We’re still wrapping our heads around this, but if we can understand what 1up are saying, Project Natal isn’t just a prepheral now, it’s actually the Xbox 720! We think. Natal will launch next year as standard for every new Xbox 360 and will also work with any other Xbox 360 sold so far.
But when Natal launches, there will be a new Xbox and needless to say, this wont just be an improved Xbox 360 Natal, it’s a whole new console. On a hardware front, it isnt an advanced leap from the 360, but according to 1up’s Sam Kennedy, it will be rebranded, repackaged and upgraded.
Make no mistake, we wouldn’t be talking about the sort of hardware leap we’ve seen with Xbox (or most other) platforms in the past, and we’re not talking about Microsoft ending one console cycle and starting another. We’re talking about an evolution of the Xbox 360; similar hardware but upgraded, repackaged, and rebranded. It’s actually not that unlike what Nintendo did with the Wii, where it essentially took the GameCube hardware, stuck in motion controls, and successfully relaunched it. The new Xbox console is said to be aimed directly at a mainstream audience — and will launch before Nintendo is able to release its Wii HD.
And as for when we’ll see it, you’d think E3 right? Wrong, earlier then that, March at GDC 2010 for a Fall 2010 release.
Our sources point to next year’s Game Developer’s Conference as the target for its unveiling and Fall 2010 as the target for release.
Creative Director of Microsoft Games Studios Europe, Peter Molyneux went on record yesterday to state that anybody who knows design as a holy grail, throw it out the window. He also stated Natal will created whole new genres.