Xbox At E3, or Not As The Case May Be
Running console mysteriously absent from LA exhibition.
There is something very different about the approach of Nintendo and Microsoft to E3 in style, strategy and presentation. The Microsoft stand is chaotic, with journalists, retailers and games industry VIPs rubbing shoulders with the few undercover game fans that managed to steal their way into the show.
Microsoft has opted to hide its ugly baby for the event, displaying only one mock-up of the finalised Xbox hardware casing. Perhaps the hordes of Japanese gamers queuing up to mock it at the Tokyo game show earlier this year put Microsoft off the idea of highlighting what could be described as its biggest and most obvious Xbox blunder to date: it’s big and ugly. Our chance encounter with J Allard, General Manager of Xbox, revealed that the official line is “E3 is all about the software.” Hmmmm…
One of the nicest surprises at the Microsoft stand is being able to get hold of the controller. It really feels quite good, with its raw pseudo-ergonomic design making good the company’s promises. The analogue sticks feel well positioned, much better than that of the PlayStation, and the movement resistance feels well thought out. It feels big but good-big, not bad-big. If you’re a veteran console gamer, you’ll know what I mean.
The games on display, which include Project Gotham Racing, NHL Fever 2002 and Munch’s Oddysee, are looking good. That’s it though, only good. There is nothing that’s really wowing the crowds and nothing that looks massively revolutionary. Of more interest is a video that is showing on the screen in the tightly-secured VIP area suspended above the conference hall. On screen, amongst other things, there’s a rally game featuring the most recognisable rally cars from the World Rally Championship. Perhaps this is Colin M on Xbox? We’ll have to wait and see. J Allard was tight-lipped, telling us the video was “a collection of third party titles to be announced at some point in the future.” When pressed he said “Look guys, leave me alone, I’m just not going to announce anything before it should go into the public domain.” Even our best Jedi mind tricks yielded nothing.
Microsoft has opted to hide its ugly baby for the event, displaying only one mock-up of the finalised Xbox hardware casing. Perhaps the hordes of Japanese gamers queuing up to mock it at the Tokyo game show earlier this year put Microsoft off the idea of highlighting what could be described as its biggest and most obvious Xbox blunder to date: it’s big and ugly. Our chance encounter with J Allard, General Manager of Xbox, revealed that the official line is “E3 is all about the software.” Hmmmm…
One of the nicest surprises at the Microsoft stand is being able to get hold of the controller. It really feels quite good, with its raw pseudo-ergonomic design making good the company’s promises. The analogue sticks feel well positioned, much better than that of the PlayStation, and the movement resistance feels well thought out. It feels big but good-big, not bad-big. If you’re a veteran console gamer, you’ll know what I mean.
The games on display, which include Project Gotham Racing, NHL Fever 2002 and Munch’s Oddysee, are looking good. That’s it though, only good. There is nothing that’s really wowing the crowds and nothing that looks massively revolutionary. Of more interest is a video that is showing on the screen in the tightly-secured VIP area suspended above the conference hall. On screen, amongst other things, there’s a rally game featuring the most recognisable rally cars from the World Rally Championship. Perhaps this is Colin M on Xbox? We’ll have to wait and see. J Allard was tight-lipped, telling us the video was “a collection of third party titles to be announced at some point in the future.” When pressed he said “Look guys, leave me alone, I’m just not going to announce anything before it should go into the public domain.” Even our best Jedi mind tricks yielded nothing.
Companies:
Microsoft
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