Xbox 360 - Project Natal. What is it and How Does It Work - Press Release

Microsoft have released some facts regarding the Sensor Bar for the 360 as well as a video showing the two prototype games they used to demonstrate it during the 360 press conference. the video is B Roll so a little rough.



Natal Fact Sheet.

“Project Natal,” pronounced “nuh-tall,” is a code name for a revolutionary new way to play, no controller required. See a ball? Kick it, hit it, trap it or catch it. Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, “Project Natal” tracks your full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions, even a difference of emotion in your voice.

When “Project Natal” is ready, it will work with every Xbox 360 console so people who have never picked up a controller can finally join the fun.

See below for “Project Natal” 101, a list of terms and concepts to help explain this transformation in home entertainment.

What is “Project Natal”?

“Project Natal” (pronounced na-tall) is the code name for the new controller-free gaming and entertainment experience from Xbox 360. The name “Project Natal” has several sources. Microsoft Corp. traditionally uses cities as code names. As a result, Alex Kipman, who incubated the project and is from Brazil, chose Natal, a city along the northeastern coast of Brazil, as a tribute to his country. In addition, he knew that Natal also means “to be born” in Latin. Given the new audiences “Project Natal” will bring to Xbox 360, this felt right.

How Will “Project Natal” Change the Way I Play?

• Controller-free gaming and entertainment. “Project Natal” provides a whole new way to play — no controller required. It uses a sensor to track your body movement and recognize your face, even listen to your voice. If you know how to move your hands, shake your hips, or speak, you and your friends will be able to jump instantly into any “Project Natal” experience.

• Full-body play. “Project Natal” provides a new way to play where you use all parts of your body — head, hands, feet and torso. With controller-free gaming you don’t just control the superhero, you are the superhero. Full-body tracking allows the “Project Natal” sensor to capture every move, from head to toe, to give players a full-body gaming experience.

• Personalized play. “Project Natal” provides an in-game experience in which the player’s face and voice are recognized. Greet and speak to characters in the game, or simply step into view of the sensor to log into Xbox LIVE and connect with friends. Only “Project Natal” is smart enough to remember voices and faces. Fun has never been so personalized.

• Off-the-couch play. “Project Natal” provides gameplay that gets you off the couch, on your feet and in the fun. Each “Project Natal” experience is designed to get players moving, laughing, cheering and playing together. “Project Natal” makes social gaming off-the-couch fun.

• Easy-to-play fun. “Project Natal” makes sharing in the fun a snap. Talk or watch a movie in the same living room or on the other side of the world — no headset, no keyboard and no controllers required. It’s just you, your friends, your family and a whole new way to play.

How Does “Project Natal” Work?

• “Project Natal” sensor. “Project Natal” is the world’s first system to combine an RGB camera, depth sensor, multiarray microphone and custom processor running proprietary software that brings “Project Natal” experiences to every Xbox 360 console. The “Project Natal” sensor tracks full-body movement and individual voices, creating controller-free fun and social entertainment available only on Xbox 360.

• RGB camera. “Project Natal” has a video camera that delivers the three basic color components. As part of the “Project Natal” sensor, the RGB camera helps enable facial recognition and more.

• Depth sensor. An infrared projector combined with a monochrome CMOS sensor allows “Project Natal” to see the room in 3-D (as opposed to inferring the room from a 2-D image) under any lighting conditions.

• Multiarray microphone. “Project Natal” has a microphone that will be able to locate voices by sound and extract ambient noise. The multiarray microphone will enable headset-free Xbox LIVE party chat and more.

• Custom processor (running Microsoft proprietary software layer). A proprietary software layer makes the magic of “Project Natal” possible. This layer differentiates “Project Natal” from any other technology on the market through its ability to enable human body recognition and extract other visual noise.

Xbox 360 - Facebook And Twitter Intergration. Pictures And Video.

It was announced at the Microsoft press conference that facebook and twitter would be integrated into the NXE. these pictures and video show how it looks. the video is what they call B Roll, so it's a bit rough.

EA E3 Press Conference as it was Twittered

• EA Press Conference now being twittered.

• sorry, little technical hiccup my end, lol. things should run smoothly now

• dantes inferno trailer just shown. no gamplay just cgi story stuff

• talking about the Sims 3. out in alot of countries very shortly.

• talking littlest pet shop now

• 2 million girls played it. this fall 3 brand new games are being announced. city, country, beach games. littlest pet shop online announced.

• a plush toy has a code that can be uploaded online. they can create, customise, have adventures playing it online

• simple, colourful graphics. mini games shown, customizing pets. talk, send messages, work together on adventures

• EA Girls, loads of girls just been bought out on stage. they have different colored wiimote socks. yes it's a wii game now.

• they're talking charm club girls now. the kids are now going to play a game from the Wii game. charms to be won, 40 in each game.

• trailer now being shown. very much aimed at girls. no gamplay shown.

• Now Need For Speed Shift. cockpit view highlighted as new and unique. aim to recreate the pure physical power of a car.

• focus on driver, how it changes to match your style. different styles create rivalries, and each has it's own reward system

• ingame now. racing round london. looks really good. fast....in car HUD is slightly rounded like helmet (like halo 3)

• they're offering the chance to win a bmw at E3, lol!

• Dragon age Origions now. biggest bioware game to date...and quite dark. some things can shock you. really important decisions await

• ingame stuff now, lots of people on the screen and fairly bloody. strange creatures and dragons aplenty

• it's war, and its bloody war, graphic deaths. out october 20th

• Mass effect 2 now. your trying to save mankind. your not expected to succeed. it's a emotionally charged story with shooter action

• 360 and PC early next year. gameplay trailer. it's the same as whats been seen very recently

• still looks good, crips realistic graphics

• kicking soundtrack to it, lol

• Sports traielr, not games....but average players with controllers playing them, celebrating like they were the people....was a ps3 used

• Fight night round 4. has better graphics, but a genre breaking physics engine

• 360 version going to be played. 60fps, looks very fluid. looks really good. strategy important (what punch and where) use you abilities

• ali has reach, so he's father away than those with shorter reach. replays show muscles moving

• June 25th, a week earlier, release.

• MMA just announced. coming in 2010, it's a broad mixed martial arts experience. top fighters from around the world.

• EASports.com launched today. brings fans together to watch stats and leagues. connected features anytime any place announced

• NCAA 10, start at site, create build at team. customized stadium, outfit your team and send it to your console. Team builder is out now!

• Madden 10 online franchise. log in from browser, iphone, and trade manage players with your console game

• EA Active, has been reconsied and they're happy about it. looking at how it's effected peoples lives and gamplay trailer

• 10-25 pounds loss recored amongst those who tested it

• some american actress, no idea who she is, is talking about her experiance with it

• 600,000 sold in two weeks

• first expansion pack is coming this holiday. designed to take things to the next level, adding more things and improving original game

• EA Sports Grand Slam Tennis. talking about Wii version and motion plus

• going to show it off now. they're not that good at it, lol. stylized graphics. pete sampras just walked on stage

• he's actually good at it. 23 players, wimbledon in it. they enjoyed themselves and joked

• The Saboteur now. trailer shows CGI. set in WWII. your a part of the french resisitance

• gameplay wise. stylized black and white gameplay. colour returns when you defeat the NAzi's and complete stuff. it's sandbox. looks nice

• quiet in, loud out. but you can gun and run. can take uniforms of those you kill. still, don't draw attention to yourself.

• if your found and attacked, you can hide in places like the red light district. you can also climb the effiel tower if you want.

• talking about EA Partners. and Brutal Legends. talking about the famous people they've met whilst making the game.

• its a game full of rock people from the ages. thats what's been talked about at the mo

• expect a new trailer on tuesday for the game

• jack black talking in a video message....more comedy than sensible

• Crytek now. Crysis 2, it's multiplatform on the 360, ps3 and PC.

• more will be shared later this year. only old screens shown so far

• new partner announced...Real Time Worlds...and the game is APB

• it's a online city, full of live, vehicles, civilians...100 players have to achieve fame and fortune and do it fast. some will be crinimals

• some will be enforcers. heavy customization options on your characters. trailer, showing some crinimal stuff you can do...

• shoot, run over, car jack, attack, blow things up. but the enforcers are after the bad guys...bad guys after civilians

• Star Wars...stage full of sith and jedi's with light sabers

• Lucas arts and Bioware....Star Wars Old Republic the MMO. set 1000 years before Episode 1

• it will be fully voiced throughout. a first for a MMO. every person you meet will speak

• could be the largest ever voice work in computergames.

• first cinematic trailer for the old republic now being shown. good looking, looks very like star wars movies.

• sith and bounty hunter kicking ass. ship just flew straight into the jedi hall...full of sith. they're attacking the jedi's in a epic battle

• jedi's did not win, planet being attacked completely. someone betrayed them, it was a kick ass trailer...very epic and cool

Microsoft Game Studios - Alan Wake Screens

Some Alan Wake Screens have been released showing in game moments.

Valve - Left 4 Dead 2 Screens

Some Screen shots for Left 4 Dead 2 have been released.

Microsoft 360 Press Conference...As It Was Twittered

This is the 360 Press Conference as it happend (bad spellings an all, lol)

• 360 Press conference tweets only from now till it ends

• two live streams having issues

• . the confrerence starts with coll beatles rock band trailer

• lol, issues all round. sorry for lack of updates so far. the beatles trailer was a stylised cartoon look, showed brief history of beatles

• they're playing Rock Beatles on stage. graphics not like trailer, more realistic

• it will feature studio chat from the band members. the music has also been remastered.

• they showing the songs, each song they show has a different costume and set look

• there will be 45 songs on the game. Full albums available as DLC, like Abby Road

• paul mcartney and ringo starr are on stage talking about the game

• not on for long though

• showing not telling, lol. cheers from the audience and a dig at sony and nintendo. 10 game premiers, and new innovations to be announced

• tony hawk on stage talking about ride and it's peripheral

• it has a infa red sensor so it knows where your hands on as well as loads of new technology. trailer features pro skaters playing the game

• hard to describe how the board works. it moves around when you move it....deep carpet floors maynot work great. pro's loved it.

• trailer for modern warfare 2, same as previously shown.

• 11/10/09 release date for it

• they are now talking about. playing it on stage. it's a snow setting called cliffhanger

• use climbing gear to get up cliff face. run and jump and land on cliff edge....skips forward to gun bits

• it's blowing a blizzard....gun has motion sensor on it. character has mines. sneaking around a bit. not many people around

• big gun battles now. things blowing up (looking really good) all other the place. people dying have realistic movement. you hear bullets

• snowmabil time....shooting whilst driving. moving pretty fast with trees fairly close. bodies and snow things falling everywhere. cheers!

• 2 modern warfare mapacks first on XBL. sqaure enix time

• FF XIII running on 360

• and in english. looks pretty good. battle scene different, improved over one in demo. summoring Odin. looks badass. attacks with lighning

• Spring 2010 release being targeted. everything coming up is only on 360

• epic game on 360 is XBLA. it's called shadow complex

• envoirnment is used heavily. game map is massive. side scrolling yet 3d. 10 hours long. boss battles look cool

• think castlevania but with unreal engine, hd, and with 3d backgrounds

• Joyride. uses avatars, is racing game. simple yet stylized graphics.

• free to download and free to play. personalize by buying cars. coming winter.

• Crakdown 2 now. looks darker and grittier than previous.

• rough enemies, advanced like yourself

• no gamplay, but looks goo

• zombies trailer....it's left 4 dead 2!

• november 17th

• ubisoft game, splinter cell convition. trailer, no gamplay. yet

• gamplay time, looks really good. realistic feel. story unfolds in real time

• fast, brutal actions. stealthy gamplay. able to mark who you need to kill next. it's sandbox, able to choose different ways to kill

• strange words on wall, looks like a reminder of what you need to do (like how fringe tells you the location you are at)

• very action packed when your not in stealth. real looking explosions and things breaking. expected fall 2009

• Racing game time with forza 3 coming out in october

• no gameplay. trailer was brief showed little. rehteric being used makes 360 sound like they have the best games in every genre...now racing

• gamplay, "definitaive racing game" looks good. in car is well done. good sense of speed. compuer Ai up for a fight

• 400 cars. "best looking game on any console" player created content again with cars.

• it has a video editor. they can be uploaded and shared also

• their example was more choreographed than actual racing.

• next. HALO ODST. straight to gamplay footage....about to jump down to the planet. looks good

• carriers going to jump....and your going to with it....your a rookie. this is just weeks before Halo 3

• signs offereing help (much like the trailer). 2 new weapons, low light visor mode. new pistol.

• flash backs used to help piece together what happened to other ODST's and help the story, and what you need to do

• you play their flashbacks

• september 22nd release. thats not all tho.

• new trailer, alot of destruction on planet. alot of panic on the radio's. HALO Reach announced for 2010

• halo odst pre-order comes with reach beta

• next its Alan Wake. and it's In Game!

• gamplay, fairly dark. good flash light. good deatil on buildings and environment . and there's something dark and mysterious....where is it

• creepy characters appear out of no where. flash light seems to effect them somehow

• your on the hunt for missing manuscript pages....your pages to help work out whats happening. things are happening like the story you wrote

• cool flare effects, making those creepy shadows visible, super slow mo shows off flare effects. ....to be continued, lol

• coming out Spring 2010

• Xbox Live stuff now. (end of exclusive 360 games ) Music is coming to Live with Last Fm

• gold member get it for free later this year

• Netflix can be fully used from your 360 without the need of your PC. SKY TV coming to UK/IRE 360s in autum. it will be live

• 360 videostore relaunching as Zune Video store. things will be 1080p. instant viewing of anything. more countries will now have video store

• movies, tv and music can be enjoyed with freinds online with live party. your avatars sit together and watch it

• facebook coming to the 360.

• its very different from the PC version. uses the current Xbox Experience style to navigate round facebook

• facebook connect enables you to post screenshots and text to your profile in real time. tigerwoods is first game to use this.

• Twitter is coming to XBL. post from console. updated instantly

• they are coming this fall

• now its KOJIMA!

• MGS franchise coming to 360. MGS Rising next major development, being developed on 360. No Solid Snake...trailer time

• and it's raiden

• new metal gear experiance. it said lightninc action....perhaps less stealth and more run and gunning

• Now it's the motion controller....nope no controller...just motion sensing cause your the controller

• 360 sensor bar trailer being showed. looks tiny. showings fighting, someone steering, changing tyres, destroying a city as a lizard

• two players playing football. one shoots, the other saves. able to scan in your items into the game...example is skateboard.

• facial recognition. intergrated in video chat. 4 players playing game...recognizes individual voices. menus voice and gestured operated

• was called project natal. it's controller free games

• steven spielberg now on stage

• he's working on some things that use the sensor bar

• showing some early prototype games now. it's the dashboard. knew who he was and signed him in. he's moving around, so is his avatar.

• game called ricochet. using arms and legs at same time to hit balls at stuff. able to move in 3d space

• just had a dig at nintendo's waggle stuff. you have to be standing to play it

• paint party next. kanvas, chucking paint on it after saying light blue to change it. using different gestures to chuck paint differently

• just created a painting by just chucking paint, using a stencil feature. simple but effective demo

• peter molyenux has had it...lets see what he's made

• mylo, a boy that recognize emotion and stuff in you. person talking directly talking to him via the sensor bar. boy reacts to her

• they are having proper conversations. boy throws her goggles, she grabs them and puts them on (pretend, but camera reconsies the moment)

• shes looking at water, her reflection is accurate, and the water reaction and fish react proper. she draws something on paper

• puts it close to the sensor bar, boy reaches up and grabs the paper with the drawing on it and responds to it

• and thats the 360 press conference. surprising lack of XBLA titles mentioned

Trion - Heroes Of Telara Announced - Press Release

Heroes Of Teleara is a online Browser based MMORPG from Trion.
The game is aimed as a massivly social, dynamic game where the players battle hordes of chaos, conquer wild territories and bring hope to a civilisation on the brink of disaster.
The game features a unique class system that allows every character to be any class in the game whilst also having a specific speciality.


Press Release

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. --(Business Wire)-- Jun 01, 2009 Trion World Network, Inc. (Trion), the publisher and developer of server-based video games, today revealed details of its first title, the highly anticipated fantasy Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) Heroes of Telara™ [www.heroesoftelara.com]. Officially unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2009, Heroes of Telara™ will immerse players in an extraordinary, evolving world on the brink of disaster. Amidst an era of devastating conflict, Telara calls for heroes to battle the hordes of chaos, conquer wild territories, and bring hope to a struggling civilization.

“With Heroes of Telara™, Trion proudly presents the first in a series of revolutionary video games on the Trion platform,” said Lars Buttler, CEO of Trion. “Trion is showcasing what server-based gaming can really give us: fun, beautiful, fully dynamic, massively social, ‘live’ video games.”

With server-based gaming, Heroes of Telara™ can trigger extraordinary events challenging the player to overcome obstacles and embrace the role of hero. Using a unique class system that allows the players to play every character class in the game and choose a class specialty, or “subclass,” the hero will be well equipped to overcome these challenges. Combining this with an easy-to-learn combat system, players will be prepared to stand against the most powerful foes and hordes of enemies.

“We've built a spectacular world that's completely alive and designed everything around the concept of players becoming heroes,” said Russ Brown, vice president, Channel One, Trion. “The 'right hero for the right time' is what this game is all about. And with our server-based Trion platform, we can launch massive events and epic encounters at will to challenge the player to step up and become the hero the world needs. It is our promise and mission to deliver awesome kick-ass gameplay in Heroes of Telara™.”

Heroes of Telara™ will also allow large populations of users to play together to truly deliver massively social online gaming. Heroes of Telara™ has been crafted from its inception to allow players to take full advantage of their adventuring time with friends and to make new alliances with other players. Heroes of Telara™ removes many of the technical and design barriers common in MMORPGs, allowing players to more easily share their adventures in the game with anyone, regardless of rank or skill level.

“What we're showing at E3 will genuinely demonstrate our vision for the future of MMO gaming,” said Brown. “We're creating beautiful, sweeping landscapes with epic conflict that deliver fun in a new way, every day.”

Heroes of Telara™ will be the first massively social MMORPG that will challenge the player to choose their strategy, master their fate, and become the right hero at the right time.

Trion will be located at Suite #405, Concourse Hall, Los Angeles Convention Center, June 2-4, 2009.

ABOUT TRION WORLD NETWORK:

Trion World Network, Inc. is the publisher and developer of dynamic server-based online games and original entertainment for the connected world. Trion provides groundbreaking new capabilities and content to revolutionize global entertainment by combining the best elements of gaming, online, and traditional media.

Trion has assembled a world-class team of gaming and online veterans with proven success and talent in business, original content development, and technology. Between them, Trion’s team members have developed and shipped more than 100 original titles.

Headquartered in Redwood City, CA, and with a development and 3rd party production studio in San Diego, CA, and a technology studio in Austin, TX, Trion brings unrivaled experience and vision to the online entertainment industry.