Okay Geek Farm
Microsoft: Xbox's Project Natal can have 5 Year Lifespan
Ricardo Trejo
Let's be honest, the only consoles in direct competition in the current generation are the 360 and the PS3 - the Wii is in a league of its own. And both Sony and Microsoft came out early respecting that this generation would break the 6 year console cycle we've become so familiar with; going so far as to say their hardware would last us a full decade of play time. How they planned to do this was anyone's guess, but as time has passed it was always Microsoft who's gone out and made the first move, setting the bar to their standard. With the NXE update bringing about the Channel system, Avatars, Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, and games like 1 vs. 100, the 360 has already had its second wind, but can it get a third right around the time when in generations past gamers have usually replaced their aging systems
Aaron Greenberg, top Microsoft exec for product management, says the Natal can and will by bringing about interruptive technology:
"The richness of the technology is going to really enable experiences that never had existed before... And we're not just speaking about what we're doing this year, but I think two, three, four, five years from now as this evolves.
Millions of consumers this Holiday will be able to experience Project Natal and this is just the beginning of something that will change the way consumers interact with entertainment and change way our publishing partners think about game development."Aaron Greenberg, Director of Product Management - Microsoft Xbox
Sounds a little bit like what Nintendo was spouting back in 2005-06 right before the Wii came out. But will Natal be as endearing? It just may, since it'll add a new dimension to a console that already has the hardcore market in its pocket, but could now have a chance at scooping up that precious 35 and older audience. And the way they'd do that would not just be with the introduction of easy to play games, though that will be a part of it, rather it'll be with voice recognition and gesture movements that make the user feel connected to the device only as the iPhone has done before it. Accessibility and a one stop shop for social media, gaming, and entertainment could just give the 360 the edge it needs to survive a whole 'nother 5 years - but it'll be a fine line if it succeeds or flops.
One things for sure, this holiday season will be very interesting to watch.
