MS E3 Press Conference Wrapup Thread

[jman19]

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: outofloop
when will the fall update be rolled out to users? did they mention any specific dates ?

nothing specific yet. Fall runs through mid-September to early December though.

I can't imagine there is anybody here who didn't know that

 

[mxyzptlk]

topic summary mentions portal, but no mention of it in any of the 3 pages of the thread? What gives.. am I going to see a sequel to portal or not?


edit: nm, I'm an idiot.. read -> comprehend -> THEN post..

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: RiDE

Originally posted by: purbeast0
honestly this FF13 news is really not going to have that big an impact IMO in the long run at all. sure for now it's fun to get the fanboys up in a whirl, but if you really think about it, it is not going to make much of a dent at all.

FF games sell the most in Japan. over there most people already have a PS3 if they want to game, and because a game will now be on 360, while also being on the PS3, it is not going to entice many japanese gamers to go buy a PS3. i mean look at how blue dragon and lost oddesy did over there? they did not do NEARLY as well as one would have hoped. the japanes market will still just get it on the PS3.

also those who had or were getting a PS3 for FF13, they still can do that and still play FF13 on there.

i dunno it may be that since i'm not an RPG fan, but when I think about this logically it just really does not seem like that big of a deal other than getting the fanboys up in a whirl.

I don't know if I misunderstood the live blog but I think they said FF13 isn't coming out for the 360 in Japan so yeah you're right it won't make much of a difference there. It might make a small difference here for people who were planning to buy a PS3 for that game but already have a 360.

You have to ignore purbeast. He pisses on everything unless it's Gears of War. He's not easily impressed.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: jman19

Originally posted by: Queasy

Originally posted by: outofloop
when will the fall update be rolled out to users? did they mention any specific dates ?

nothing specific yet. Fall runs through mid-September to early December though.

I can't imagine there is anybody here who didn't know that

When the last fall update didn't come out until December, there was a lot of B&Ming along the lines of "December, but that's winter!"

 

[Queasy]

More details on the Netflix stuff

Chatting with Marc Whitten and the entire Xbox 360 team at today's Community Briefing (more Community Briefing details will be coming later today), we were treated to a demo of the Netflix Xbox 360 service and how it works. Specifically, we were shown how the queuing system will be integrated and really, it's rather a straightforward process that utilizes Netflix.com.

First, to connect one's Netflix account to their Xbox Live account, customers will enter a keycode via Netflix.com that'll link the two accounts together. Then, once linked, the Netflix.com queue will instantly appear on the Xbox 360 allowing instant access to the movies. Want to change your movie queue? Simply update your movie queue online and within' 10 seconds, your Xbox 360's Netflix list will update. A very slick process indeed.

Other Netflix details we were able to learn from the Community Briefing was confirmation that only SD videos would be offered and streamed to the console (not downloaded) as the system analyzes which bitrate is the best fit for your connection. Up to eight friends can watch a movie together BUT they all must be Netflix subscribers. Finally, we were informed that Netflix's servers would handle all movie streaming and that they'll significantly upgrade their infrastructure before the Fall release.

If this turns out well, I will be canceling my Blockbuster Online account and getting Netflix.

 

[blurredvision]

I'm sad to say it, but I'm kind of excited to see how these avatars and the new interface all pan out. I wish the avatars weren't so "childishly" animated, but I don't mind the way they look. After watching the press conference, I'm hoping that all the avatars they used to introduce everybody were created with the actual avatar system itself that will be available to consumers, and not custom made for those people, because they were pretty dead on for everyone. If the avatar system is pretty robust so that everyone has a chance to basically make themselves, then I can see this being pretty cool.

I'm also sure that Sony was gritting their teeth over this, too. At this point, with what we know about both Home and "Avatars", it's seems like Microsoft took the better sounding parts about Home, and kept out all the custom spaces and walking around bullshit. Of course, if you look at it the other way, the avatar system, like mentioned before, is a complete rip of Nintendo's weak Mii system.

I'm also looking forward to the new interface. It wasn't but a couple of months ago that I was wondering what they'd do with the interface on the next XBOX, I never thought they'd completely reinvent the dashboard in the middle of the 360 lifecycle. It looks pretty slick and functional from what they showed. I really liked the look of the brief showing of the new guide button interface, also.

If this Netflix thing works pretty good, you can expect me to sign up for an account for a couple of months.

GoW2 looks great, Fable 2 looks interesting, RE5 looks fantastic visually but kind of weird how the enemies react to gunfire, 1 vs 100 should be AWESOME FUN, and Fallout 3 doesn't interest me.

 

[ChaoZ]

Wonder how much Microsoft paid Netflix to be exclusive. I was really hoping the PS3 would get that feature also.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I'm also sure that Sony was gritting their teeth over this, too. At this point, with what we know about both Home and "Avatars", it's seems like Microsoft took the better sounding parts about Home, and kept out all the custom spaces and walking around bullshit. Of course, if you look at it the other way, the avatar system, like mentioned before, is a complete rip of Nintendo's weak Mii system.

I actually thought the "walk-around" stuff had some promise, but not as a game lobby per se. It would be fascinating to see if a third-party developer wanted to develop a sandbox virtual world that used Avatars - I suppose it'll greatly depend on how extensible they are (as it is, Miis just seem to be a collection of traits with a rendering library).

I still think they're dropping the ball by not supporting virtual organizations (clans, etc.) more formally, but maybe they're going to figure that out in Spring 09. *shrugs*

If this Netflix thing works pretty good, you can expect me to sign up for an account for a couple of months.

It apparently requires both a Netflix subscription and XBL Gold, or so the 'stiq is claiming. Seems like Microsoft is trying to make that Gold subscription worth the money. I'm a little surprised that they didn't do any Zune integration.

Fallout 3 doesn't interest me.

That's pretty impressive. Did you hate Oblivion or something? That's the only rationale for that opinion that I can think of.

I'm surprised people aren't going nuts over the promised 16:10 support.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: erwos
I still think they're dropping the ball by not supporting virtual organizations (clans, etc.) more formally, but maybe they're going to figure that out in Spring 09. *shrugs*

Well, the Live Party supports up to 8 people who can jump from game to game together. That's a pretty good start.

It apparently requires both a Netflix subscription and XBL Gold, or so the 'stiq is claiming. Seems like Microsoft is trying to make that Gold subscription worth the money. I'm a little surprised that they didn't do any Zune integration.

Lips has Zune integration! J/K

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: erwos
I still think they're dropping the ball by not supporting virtual organizations (clans, etc.) more formally, but maybe they're going to figure that out in Spring 09. *shrugs*

Completely agreed. I'm surprised they haven't integrated some kind of clan system into the dashboard already.

It apparently requires both a Netflix subscription and XBL Gold, or so the 'stiq is claiming. Seems like Microsoft is trying to make that Gold subscription worth the money. I'm a little surprised that they didn't do any Zune integration.

That'd be interesting. I have to wonder, though, exactly how many people would be put off by this....meaning, I'd say that most everyone who was wanting this or who will use this probably already has a Gold sub.

Fallout 3 doesn't interest me.

That's pretty impressive. Did you hate Oblivion or something? That's the only rationale for that opinion that I can think of.

Well, I should say that while I'm aware of the rabid fanbase of the old Fallout games, I've never played them. Oblivion was good, and while I own it, I never was able to fully get into it. Also, I thought the combat looked clunky (could've just been the guy controlling it), and I thought the implementation of gore looked horribly done, what with the body parts flying around and blood on the HUD.

Just not my type of game I don't guess.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
I'm sad to say it, but I'm kind of excited to see how these avatars and the new interface all pan out. I wish the avatars weren't so "childishly" animated, but I don't mind the way they look. After watching the press conference, I'm hoping that all the avatars they used to introduce everybody were created with the actual avatar system itself that will be available to consumers, and not custom made for those people, because they were pretty dead on for everyone. If the avatar system is pretty robust so that everyone has a chance to basically make themselves, then I can see this being pretty cool.

They kind of remind me of the Hot Shots avatars. Not quite so wildly disproportioned heads though.

I'm also sure that Sony was gritting their teeth over this, too. At this point, with what we know about both Home and "Avatars", it's seems like Microsoft took the better sounding parts about Home, and kept out all the custom spaces and walking around bullshit. Of course, if you look at it the other way, the avatar system, like mentioned before, is a complete rip of Nintendo's weak Mii system.

MS had to do something and while it may not be original, what they have come up with looks interesting. I really like the concept of 1 vs 100 and the other PrimeTime gaming stuff. MS is going after the casual crowd hard now.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: erwos
It apparently requires both a Netflix subscription and XBL Gold, or so the 'stiq is claiming. Seems like Microsoft is trying to make that Gold subscription worth the money. I'm a little surprised that they didn't do any Zune integration.

That'd be interesting. I have to wonder, though, exactly how many people would be put off by this....meaning, I'd say that most everyone who was wanting this or who will use this probably already has a Gold sub.

12 million Live Subscribers + 8 million Netflix subscribers. I can see this taking off with Gold Live members subscribing to Netflix, Silver members upgrading to Gold, and Netflix subscribers getting 360s with Gold accounts. Talk about cross-pollinating and MS finally making the Gold level have something worthwhile over the Silver level.

 

[blurredvision]

I really think Microsoft hit a homerun today. LOTS of surprises....they finally kept a secret! I don't think I ever read a rumor about the dashboard interface or FF13. Netflix exclusivity was a surprise to me as well, even though rumors went both ways on the 360 and PS3.

 

[nsafreak]

I really like what I saw today and look forward to a lot of it. The new interface looks damn slick and simple at the same time which is what I really like in a media interface. Something that looks nice but is easy and fast to navigate. The FF XIII surprise announcement was a big surprise to me as I had no clue at all (like most other folks) that it was coming to the 360, that has got to tick of Sony just a little bit. And I really look forward to having Netflix available via my 360. I'm guessing that the plugin that they're going to be using is similar to the code written for the Roku box which from all reports works very well. I should have a pretty darn good picture I figure on my setup with a nice and healthy 15 megabit downstream and 3 megabit upstream .

 

[erwos]

More things that were missing:
1. IPTV
2. Peter Jackson Halo Project
3. Halo Wars
4. Live Anywhere

If I had to guess why:
1. AT&T U-Verse still doesn't have enough deployment to make it worth anyone's time to try to make Mediaroom work with it.
2. & 3. I suppose this will be tomorrow's Bungie announcement - laid right on top of Sony and Nintendo. Cunning.
4. The new integration announced on Xbox.com with remote downloads is probably a preliminary step to Live Anywhere working.

 

[erwos]

Oh, and one other thing: I firmly predict that Xbox Primetime is actually just a place to stash shovelware for casuals. Even though real gamers hate it, the Wii has proven that casuals will buy anything that looks remotely appealing and cheap.

 

[sonambulo]

Awesome news from MS. My only hope is that they get rid of the necessity of having the disc in the tray with future games. Then the 360 will have almost the same functionality as a modded xbox.

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: sonambulo
Awesome news from MS. My only hope is that they get rid of the necessity of having the disc in the tray with future games. Then the 360 will have almost the same functionality as a modded xbox.

That will never happen. At that point, Blockbuster and Gamefly rentals would skyrocket and game purchases would drop to nothing.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: sonambulo
Awesome news from MS. My only hope is that they get rid of the necessity of having the disc in the tray with future games. Then the 360 will have almost the same functionality as a modded xbox.

I think having the functionality of a modded XBOX is exactly what Microsoft DOESN'T want.

 

[Queasy]

More from a "Community Roundtable after today's presentation.

Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg and Marc Whitten lead a Community Roundtable discussion following the company's E3 media briefing, giving us further insight into the changes coming to the Xbox 360 dashboard. Officially dubbed the New Xbox Experience, the update was said by Whitten to be a response to the glut of content on Xbox Live, a system he claims was built with hundreds of pieces of content in mind, not tens of thousands ? or potentially millions, as Whitten posited.

The new look and feel for the Xbox 360 dashboard was designed to be navigable by those unfamiliar with the current "blades" interface, with the New Xbox Experience akin to a TV remote control UI. In person, it's pretty slick ? the Xbox 360 logo radiates a constant pulse in the bottom right corner, with iTunes Cover Flow-style reflections and navigation giving gamers a quick clean look at their games and content.

Fans of the current "blades" interface may be saddened to learn that the update isn't an optional redesign, it's a total replacement. They'll still get a taste of the old interface via the new Guide look and feel. Hit the jump for a photo.

The New Guide
That's the new look of the Xbox 360's Guide, accessible from the big old Guide button on the standard controller. You'll have familiar access to your games, media and settings, via the pop up Guide, which loads faster and more smoothly than the current iteration. You'll also be able to hop directly into anything from your Games library ? Live Arcade games, movies, installed Xbox 360 retail games ? regardless of what you're currently using your 360 for.

The new Guide and the NXE interface are both said to load faster, even if you have 100+ games in your library. Whitten noted that the LIVE team is very focused on optimizing the experience.

Your Old Stuff...
...will still work in the new interface. The gamerpics and themes you downloaded will work with NXE. And while we didn't get to see it in action, Marc Whitten swears they look "beautiful" on the new interface.

Play From Hard Drive
Details on ripping games to your Xbox 360 HDD are still to be announced, but it appears that the only limitation on users is that the game disc must be in the drive in order to play. That means no lending your copy of History Channel: Battle for the Pacific to get around, you know, owning the thing. The feature is said to work with all Xbox 360 games past, present and future and is primarily a method to reduce load times.

Netflix & The Instant Queue
Xbox Live's Larry Hryb showed Netflix integration in action, updating his queue via the Web, which then updated automatically on the Xbox 360. That newly added movie was then streamed via Netflix's servers. The quality was definitely below DVD quality, but still looked good.

Where Do The Ads Go?
Microsoft said more than once that they'd be releasing more information on the update ? including things like what real estate advertising will occupy in NXE ? at a later date. Ads weren't visible in the demo version we were shown, but we won't be surprised when they pop up in the less sexier, real world version of the interface update.

Mystery Science Theater 360
With Avatars, LIVE Party and the ability to stream movies and TV shows with other Netflix subscribers while chatting, wouldn't that make for an excellent vehicle for mocking the worst of the worst movies? The wink and a smile that Whitten gave the Community attendees certainly made us think so, but we don't know if Microsoft plans on officially supporting the overlay of Avatars on Netflix video streams.

There Will Be No Browser
At least, not in the NXE Fall update. A Web version of Xbox LIVE Marketplace is coming, but IE 360 isn't happening right now, according to Whitten.

Screens of the New Xbox Experience can be seen in our gallery below.

Hahaha...that Mystery Science Theater 360 is actually a pretty damn good idea!

 

[Queasy]

Final Fantasy XIII Trailer

DragonAge will eventually make it's way to consoles.

In case you missed it during our Live Blog of the Electronic Arts press conference, there's some new information from the guys at BioWare. BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk announced that the upcoming PC title Dragon Age Origins will also see life on consoles, in the future. Expected to be exclusive to the PC initially, the dungeon crawler will feel familiar to fans of Baldur's Gate -- another BioWare franchise. No other information on a console release schedule for Dragon Age Origins is available yet, but we expect it won't be for quite some time.

Halo Wars coming out in 1st half of 2009

When we interviewed Halo Wars' lead designer Dave Pottinger late last week, he assured us the game -- a Halo RTS built from the ground up for the 360 -- wouldn't slip all the way into 2010. We can happily confirm that to be the case: Halo Wars' release date has been narrowed down to the first half of 2009, meaning we'll be waiting no more than... well, another full year at the most to get our hands on it. Sure, that's a long time, but it's no 2010, is it?

 

[Modeps]

Originally posted by: blurredvision

Originally posted by: sonambulo
Awesome news from MS. My only hope is that they get rid of the necessity of having the disc in the tray with future games. Then the 360 will have almost the same functionality as a modded xbox.

I think having the functionality of a modded XBOX is exactly what Microsoft DOESN'T want.

Welp, they are REALLY close right now to mirroring the great stuff you could do with an Xbox1... I wouldn't be surprised if they took a look at XBMC just to see what people were doing with it.

That being said, playing games without a disc in the drive is console suicide. They need to have some sort of copy protection in place, or else it'll become the Dreamcast.

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: Modeps
That being said, playing games without a disc in the drive is console suicide. They need to have some sort of copy protection in place, or else it'll become the Dreamcast.

Yep. I didn't even have high speed internet, yet I still somehow had a boot loader and about 10 copied games for my Dreamcast.

 

[hans030390]

Originally posted by: tenshodo13

Originally posted by: ducci

Originally posted by: warcrow

Originally posted by: tenshodo13
While money wise, I understand it the switch, loyalty wise I give a big double middle finger to SE.

What? I don't get this comment. If the game is coming out on the PS3 and the X360--why would this piss you off so much?

If the game is going to be on multiple systems, the chances of its success are increased. Wouldn't this be something you would want as a fan of the series?

I'm assuming he's more a fan of Sony than Square, hence the anger.

Brand Loyalty. Not quite fanboyish, but pissed off that SE kicked Sony in the balls with one of the biggest PS3 games that was announced. FFXI I can understand, its an MMO, and not overly big. But FFXIII was THE game for PS3, and now, its like there's a void.

I don't really care if games go multi-platform or not...ASSUMING both versions are as identical as possible. I'll definitely be upset if SE doesn't have a bit more polish on the PS3 version of FFXIII (it's always the other way around), considering PS3 owners were promised it to be exclusive until today and more time they've likely spend on the PS3 version. It just really sucks for Sony that SE backed out on them like this. Yeah, I understand it from a business standpoint, but it's not like FF games don't sell well on the PS consoles.

Sony's going to be hurting if it doesn't start taking more steps in getting exclusives (and by that, I mean good ones...not crap like Haze). Oh well...I'm hoping upcoming exclusives like Killzone 2 and LittleBigPlanet really make me happier to own a PS3 (assuming Sony can hold on to them ). I'd still rather play FFXIII on the PS3 anyways...mostly because the PS3 looks better on my monitor (just my setup), and the 360 is too loud for me.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ChaoZ
Wonder how much Microsoft paid Netflix to be exclusive. I was really hoping the PS3 would get that feature also.

I have both systems, but I was looking forward to using my Blu-Ray remote with Netflix streaming on the PS3. Oh well.