You have more stuff coming besides Kinect stuff, right?
Ah, Microsoft. The definite darkhorse in this E3 race. The past year has been pretty good for the boys in green. Sales in North America continue to be strong and Kinect has proven to be the upgrade for the Wii crowd rather than the Move, passing the 10 million mark in sales this month. But what's on the horizon? Things have been awfully quiet on the 360 front and Microsoft always likes to make a big showing at E3. They most likely have something up their sleeves, but what?
New System - Can this be it? After the rumors of Project Cafe started to surface, similar but less founded murmurs began to arise about the 720 making an appearance at THIS E3. While it is certainly in the works, my gut says nay. The 360 still has wheels and they have nothing to really gain by going toe to toe with Nintendo in 2012, even if they are both targeting the same audience. The PS4 is also probably not coming until 2014, so they still have time if they want to keep a leg up on Sony.
Kinect Games - last year's Kinect lineup at E3 was...uh...how to say this nicely? Terrible? Horrendous? Abysmal? I guess they all apply. Sure Dance Central was a great use of the tech and the kids probably enjoyed Kinectamals, but they are part of a crowd that doesn't even know what E3 is. For the hardcore, Kinect has remained a frivolous piece of hardware that does nothing for them.
Until now.
Microsoft has been hard at work creating experiences on Kinect that the hardcore Halo playing gamer that fills their coffers wants to play. Images of Ghost Recon with Kinect have already been leaked, adding to the wave of expectation that hardcore Kinect games are coming. The real question is can they pull it off. Can they enable Kinect to enhance the gaming experience rather that seeming gimmicky? Ideas like being able to throw a grenade if its near your feet or give commands to your squad seems intriguing, but can the tech really pull off such actions? We will certainly find out in 2 weeks. Microsoft is going to spend a large chunk of their press conference trying to convince gamers that Kinect is for everybody, not just the casual. I remain optimistic but cautious.
Oh, and if they could bring this guy I would be pleased as well.
Skype - Microsoft purchased the internet communication company for a cool 8.5 BILLION dollars and I'm sure they've been working on ways to incorporate it into the Xbox experience. But given the short amount of time, there will probably be nothing substantial but surely a mention of what their plans are in the future for it.
360 Games - I like to give Nintendo crap for having no games on their systems but, honestly, if it wasn't for the third party support, this would be a dry year for the Xbox. Where are the exclusives? Gears of War will certainly get its spot and look awesome, but what else should make consumers buy a 360 over a PS3 this holiday? Mass Effect already went multi-platform and Valve has finally warmed up to Sony, so I'm sure the next Left 4 Dead will follow the same path as Portal 2. Bungie has moved on from Halo so even if another comes out, its sure to lack the same soul. I'm hoping that Microsoft isn't banking on Kinect and their superior online service to keep them ahead because it seems like a lot of eggs in one basket. Hopefully E3 will bring some big reveals for their core audience and not expect them buy a Kinect to get in on the fun.
Price Cut - It's definitely remote, but I could see the mentions of a upcoming price cut to force Sony's hand. The 360 is just cheaper to produce and, if they really don't have any firepower to go against Sony this holiday in terms of software, they could announce a Kinect bundle(after revealing all their new Kinect games) and price it at $300. Not that exciting for current owners of slims, but it might be in the mix to keep them ahead of the curve.
If any conference is going to hold some surprises, it's Microsoft. What do YOU think they have in store?
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