it's certainly fascinating to know soon we'll be tearing through demons in God of War III using Sony's wand? Okay, maybe I'm dreaming, alright I'm dreaming, but rest assured, Sony will once again innovate and elevate this industry come spring 2010. Now we move on to the company which started the motion craze. Let's take a look at Nintendo's Wii MotionPlus.

Say what you like about Nintendo, but none can go around the fact that they were the ones who initiated this motion revolution, when they took the 'make or break' attitude, and ordered their riskiest venture to date into production. The rest was history. Nintendo had grandmas, grandpas, moms, dads, and kids alike the world over, loosing weight, and playing sports. 51 million strong in just three years, add that to the fact Nintendo has been making profits on every Wii sold since its release in 2006, and there'll be no doubt in your mind, Nintendo have a winner on their hands. After the Wii's quick Success, they followed up with an upgrade accessory for the WiiMote dubbed the Wii MotionPlus. With this accessory, the WiiMote is distinctively more accurate, and reviews across the boards have been posittive. Nintendo is promising even more innovation, and rumors abound that in 2011, they'll introduce the WiiHD. Yes, they've neglected the hardcore crowd, (which I think was a mistake) but certainly the casual market has been rewarding the Legendary company with hard cold cash sitting in the bank. Verdict: Although most hardcore games cannot operate on the system, Nintendo gets rewarded for taking a huge risk that could've left them bankrupt, and because of them, Sony and Microsoft are lesf scraping for remainders in the "motion market."

In conclusion, I believe they all are winners, but Nintendo is way ahead of the pack. Simply because they've lead the innovation front in motion sensing technology from the beginning of this consoles generation. It'll be interesting to see what, if any results Sony and Microsoft's venture yield. Share your thoughts.

09 27/09 Ernice Gilbert

Hideo Kojima on Natal: "It seems like magic"

Hideo Kojima is one of, it not the most respected name in games development. Great men in the industry take notice when he speaks; not only is he full of wisdom, he is also a visionary. Known best for his masterpiece the Metal Gear Solid franchise, the man has demonstrated over the years a genius in game creation that's unheard of. And that's just for starters. It would take several paragraphs to list all of his accomplishments, so I'll simply conclude by stating what many already know, when Kojima puts his hands to work, gamers wait impatiently for the final product.

So when I heard of his excitement for the prospect of creating new experiences on Microsoft's Project Natal, I paused from all else and listened. Speaking during an all-star Natal Panel of Japanese developers, Kojima voiced his stance. Speaking through a translator he said:

"I am very interested in Natal, It seems like magic." Many developers see Natal as a new venue so to speak, by which non gamers will be attracted to gaming systems, just like the Wii before it. He had a lot to say however, and shared even more fascinating ideas with Kotaku. He said:

"I am not interested in making games for casual users, but I'n interested in making games that hardcore users always wanted to play." Read the full interview here. The San wants to make games that are deep and involving on Natal, something he says, like Halo, or Gears of War, even Metal Gear Solid, what ever he creates will give according him, a core experience. "I want to give them something that is a deeper experience with Natal," he said.

The man it seems, is on a mission, Hideo Kojima is out to revolutionize the way we play games all over again, question is, can he pull it off with a motion detecting device dubbed Project Natal? Let us know how you feel.

09/26/09 Ernice Gilbert

Hideo Kojima to support Project Natal

Big things are happening at the annual Tokyo Game Show as we speak, and already Microsoft has breaking news. Major Nelson, (that's actually the guy's title), who has become the face of Xbox Live, tweeted big news from Microsoft. Apart from listing some new games which were added to Xbox Live Arcade today, he went on to relay, if true, what is the most interesting news coming out of Japan thus far, concerning the future of the Xbox 360, and the company's ambitious motion technology dubbed Project Natal.

According to Major Nelson, many of the industry's most creative minds have already signed up and pledged their support. They include Capcom's Keiji Inafune, Creator of Mega Man and Dead Rising, Toshihiro Nagoshi, creator of Super Monkey Ball. But the most notable of all is the San himself, Hideo Kojima, the creator of the venerable series Metal Gear Solid.

It's great news to know that so many of the leading industry developers and creators are on the Natal train, and with Kojima showing his support, I'm a bit more excited about Natal than I was an hour ago; How about you? Do you think Kojima could deliver something unique for Natal? share your thoughts.

09/23/09 Ernice Gilbert

Yoichi Wada says there'll be a new Wii in 2011, and "motion" impact for PS3 & Xbox will be small

As I've said before, next year will be the "year of motion" for both Sony and Microsoft as said companies release their Nintendo-inspired motion thingies. With the Wii being a runaway success, the PS3 and Xbox 360 want to show off some magic of their own. But if Suare-Enix's President Yoichi Wada is to be believed, Neither Sony, nor Microsoft will see much magic at all. In fact he sees a "small" impact on the industry when the peripherals are released. Yoichi also believes there'll be a new Wii come 2011.

He says, expect the new Wii to feature functionality more like Microsoft's Xbox or Sony's PS3, and possibly a different controller. Wada also believes that the recession would not have a lasting impact on the gaming industry, and attributed the weak US numbers to a slow down in sales from Nintendo games.

Rumors have been running rampant about an impending price cut for the Nintendo Wii, and it was recently confirmed in a retailer conference call. It's a win-win situation for gamers this holiday season, and I say, that's the way it should be. Always.

Via ft.com

09/21/09 Ernice Gilbert