Yesterday at CES 2011, Microsoft talked about the Windows 7 Phone, the Surface 2, and the various laptops and netbooks in the works with AMD and Intel CPUs in them. It would not be a keynote without some “new” news from the gaming side of Microsoft. Unfortunately, it was pretty much the same keynote/press conference that we saw in 2010.
Avatar Kinect: New ways to socialize with your friends on Xbox Live while using your Xbox 360 Avatar—all while using your Xbox Kinect. Enabling the gesture control and adding facial expression support. You and your friends’ Avatars will be able to communicate in “stages” which gives users talk show-like sets to interact with your buddies avatar. That’s just what I need—to have my own show on XBL. Avatar Kinect will be free for Xbox Live Gold members, coming this Spring.
8 Million: Microsoft was proud to announce that their 5 Million sales goal that they had for the Kinect was broken—because during the holiday season they sold over 8 Million Xbox Kinect units. How many of those do you think were for the PC?
Netflix and Hulu Plus: Netflix is already available to be used on the 360, but it was not compatible with the Kinect. Support for Kinect is coming later this spring. Also, for those waiting for Hulu Plus, originally slated to come “early 2011,” keep waiting—service will be available later in the year. I’m still waiting for Microsoft to put in the voice command, “Xbox Ragequit”.
Fable Coin Golf: Let’s be honest here: do you really care? Especially since it will only be available for Windows 7 Phone.
That is pretty much the whole Microsoft keynote on the gaming side. Aside from the numbers that they displayed about Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, where they hit 50 million users worldwide and 30 million on XBL. Did any of the announcements excite you at all?
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