

E3 2009: Microsoft: Project Natal Launch Will Be Better Than Ten Super Bowls
June 12, 2009 | 11:54 AM PST
Okay, so they didn't really say that. But if you get the reference, you may take a cookie from the jar.
Rather, they said that when Project Natal finally launches, the Heavens will part, and-- okay, so they didn't say that, either.
What they did say is that the launch of Project Natal will feel like a console launch. Specifically, the Xbox 360's console launch. As if there would be any other.
"Conceptually, the launch of Natal will be like the launch of Xbox 360," said Shane Kim, Microsoft's head of long-term Xbox 360 strategy, to Kotaku at E3. "It's going to be that big. We're not just going to ship it when the hardware and software are ready. We have to make sure that there are enough content experiences that are really good. That's similar to how you would think of the launch of a new console. It's got to have a great launch line-up. That's the same thing here."
Earlier in the week, Everyone's Favorite Analyst, Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan, predicted that the launch of Project Natal would require the support of approximately 30 third-party titles.
"We're not focused on this generation's casual gamers or even PS2 people who haven't upgraded," Kim said of the consumer Microsoft hopes to attract. "This is about the 60% of households were a video game console doesn't exist… the problem is that the controller is a barrier for some people and now with Project Natal we completely eliminate that."
One has to admit, to see this much support thrown behind a peripheral may be something to behold; the closest thing which comes to mind in recent memory is the launch of Wii Fit, though whether the marketing Nintendo put behind that matches up to that of a console launch remains up to debate.
And with mainstream appearances already on the likes of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and Good Morning America, it seems with each passing day that this could really turn into something big.
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source: Kotaku


















