Microsoft dismisses Natal rumours

By Johnny Minkley Published 17 November, 2009

Launch details "weren't accurate".

Microsoft has distanced itself from reports last week on alleged launch details for Project Natal, claiming they "weren't accurate" and insisting there remain "a lot of things to get decided".

The comments came last night at the London launch of Microsoft's Xbox 360 autumn update, which launched today, bringing Twitter, Facebook, Last.fm and Zune Video Marketplace to Live users.

Asked if reports on pricing and shipments for its motion control technology were correct, Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson replied: "No. They weren't accurate, they were rumours. I've got nothing more to say about it."

Pressed on whether Microsoft had decided internally on pricing, he revealed: "We're still very much in the baking on Natal and there's a lot of things to get decided on it."

Reports claimed Microsoft was aiming to release the Natal camera next autumn at or below £50, with 14 games and five million units available on day one.

Speaking to Eurogamer at the same event, head of Europe Chris Lewis added: "Now you know better than to listen to that stuff! We will announce in good time."

But Lewis was keen to talk up the work going on behind the scenes. "As you can imagine, we've shared this technology with our worldwide development partners now for some time, and the pace with which they're developing the kind of experiences is just amazing," he said.

"I'm not going to be specific about what they might be, I will say however we're committed to ensure those experiences are unique, compelling and very exciting right from the outset. That has to happen and that will happen.

Picture of Johnny.

About Johnny Minkley

Eurogamer TV's Johnny Minkley is a veteran journalist with a lifelong passion for games and the games industry. He uses Twitter more than most people use air.

Read more articles from Johnny by visiting the Johnny Minkley archive page.

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Comments (30) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • linea #1 2 years ago

    ah, so it *is* true then ;)

  • Bigglesworth #2 2 years ago

    "In the baking"??

  • Alterego-X #3 2 years ago

    I call vaporware.

    (I don't say that it doesn't exist at all, but be sure you will see it delayed quite a few times, probably well into the next generation)

  • imamazed #4 2 years ago

    I'm pretty sure most gamers would pay up to £100 for it anyway.

    I know I would.

  • stevetuck #5 2 years ago

    im still not convinced by this... if i wanted to play my racers with a 'wheel' i would of gone and bought one... if i wanted to jump about like a retard and bat balls about i would go to a gay orgy... both of which i dont want to do and both of which are prob cheaper :)
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/09 @ 18:13

  • JahB #6 2 years ago

    As you can imagine, we've shared this technology with our worldwide development partners now for some time, and the pace with which they're developing the kind of experiences is just amazing

    the speed must be amazing indeed, since making a good game in 18 months - especially with a control input nobody ever used before - is nigh impossible, even for the best of dev studios.

    E3 is gonna be really interesting next year

  • 52pickup #7 2 years ago

    I think the pricing for Natal was most likely the only inaccurate information. The peripheral equipment for 360 are quite costly, so i can't really see Natal being the only exception and under £50.

  • makeamazing #8 2 years ago

    The only way really good games get made by 3rd parties is if MS pay them some dosh...otherwise they will just add it as another controller or convert a Wii based game.

  • penhalion #9 2 years ago

    Natal has two cameras a stereo microphone and some fancy telemetry tech so I would be bloody suprised if it cost only 50 quid at launch. I suspect that it's going to cost about 99 quid.

  • davisorle #10 2 years ago

    @makeamazing

    Its not like you say.. In order to port something from Wii it would have to be using a WiiMote , a Wand or another copy of a Wiimote. Ntal doesnt function at all like a Wiimote. Its can, but will be limited cause there wont be buttons. So you will have motion and no buttons. So porting IPs from Wii is pointless and lost cause. Sony has the advantage to do that though since Wand functions exactly the way of a Wiimote. you hold a motion sencing controller with its buttons on it and presto. Also , yeah they migth end up paying some serious $$$ to some ( since its been told form developers already that MS helps them more than other companies to work for them , specially if for exclusives ) but what company wouldnty want to be , even from the first ones, to make something really innovating for Natal and sell huge? And will sell huge cause if "only" a total of 10%+ byuy a natal , you dont have many options of games to purchase for the product on early stages, right? So most will have to go buy whats best from the limited early games released for it. if MW sold over 1m on the 360 alone, when the piracy managed to make serious DL numbers of the game on the 360 but yet so many bought it... I dont see why I wouldnt want to make some serious sales of somethign good and new for Natal. Thats if i was a capable developer ofc.

    Thing is that I just want to see something more than Milo now to keep me going. Was cool. Something new to watch and see happen on a console and why i got excited with Natal. Other than that we shall see how things go.

  • Sunyavadin #11 2 years ago

    I still can't figure out a point to this. I've yet to see any motion/visual detection peripherals which come anywhere near the same league as a controller for the fine control it gives you. they've beenr efined for three decades into what we have today with a range of control unprecedented, and achieved with the slightest of motions.

    It'll be years before anything comes close to offering that level of utility that there'll be any use for it beyond gimmickry.

  • drxym #12 2 years ago

    Natal is going to be such a collosal disappointment when it comes out. It won't track motion properly, it will lag, and it will become confused by obstacles, extra people, darkness, reflections, funny clothing, skin colour, and just anything else. This is completely par for the course when a computer is expected to infer something from an analogue input. It'll be a glorified EyeToy and it will suffer exactly the same sorts of issues, only amplified by expectations. I expect some cute games will come out of it but the reality is that they will be Wii Fit style games with simple motion detection and nothing remotely approaching an adequate replacement for a controller.

    I think Sony's system has far more potential for accurate control but it will suffer its own issues, not least of which is the complexity of the system which requires a camera, and a new controller.
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/09 @ 21:34

  • Verminox #13 2 years ago

    All Natal will do is bring 'Wii-Esque' party games to the 360. By not having a controller their limiting themselves to a very small amount of games.

  • mattigan #14 2 years ago

    drxym apart from the lag, all of the things you say it won't do, it has been shown doing with no problems.

  • MARKIV #15 2 years ago

    Well this is what I think.

    US: Xbox: 15th Nov 2001
    US: Xbox 360: 22nd Nov 2005
    US: Xbox ???: September 2010 - With Natal, slim form factor, Bluray player, Halo Reach, 2 rear USB sockets and who knows better CPU/GPU ?

    The rumour mill:-
    http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/996/996216p1.html
    Edited by 1 at 17/11/09 @ 22:25

  • FortysixterUK #16 2 years ago

    LOL...Zune....I'm afraid not Bill, you see I have an IPOD....like 99.9 % of the rest of the world.....

  • makeamazing #17 2 years ago

    Thing is that I just want to see something more than Milo now to keep me going. Was cool.

    You do know that was a total smoke and mirrors job though right? They even admitted that they had only been working on Milo for 3 months before the presentation, no offence but the only way they could make something look that good was to have something totally scripted. This was "how we would like it to work"... but the tech isnt there to make it work that well.

    In order to port something from Wii it would have to be using a WiiMote

    Sorry I wasnt totally clear in my post, when I meant Wii based, I meant kinda causal mini games. Of course if you like that kind of thing then it could be great (and they may make a lot of sales from the market they are trying to steal from...so it would be a good move from MS)... but those users who are more into the big AAA games hoping its going to do serious movement/eye/voice futuristic stuff accurately are seriously going to be disappointed. Its those people i want to shake and say "come on its not going to do that".

  • Xerx3s #18 2 years ago

    Hmmm, I believe MS's previous motion cam had 1 game supporting it and it was rubbish. Colour me unimpressed by their track record.

  • Collymilad #19 2 years ago

    Wow so much MS hate and narrow minds.

    If you can't see the potential for Natal beyond wii-esque games I feel sorry for you.

    Anyone who thinks they aren't going to support this properly is an idiot. They (and sony) have seen the way Nintendo have run away with the market, and it's a HUGE market which they want to break into. Yes it could end up being **** (but then lets face it, the Wii control system, pre-motion plus, was crap) but it will be supported.

    The point is no-one knows what it's going to be capable of. It was already decent at E3 and you can be your ass they are improving it.
    Edited by 4 at 17/11/09 @ 23:04

  • stevetuck #20 2 years ago

    i cant be the only one who actually likes the wii motes right? :S

  • makeamazing #21 2 years ago

    The point is no-one knows what it's going to be capable of

    Anyone with a pair of eyes can get a good idea of what its capable of from the Videos shown at these events. No one is saying that MS isnt going to pump money into it, they want Wii like sales, of course they are (they have to show their machine can be a good upgrade from the Wii). But also you can see the issues of using the device and the more obvious issues of lag. Thats just for movement, dont get me started on the pretend milo and voice recognition/camera reading a peice of paper show :)

  • MistaLarge #22 2 years ago

    I hope they nail Head Tracking. Anything else will be a bonus.

  • Harmonica #23 2 years ago

    Well they pinched that clever guy who did that IR tracking with the Wiimote, so expect head tracking to make a definite appearance at some point.

  • Les #24 2 years ago

    "but those users who are more into the big AAA games hoping its going to do serious movement/eye/voice futuristic stuff accurately are seriously going to be disappointed. Its those people i want to shake and say "come on its not going to do that"."

    Of course it's going to do that. It's from MS, remember... ;)

  • ryandsimmons #25 2 years ago

    Screw the games. I'm intrigued to see if they can get this working for browsing and media purposes. It would be awesome if when watching a movie you could use gestures to control things (maybe using a PC screen type control interface with your hands controling the on screen mouse?)

    Or even just when using the XBox basic menus. Wave your arm left or right to scroll through options.

  • Doctor_What #26 2 years ago

    Mostly what I read from that article was 'blah blah blah blah it's not going to cost £50 blah blah blah.'

  • jarek98 #27 2 years ago

    It would be really strange if Natal cost no more than Microsoft's network adapter.
    Knowing Microsoft I bet the price will be at least $200 USD, and maybe around $100 in a bundle.
    Edited by 2 at 18/11/09 @ 09:49

  • Mkwone #28 2 years ago

    Read as' No it won't be out next year and no it won't cost less than £50' :(

  • KDR_11k #29 2 years ago

    In other words, noone's going to take their vaporware status away!

  • AliRay #30 2 years ago

    " It would be awesome if when watching a movie you could use gestures to control things (maybe using a PC screen type control interface with your hands controling the on screen mouse?) "

    And reaching for the popcorn, accidentally fast-forwarding the film. I'd rather just have Blu-Ray : )