E3 Rumours - Xbox 360 Slim, Wave, Hulu, Cheap PS3, Nintendo Surprise and More ...

[admin]

E3 is just around the corner, here's a summary of the all the latest rumours circulating just before the show starts proper, and we rate them on their potential to turn into facts.

Will there be a Xbox 360 Slim? The PS3 Slim was a huge success, so will Microsoft copy Sony's strategy to produce a smaller, quieter, and even cheaper version of the Xbox 360?
Rumour Rating: 5/10 - Can't see it happening, but who knows.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39364/Xbox-360-Slim-a-possibility-for-E3

--

Project Natal, renamed Wave. Well, we know Microsoft are going to rename it to something, and Wave is just as good (or bad) a name as anything else, so why not.
Rumour Rating: 7/10 - Wave to the motion capturing camera!

http://www.inquisitr.com/75557/rumor-give-us-a-wave-microsoft-natal-gets-new-name/

--

Hulu on the Xbox 360. This one seems solid enough, since Hulu has always promised greater platform support, and could follow Netflix's model in getting onto the Xbox 360 first.
Rumour Rating: 8/10 - Expect to see Hulu on the Xbox 360, but you may have to pay!

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/home-theater/hulu-weeks-away-from-offering-subscription-service-support-for-ipad-xbox-360-will-you-pay/3483

--

A $199 PS3? This surely can't be right, and it isn't. Listed on the official Sony Style with a "starting from $199" price tag led to hysteria on forums as rumours flew about a "budget" PS3 that will directly compete with the Wii and Xbox 360 Arcade on pricing. Then again, some said that it was probably just a typo, and sure enough, the price was changed to $299 shortly after. Of course, a PS3 price drop, which has been rumoured, could still be on the cards, but with the Sony just starting to not lose a bundle for every console sold, it's unlikely that any price cut would be as dramatic as "starting from $199".
Rumour Rating: 4/10 - PS3 price cut unlikely to be announced at E3

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps3-news/7226.html

--

The PlayStation Move will be hyped up at E3, and with a proper competitor in "whatever-Microsoft-renames-Project-Natal-to", it will be interesting to see which camp's hype wins. Could there be a few more surprises from Sony regarding the Move, let's say some exclusive games that really pushes the Move beyond the common thinking that "it's just a more accurate Wii-mote"? Maybe more apps to take advantage of the PlayStation Eye accessory that works with Move, perhaps to try and point out that Project Natal isn't really that much of a leap in technology, and that many of the things it can do, the PS Eye can do too.
Rumour Rating: 7/10 - Sony will know Microsoft needs Project Natal to have a great E3, so don't be surprised if they try to steal Microsoft's thunder with some surprises of their own.

--

Nintendo has the 3DS to promote at E3, but I can't help but feel that they have more up their sleeve than what we are led to believe. Surely, they'll do something to counter the Move and Project Natal hype. A Wii 2? An HD Wii?
Rumour Rating: 7/10 - It's unlikely the 3DS is the only big thing Nintendo will roll out at E3

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/39363/Analyst-expects-Wii-2-in-2011

[dr_ml422]

I hope it don't go down to $199.00. I just got one at $299.00 plus! If this happens and I still have a chance to return it for a refund I'm running to Best Buy!

[admin]

I think Sony has already refuted the rumour of any PS3 price cuts. They're having stock shortages as it is, as you are aware of course, so I don't think a price cut would do anyone any good at this stage.

[dr_ml422]

I know. I was lol a bit here. Would of been funny though if they did slash it, but right now that definitely wouldn't stop the bleeding. Just add to it.

[admin]

Also, Project Natal is now called Kinect for Xbox 360. And a black, slim Xbox 360 may very well be on the way, if you believe an ad on an Italian site which linked to the official Italian Xbox 360 website):

http://kotaku.com/5562387/new-xbox-360-coming-project-natal-gets-renamed

[admin]

The slim Xbox 360 is for real, and it ships next week! Comes with Wireless-N, 250GB HDD, smaller, cooler, quieter, and for the same price as the Elite. Good job Microsoft on keeping this one secret, because while some suspected a slim Xbox 360, nobody expected it to ship in a week:

http://www.xbox.com/hardware/default.htm

It's already the top selling item in Amazon's Video Games section.

Still no info on how much Kinect will cost though.

[dr_ml422]

The slim Xbox 360 is for real, and it ships next week! Comes with Wireless-N, 250GB HDD, smaller, cooler, quieter, and for the same price as the Elite. Good job Microsoft on keeping this one secret, because while some suspected a slim Xbox 360, nobody expected it to ship in a week:

http://www.xbox.com/hardware/default.htm

It's already the top selling item in Amazon's Video Games section.

Still no info on how much Kinect will cost though.

Would this be a great buy also and can it co-exist w/the PS3 Slim on the same HDTV?

Kinect is similar to what PS3's Move is correct?


Here's Kinect: http://news.yahoo.com/video/business...eeded-20325428

[admin]

PS3's Move is basically a more accurate Wii, with HD graphics and some interaction with the PS Eye camera accessory.

Kinetic will forgo any controllers, so you just move your whole body in front of the camera to control games. Plus, it also allows for voice and gesture based control of the Xbox interface (including movie playback and all that). The real advantage of Kinetic will be that you can finally use your foot, head, shoulders ... all parts of your body to play games, as opposed to just waving your arms around like with the Wii/Move. This makes things like dance games, football/soccer games, possible, without having to buy more and more accessories (such as the Wii fit balance board, or a dance mat ...). The games demoed by Microsoft so far have been pretty average, the standard party games mainly for kids/families. Only the Star Wars one seemed interesting, being able to use force powers by simply gesturing would be the closest to the "real" thing really. I would like to see more mainstream games use Kinetic, maybe not for the whole game, but certainly sections of it (like penalties taking/saving in FIFA 11, grenade throwing in Call of Duty, fighting in GTA ...)

As a media player, I think the PS3 is still ahead due to the Blu-ray drive. However, if the new Xbox 360 slim can be as quiet as the PS3 Slim, then it does have some advantages over the PS3 such as Windows Media Center integration (allows you to control your Windows Media Center PC using your Xbox 360, or watch TV if your MCE PC has a TV tuner card), plus Kinetic controls. For most people, these features are hardly essential though, probably less so than Blu-ray playback anyway.

[dr_ml422]

I'm new to the whole Gaming scene. Haven't played anything totally since the Atari Nintendo days albeit some demos sent to me via a GPU/Mobo purchase. I feel that playing is suppose to be relaxing and fun. Imo getting up and moving around to play a game might not be so relaxing or fun to those that can't due to physical limitations, or that work their butts off all week! I know the demographics say most gamers are in their 30's or w/e, but this can easily exclude many others not in that category. A more inclusive feature would have been best.

I mean if some want to buy a exercise video or even the Sports ones for certain parts then that's cool. Jumping up and down etc... during a whole game, or turning it off because you're tired is another. Same can be said about wearing the 3-D glasses as you already pointed to.

[admin]

Well, you'll have to stand up and move to play the Wii, and it seems to be quite popular with the non traditional gaming demographic, and particularly with seniors. The no controller approach should make games even more approachable, with some games requiring a bit more exercise, and others not as much.

Sony's approach has been to make the Move a more precise, and thus more difficult to control (what they call more "challenging") device. Because it maps 1:1 action, you'll have to be quite accurate in order to play well, as opposed to the Wii which "dumbs down" the accuracy to reach a larger (less gaming capable) audience. If the Move fails, I think this is where it will happen.

Because almost everyone has a Wii, Move/Kinetic both have to win over the Wii gamers. It will be interesting to see who can do it, whether the Wii gamers want a familiar but more accurate, HD experience, or will they prefer something a bit different with Kinetic.

I have to say though that I'm not impressed with Microsoft's line-up of Kinetic games so far. There's nothing in there that really says "wow, I must try this", and if Kinetic fails, it will be because of this lack of "wow" factor for the games, despite the technology itself being quite nice.

[dr_ml422]

I guess then that the relatively low price of the Wii and their more non-traditional audience plays a big role in it's success. I don't even know what a Wii is or have seen one but I would of known if it was a better buy than the PS3 as a media hub if it was one. In the Gaming dept. then it will maybe always be on top one way or another idk.

If and only if the PS3 was way less expensive etc.. as well as the Xbox 360, do you think any of the 2 would of gave the Wii arun for the money and pass them? Then again it's the crowd that attracts all 3 for their features and Games that plays a very large role in all this.

I'm very new to the party so I have no clue really yet.

[admin]

Microsoft now says Kinect pricing will have to wait until the Gamescom event in August. Rumour suggest it is $150, but if Microsoft sees Move making headways, it might be lowered to $99.

For the Move, each wand is $49.99. The optional Navigator controller (equivalent to the Wii Nunchuk) costs $29.99, but apparently you can just use the standard PS3 controller instead, if you don't find it too uncomfortable to hold it with just one hand. Some games will also require two Move wands, and you'll also need the PlayStation Eye accessory. Sony has a PS Move bundle which includes a wand, the Eye and a game, for $99. So minimum hardware cost for a single player seems to be $99. The maximum for a single player (two wands and the Navigator) is $180.

For two players, again for some games, you may need 4 Move wands (2 wands each), or 2 pairs of Move/Navigators, and this will cost up to $250 (1 wand + Eye for $99, then 3 more wands at $50 each). The minimum cost for 2 player play (Eye + 2 wands) is $150.

With Kinect though, you get 4 player support without any additional purchases, so while the initial $150 seems high, it may work out cheaper in the long run. If the price is $99, then it's a steal (some web cameras cost more!).

[admin]

Both Kinect and Move are available for pre-order on Amazon now, Kinect at the $150 price that Amazon predicts it will be (no official word from Microsoft yet about pricing). Kinect is currently number one on the sales charts (Xbox 360 Slim is number two), while Move is 49th, despite being available 2 month earlier than Kinect. Is this a win for Microsoft?