McCartney and Ringo live, a new Metal Gear Solid game, a 3D motion sensor, Zune TV for Xbox 360 with 1080p instant-on, what didn't Microsoft bring to its E3 press show?
You knew something was up when Microsoft kicked off (as opposed to wrapping up) with two of the most celebrated musicians in rock history. The message? "Hey, it's The Beatles!" The subtext? "Hey Sony and Nintendo, we ain't messin' around." Classy, and not a little intimidating. Next? A battery of trailers and actual game demonstrations, including pretty tasty announcements for stuff like Epic's first Xbox Live Arcade game, Shadow Complex, Valve's zombie-blender sequel, Left 4 Dead 2, and a brand new standalone Halo game, Halo: Reach.
Games were foremost on Microsoft's itinerary, but the company still snuck in a bunch of new media and social networking services, illustrating their commitment to broadening the Xbox 360's lifestyle-centric role. Think live TV piped through the new Zune TV service, plus 1080p streaming video, instantly delivered.
And then there's Facebook and Twitter, fully integrated with the Xbox 360 dashboard. Track friends, issues status updates, and view your pictures, all in one easy-to-access spot. Cha-ching.
But the biggest show announcements were probably Konami finally hopping in bed with the Xbox 360 to deliver a brand new Metal Gear Solid game, and Microsoft's no-controller motion sensing bombshell. That's right, bombshell. Bypassing Nintendo's Wii and dramatically one-upping Sony's Eye Toy, "Project Natal" is a way to interact with games where you -- no wires or widgets or other flimflammery involved -- are the controller.
If last year's E3 was mostly flash-in-the-pan disappointing, this one's already surpassing expectations.
Source: PCWorld
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