Microsoft Kinect (Project Natal) announced and NEW Xbox 360 released!

Post warning: This is one of those “Not 100% business related posts” that I think you may still find really interesting.

For all of you gamers out there (and anyone who truly appreciates video games of any kind), what a great day Monday at E3 where there were some VERY cool announcements and demos made by the Microsoft Xbox folks! Personally, I am very excited about a couple of them and thought I would share with you in case you happened to miss the excitement on Monday.

First, if you are like me (scary thought, I know), you have been following the information, videos, etc. on “Project Natal,” the new Natural User Interface (NUI) device for the Xbox 360 that has been in development that basically turns your entire body into an input device and controller for your Xbox 360! Talk about an awesome experience! For those of you that joined us at Worldwide Partner Conference last year, you may have seen the early demo of “Project Natal” on display during the main party. Monday at E3, “Project Natal’s” real name was revealed as Microsoft Kinect. and they announced the actual release date is November 4th (which I have to say is quite the exceptional choice in dates!). 

Now, for those of you who may not have been following all of the “Project Natal” excitement up till now or that want to see more about Microsoft Kinect (as Natal is known now), here are some things you may want to check out:

• Microsoft Kinect Video Gallery
  • Project Natal: Concept to Reality
  • See Kinect for Xbox 30 in Action
  • Cirque du Soleil Unveils Kinect for Xbox 360
  • Xbox 360 at E3 Media Briefing News Highlights & Kinect Demos
• Microsoft Kinect Fact Sheet
• Microsoft Kinect Game Fact Sheets:
  • Kinect Adventures Fact Sheet
  • Kinectimals Fact Sheet
  • Kinect Sports Fact Sheet
  • Dance Central Fact Sheet
  • Kinect Joy Ride Fact Sheet
• Microsoft Kinect on Facebook
• Microsoft Kinect Web Page
• Here’s a few pics to get you started (Click pictures for full-size):

The other big piece of exciting news shared at E3 on Monday was the release of the brand new Xbox 360 console! So what’s new about it?

First, it has a sleek, new, glossy black finish and shape (Yeah, I know, this is just a visual thing but if you’ve followed the blog, you know I like tech toys with flash) A HUGE 250GB Hard Drive Built in Wi-Fi A whisper quiet experience

Want to learn more about the new Xbox 360? (Oh, and did I mention that this one is shipping NOW?) Check out these resources:

• Xbox website
• Xbox Channel on YouTube
• Xbox on Twitter
• Xbox on Facebook
• Xbox on MySpace

I know that my calendar has been marked for awhile now counting down to the release of Microsoft Kinect (“Project Natal”) and now we are only a few short months away! 

Ok, we’ll return to our regular business posts here on the Blog now; however, I’ve seen several different conversations, posts, etc. about the potential business applications for Microsoft Kinect in the future, so technically, this might actually be a business post in itself… :-)

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Thank you and have a wonderful day,

Eric Ligman – Follow me on TWITTER, LinkedIn, and RSS and see “What I’m thinking”
Global Partner Experience Lead
Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights

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