Official: Natal is called Kinect

By Oli Welsh Published 14 June, 2010

Slim 360 leaked by ad?

Update: Check out Ellie's report on Kinect's unveiling for more details.

Original story: Microsoft has confirmed that Project Natal is called Kinect.

The controller-free camera peripheral still has no price or release date, but following Sunday's "premiere" event at the Galen Center in Los Angeles we also know what a number of its games will look like.

Software shown at the event included racing title Joy Ride (originally announced as a microtransaction-driven Xbox Live Arcade title a year ago), Kinectimals (a pet game), Kinect Sports (Boxing! Bowling! Table tennis!), Kinect Adventures (including the river rafting game that's been seen), Dance Central (developed by MTV Games), and Star Wars and Disney titles.

The showcase, which featured a super-expensive elephant and meteor-inspired Cirque de Soleil performance as its centrepiece and involved dressing up, also revealed that there will be a gesture-based "Video Chat" application.

1

Eurogamer's Johnny Minkley breaks the no-technology rule for confirmation.

Earlier in the day we heard via an Italian web advert that Microsoft also plans to announce a slim Xbox 360 with a 250GB hard disk with built-in Wi-Fi. That remains unconfirmed, but was a pretty good bet anyway after motherboard images leaked in March.

Microsoft is expected to announce that, plus pricing and release dates for Natal - sorry, Kinect - at its official press conference today, 14th June. That kicks off at 10.30am PST / 6.30pm BST and you can catch it all live on Eurogamer.

We'll also be getting our hands on Kinect immediately after the premiere, so you won't have to wait too long for impressions. We thought we'd send the blacksmith of the future along to make sure it all works out from a technical perspective, too. Watch out, Kudo!

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (72) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Gaiduku #1 2 years ago

    eeeeh..... Kinectimals is difficult to say... and just generally a bad word

  • Kill_Crazy #2 2 years ago

    Kin 'ell

  • Zapatero #3 2 years ago

    Natal didn't inspire me, but now it's called Kinect I can hardly contain my excitement.

  • coolbritannia #4 2 years ago

    Shit name, but better than Wii.

  • 52pickup #5 2 years ago

    After all the tight security and military precision,this gets leaked,oh boy MS must be pissed!

  • orangpelupa #6 2 years ago

    really hope natal is not renamed to Kinect....

    the previous rumored name :Wave is much more easier to be said in verbal.

  • Shikasama #7 2 years ago

    Bad name, shit name, namelol, wtfname etc etc

    Didn't stop the Wii and it's quite hard tog et a worse product name than that. The Shit or The Peado maybe, but that's about it.

  • BlinxHDD #8 2 years ago

    Dear god the console redesign's hideous.

  • smallvillefan #9 2 years ago

    lol, may as well have just taken the "N" out of Natal and replaced it with an "F" for all the marketability this thing is likely to have.

    It was going to be a tough sell no matter what, but trying to sell it with a shitty name to boot?

    Good luck with THAT!

  • laharl80 #10 2 years ago

    What a terrible name.
    Who comes up with these names and what was their brief?
    To come up with the worst name possible?

  • orangpelupa #11 2 years ago

    or maybe this is to make a free buzz.
    1. hey natal called kinect now.
    2. lol what? you serious?
    3. --->> both that person keep talking about natal and kinect....

    free advertising..
    with bad name .......

  • laharl80 #12 2 years ago

    article tag prediction - kinect phwoar

  • niteninja #13 2 years ago

    The latest rumour is kinect will have two versions a high end camera for 189 dollars and a nerfed one for 130 dollars.
    Fuck m$.
    Piece of shit will sink faster than the titanic
    Edited by niteninja at 14/06/10 @ 03:33

  • sfp_noodle #14 2 years ago

    That image of the slim 360 looks genuine considering it's part of an advert and if confirmed to be true it will scream more ugly than when I saw the slim PS3. In comparison, the slim PS3 looks quite sexy. Although I would still pick my shiny mirror 60gb PS3 over all of em

  • sfp_noodle #15 2 years ago

    Here's the link to niteninja's comment. It's probably going to be confirmed as true in 14 hours time and MS are already fucked before they release the bloody thing. $130 for low end and $190 for HD version. They might aswell not have bothered.

    Link to story - http://www.vg247.com/2010/06/14/rumor-ki...
    Edited by sfp_noodle at 14/06/10 @ 03:41

  • niteninja #16 2 years ago

    M$ wont let any recording equipment at all into the event doesn't fill you with much confidence.

  • andrewsqual #17 2 years ago

    Great name Eyetoy Kinetic. Oh wait Microsoft Kinect. Ahh same thing except one was release 5 years ago.

  • niteninja #18 2 years ago

    Natal experience looks like a voodoo cult.

  • Iain815 #19 2 years ago

    Guess I'm the only one who sort of likes the name?

    Yes it's silly, but it's a name which will stick in the causal gamers mind when said once.

  • Bander #20 2 years ago

    I like it. Really! At least a little anyway. It could be worse. I absolutely did not want it to be Wave.

    It merges 'connect' with 'kinematics/kinetics' right? That's a bit more inspiring than Move or Wii Remote, and certainly much more relevant than Natal.

  • 52pickup #21 2 years ago

    MS have just announced the name... It is Kinect.

  • mrboshingles #22 2 years ago

    Kinect 4? Please Rekinect kontroller
    Edited by mrboshingles at 14/06/10 @ 04:56

  • niteninja #23 2 years ago

    The editor of game informer said on twitter from inside the natal experience.
    Theres a starwars lightsaber game,nintendogs with a tiger a yoga game and a wii sports rippoff.
    Is it anygood he tweets i understand now why robbie bach quit.
    Geoff geisrstman has walked out.

  • zatorax #24 2 years ago

    Ужасно... Это самая отвратительная новость от Microsoft... Плохое начало для E3...

  • laharl80 #25 2 years ago

    I think the star wars game would feel much better with move or a wiimote than just a hand.
    vg247 are live blogging the event.

  • davisorle #26 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • niteninja #27 2 years ago

    Its got some pretty neat dashboard controls but apart from that all the games are wii clones and the camera wont come cheap.
    M$ likes to throw money at its shows but the product is shite.

  • davisorle #28 2 years ago

    Post deleted at 20:44:35 16-04-2012

  • Turambar #29 2 years ago

    No Kinect 4. No sale.

  • RodHull #30 2 years ago

    Oh dear. Mind you we all derided the 360 and Wii monikers a few years ago and they seem to have successfully fused to the proleteriates brain sponge so who are we to argue with our videogame overlords eh?

  • byron_hinson #31 2 years ago

    Certainly a poor choice of name. Doesn't sound catchy and think it might be harder to say for some people. Also really hope that redesign leak is fake as it looks damn ugly and no smaller.

  • Miths #32 2 years ago

    "Link to story - http://www.vg247.com/2010/06/14/rumor-ki... "

    And apparently Game has announced a Danish price - DKK 1.299 (slightly more than the announced Swedish price at current exchange rates).
    That's pretty cheap actually, around $210 (alright, so cheap might be pushing it a little) - I had sort of expected it to cost twice as much as in the US. Although I imagine it could very well be the rumored non-HD $130 version :p.

    Well, my 360 died last year anyway, so until I decide to replace it (may just happen some time if there's a "360 Slim" coming, assuming it also means much lower noise than the last one I had) I'm more interested in Playstation Move.

  • milky_09 #33 2 years ago

    i thought microsoft would have come up with something a little catchier than kinect.... its pretty poor. i think most ppl would prefer natal. i think its gonna be pretty expensive as well... not quite the sub £50 we were initially led to believe, and honestly what most people would be prepared to pay. and look at the size of it? in typical xbox fashion... its bloody massive.

  • MENTAL1ST Verified Senior Software Engineer, Picsel UK Ltd. #34 2 years ago

    Kin is the name of a pair of MS mobile phones recently released in the US that focus on a 'casual' smartphone market. Seems an odd piece of brand linking, though. But in general, I don't find kinect objectionable.

  • George-Roper #35 2 years ago

    Two versions, SD and HD. Remind me again, if I had an SD tv, why would I want an HD camera?

    Think before you type, fucking idiots....

  • the_dudefather #36 2 years ago

    Sounds a bit like this
    Edited by the_dudefather at 14/06/10 @ 08:08

  • BritishBlue1 #37 2 years ago

    They should have just stuck with Wave, it's a much better name.

  • JDFreeman #38 2 years ago

    doesnt matter what they call natal. If they're smart enough to bundle it with the Slim 360 then all the xbox owners will eventualy need to upgrade after the 1-3year lifespan of the old 360's, and then everyone will have natal/kinetical and if a good game comes out for it people will get it and it wont flop. Unlike Sony magic wand which has a far greater failure chance.

  • Beano #39 2 years ago

    I like the name - but it still looks like EyeToy 2.0 so far.

  • Widge #40 2 years ago

    Don’t mind the name, its certainly better than Natal. Slim 360 too? Awaiting noise analysis on that mother if so please Digital Foundry!

  • PoundHound #41 2 years ago

    It's a clever name and certainly makes more "sense" than Natal, but it's not necessarily a good name.

    I'm getting a really bad feeling about Kinect/Natal. MS might just be about to destroy 9 years of good work. :(

  • Beano #42 2 years ago

    "And apparently Game has announced a Danish price - DKK 1.299 (slightly more than the announced Swedish price at current exchange rates). "

    What VG247 doesn't mention, is the Danish site clearly states "OBS: Endelig pris ikke fastlagt" which means NOTE: Final price to be determined.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #43 2 years ago

    I fully understand what they wanted to go for with the new name Kinect but I'm not convinced it will work. It just doesn't really roll off the tounge, does it?

    Wii was a good choice because it's easy to remember, pronounce and most important of all: Easy to use as a part of another product name. Kinect? Not so much.

    I do like the redesign of the slim 360 though.

  • Widge #44 2 years ago

    Oh by the way, name naysayers, anyone got any good alternatives?

  • SpaceMonkey77 #45 2 years ago

    Weird name, but better than that Wave awfulness. I have no interest in this, as I was done with motions controls (having never been convince or invested in them). If MS get some business from it, good luck to them. Not at all convinced by the games, and will be sometime before see anything that even vaguely appeals. I'll hand it to Sony, Mocon games wise so far.

    Sorry MS, apart from the Minority Report interface, I'll pass. Notice no price has been announced still. Very strange.

  • LiveForever #46 2 years ago

    With such a horrid name and high cost it will surely do well.

    'This will be rubbish'.

  • Drpwnage #47 2 years ago

    Hopefully MS will be revealing some interesting Kinect games later, because £100+ for the hardware to play a dance game, 'Wii sports' and Eye pet ripoff is less than compelling.

    A Light sabre game clearly favour Sony's Move system, as you know, you actually get to *hold* the controller.

  • spenner #48 2 years ago

    They should have called it "Microsoft Pooh"

    Seemed to work for Wii...

  • metallicorphan #49 2 years ago

    if the pictures of the new 360slim are real,then it looks quite disappointing...it doesn't look much smaller,and i think i like the 360 as it is better..and it still has a disc tray,really MS?...and i hope the features are more than just Wifi(which i personally wont use,but i know people who will)and 250gig HDD(which is already available)....can't see much point in 'upgrading' to it in all honestly(again,thats if the pictures do turn out to be true)

  • Beano #50 2 years ago

    "Oh by the way, name naysayers, anyone got any good alternatives? "

    Dejamove... BodyToy... HALo.... :D

    (I like the new name btw)

  • Les #51 2 years ago

    Judging by the horrendous video, the aim of the device is to connect with your kin by playing awful games. In that light, Kinect isn't a bad name. In most others, I guess it is.

  • metallicorphan #52 2 years ago

    @Drpwnage"A Light sabre game clearly favour Sony's Move system, as you know, you actually get to *hold* the controller."


    not that i am defending the Kinect...but are you telling me that you need something to hold to pretend you have a lightsabre in your hand?,have you never pretended you have have had a lightsabre in your hand and gone on a star wars kid lightsabre frenzy?

  • Monkey_Puncher #53 2 years ago

    Kinect with Sports
    Kinect with Fitness

    I see possibilities here for some badly named Wii ripoffs!

  • Seoh #54 2 years ago

    will there be a special reward for attaching 4 of these systems together?

  • Serai #55 2 years ago

    Or you could hold a lighsabre-like object (like a wooden stick or a 300$ replica *cough*) and wave away... Wait, Kinect. Name just rolls of your tounge, dont it?

  • laharl80 #56 2 years ago

    @spenner
    But who wants pooh and wii on their living room floor?
    Edited by laharl80 at 14/06/10 @ 09:27

  • Serai #57 2 years ago

    Instead of Kinectanimals, we'll have Kinectimons. Yup.

  • Beano #58 2 years ago

    "not that i am defending the Kinect...but are you telling me that you need something to hold to pretend you have a lightsabre in your hand?,have you never pretended you have have had a lightsabre in your hand and gone on a star wars kid lightsabre frenzy? "

    No, but surely a controller with sensitive accellerators, gyroscopes, etc. is far more accurate and faster that a camera-only solution.

  • Ranger101 #59 2 years ago

    It probably rolls off an american tounge better - Keen-eckt.

  • RodHull #60 2 years ago

    Kinect + Killer Instinct = KInect. Score!

  • jonsaan #61 2 years ago

    Typo. It's actually Kiinect

  • Madafunkola #62 2 years ago

    Re: the "ugly" slim rumour - How much slimmer could they make it if it still ahs to have the HDD tagged on the side? Can't imagine they'll redesign the hard drive enclosure too, would fracture the market.

  • dynarama10 #63 2 years ago

    Worst. Name. Ever.

  • SEVQA #64 2 years ago

    E ∝ mv²

  • Deckard1 #65 2 years ago

    The should market it as a more adult version of the wii and call it the microsoft piss.

  • Farzlepot #66 2 years ago

    I still don't really care about Natect (that's what I'm calling it from now on), but if that slim 360 is genuine, I kinda like it. Reminds me of a Countach. All angular and stuff.

  • sickpuppysoftware #67 2 years ago

    Krap name

  • CatWeazle #68 2 years ago

    Hah! I love the way that every gaming news site has had stories running about their 'reliable trusted sources close to MS' confirming it as "Wave".. only for this car-crash of a name to be chosen. "Wave" was much better!

  • kongzi #69 2 years ago

    I think it's a better name than Natal. That made it sound like some home pregnancy echo device or whatever. Kinect at least 'evokes' what it's going to do. It's still a bad name but hey.. xbox 360, zune...pretty bad too now I think about it.

  • Machiavellian #70 2 years ago

    There is nothing wrong with the name. I neither love it or hate it and as the Wii has shone, no matter how much the "Hardcore" says a name is bad, if it's marketed correctly people will forget they cared.

    I rememeber all the people who said that they would refuse to call the revolution the Wii. All those people have converted to the new name and now if you probably asked them about the Wii name they all would say they do not care. The name fits what the device will be marketed at and for.
    Edited by Machiavellian at 14/06/10 @ 16:35

  • dk71 #71 2 years ago

    kinetic.

    really? who cares?

    Edited by dk71 at 14/06/10 @ 17:09

  • makeamazing #72 2 years ago

    I prefer the name Wave over Kinect to be honest, in fact i dont know why they didnt just stay with Natal.