Recap of Nintendo's E3 Press Conference

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Recap of Microsoft's E3 Press Conference

Source: Game | Life - Wired Blogs

We're live blogging Microsoft's E3 press conference in this post, after the jump. Big news will go here after it happens.
- Viva Pinata Party Animals announced
- Mass Effect In November
- New one-handed Xbox 360 controller for Scene It? game. Features one giant "buzz-in" button for trivia answers, four buttons to pick your response.


8:33 -- A band of "five Halo fans from Libertyville, Illinois" starts the show, playing a live version of the Halo theme on electric fiddle and guitars as images from the game play on the screen. They're good, but then, I love me some fiddle. Whoa, she's walking down the stage! GOTY confirmed.


8:35 -- Resolved: the theme song to every game should be played by an attractive woman on electric fiddle before every press conference.


8:37 -- Peter Moore takes the stage as the music dies. "When we saw them on the Internet, we just had to share their passion with you," Moore says of the band.


8:38 -- Every demo you see at this show will be coming this year, Moore says. "The greatest holiday lineup in video game history."


8:40 -- Let's pump it up to 11!, Moore shouts as he begins to play a Rock Band demo with Alex Rigopulous on drums. Peter fails within seconds of the song starting, but the other members of the band "bring him back in" by rocking hard. Awesome idea. I am so amazingly in love with this game, and even if it's not exclusive, this is a great way to kick off their presentation. Amazing.
Heh. Moore just accidentally paused the game. "Oh, that's me!"


8:42 -- Moore continues to hype up Rock Band -- but no exclusive announcement. Oh well, I gave it a shot.


8:43 -- Viva Pinata 2? Wait a minute... they're playing a trailer, but it looks like a collection of mini-games starring the characters. Hey, it's called Viva Pinata: Party Animals, which makes sense. Filled with 50 minigames and races. Developed not by Rare, but by Krome Studios (Ty the Tazmanian Tiger).


8:45 -- Mass Effect trailer. Do I need to tell you how awesome this looks?
Mass Effect dated for November.


8:47 -- Moore shows the bar graphs with the console sales numbers. Only shows the American numbers, of course, because otherwise it would not look nearly as good. Admits that they are in a "close race" with the Wii.
Points out with a very funny slide that Xbox 360 games from third parties are cracking the Top Ten software charts, but no Wii or PS3 games have.


8:49 -- Talking about last generation's top five bestsellers, which were all Grand Theft Auto and Halo games. "I've got them both tattooed on my arms. Honest I do," says Moore.


8:51 -- Highlight reel of new game trailers. Project Gotham Racing 4. Dynasty Warriors Gundam. Call of Duty 4. Stranglehold. Guitar Hero III. Beautiful Katamari. Lost Odyssey. NBA Live 08. Mass Effect. Ace Combat 6. Tiger Woods. NHL 08. Assassin's Creed. Spider Man: friend or foe? The Simpsons Game. Splinter Cell Conviction. NASCAR 08. Eternal Sonata. BioShock. Madden NFL 08. Tony Hawk's Proving Ground. Crash of the Titans. Harry Potter OOTP. The Orange Box. Bee movie Game. Rock Band. Naruto Rise of a Ninja.


8:55 -- Microsoft VP Jeff Bell comes out to introduce Scene It?, based on the DVD games, "fully interactive" for Xbox 360. New questions, new clips. Game will come with a new controllers that they're announcing tonight. It's a one-handed controller with a big button and four answer buttons. Four of these controllers come bundled with Scene It for "same price" as a normal 360 game. (So, $60.)
Wow. If Nintendo had done something like this for GameCube, they'd have been laughed at. At this point, Microsoft can announce this kind of thing and end up being praised for it. Packing in four is a good idea. But this has to come with a price drop, shouldn't it...?


8:57 -- Naruto trailer.


8:59 -- Bell brings up the announcement of EA Xbox Live support a few years ago. Announces that this year's lineup of Live sports games for 360 will run 'twice as fast, twice as smooth' this year.


9:00 -- Introduces Reggie Bush of New Orleans Saints. Reggie totally diverges from the script. He's supposed to say "It's almost as fast as me," according to the teleprompters.
Jeff Bell is supposed to say, "I think I've got you stopped, buddy. You haven't been to training camp yet, have you?" But instead, Bush totally kills him. "I'm not even watching, Jeff!" That was great even though I have no idea what this "football" they are playing is.


9:01 -- Talking about Xbox Live. Bell says they've passed the 7 million member mark. "Largest community connected to the television." Says more than 10 million mark before the next E3. That's a very safe assumption, considering most people don't think there will be a next E3.
 
Any word on a price drop? I think it would be short sighted of them not to do one. They should make sure that their "elite" systems are less expensive than the 60GB PS3 and their "core" entry level one is the same price as a wii.
 
Excellent Microsoft conference impressions by Peer Schneider (head of IGN/GameSpy). It's too long to copy & paste and has embedded videos.

So clicky: Peer's Blog - Microsoft E3 '07 Conference


Edit: no word on a price drop. I would not expect one till next year. MS is counting on huge hardware sales when Halo 3 releases.
 
I bet they cut it to around $329 Premium/ $399 elite going into the Holiday season, and i wouldnt be suprised to see Sony do another smaller cut ($50) as well. Its going to be a cut throat holiday season in the console wars...
 
Too bad Peter didn't have a tattoo of Metal Gear 4 to go along with the GTA4 tat from last year. That announcement would've been monumental.

They did announce Resident Evil 5, but I didn't hear if it's going to be exclusive to the 360.
 
Resident Evil and GTA and now Metal Gear are too big of franchises for one console, they will be cross platform...
 
BigTimMN said:
I bet they cut it to around $329 Premium/ $399 elite going into the Holiday season, and i wouldnt be suprised to see Sony do another smaller cut ($50) as well. Its going to be a cut throat holiday season in the console wars...
Click to expand...

I wouldn't hold my breath on the 360 price cut. MS & Sony still lose money on every console sold. I have read multiple reports that MS thinks there are around 1 million people holding out on buying a 360 until Halo 3.

I don't see MS making a move unless the price cut of the PS3 drastically increases sales. The PS3 launched at $499 & $599 and it is still priced at $499 & $599, just better hardware now vs launch.



Also, Peer's blog I linked above has videos of Resident Evil 5 and Call of Duty 4.
 
I cant access "game" sites from work, but i thought i read something on Gamespot that its going to all consoles.. maybe was just a rumor.
 
I'm not sure what show it was but they had a presentation with 3 camera angles on a FTA feed last night showing off a all the new stuff on the 360 and Windows Live.
 
Source: Game | Life - Wired Blogs

The conference has started, and the liveblog is here. No pics -- saving battery, this time. Big news will go up here, up to the minute liveblog below.\
-Nintendo announces Wii Zapper gun, works with Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles, and Ghost Squad from Sega.
-Smash Bros. launches in US on December 3.
- New Channel: Check Mii Out. Mii contests.
- Madden and FIFA online this year for Wii. So is Guitar Hero III!
- Mario Kart Wii, Q1 2008. Online multiplayer battle mode. Comes with wheel controller.
- Super Mario Galaxy: November 12.
- Flash Focus, the eye-training game, comes to US.
- Nintendo announces Wii Fit. Uses floor-stepping controller you can use to do push-ups or dance moves, etc. Looks very appealing. Lots and lots of different games.



9:03 -- Nintendo is showing an opening video with clips from television, all about Brain Age and DS and Wii and the massive amount of coverage. Basically, this is the first E3 they've ever had where they're actually selling product, so they are very much going to emphasize that.


9:05 -- Reggie appears to thunderous applause, and catcalls. "My name is Reggie, and I am... happy. To us, today is more than a press conference or a business meeting. We see today as a celebration. Not just for Nintendo, but for all of us. We think this E3 marks a conclusive turning point for the video game market.


9:07 -- Reggie is showing some bar graphs and line charts and all that stuff. He's talking about audience expansion. "I've seen it happen in my own home, and I bet you have too. I've offered a Wii controller to someone who says, 'I don't play those things', and 45 minutes later I can't get my game back."
"It's not going to surprise you... that 69% of all industry growth comes from Nintendo products." Portable play, he says, is an increasing share of the game market. Okay, okay. Okay. Let's stop it with the graphs. Seriously. How about one big slide that says "We're Doing Very Well"?


9:09 -- For all video game products, players between ages of 18-24 have gained a total of six percentage points of the marketshare. over same span, players over age of 25 have grown from 28% to 32%. That's important, Reggie says, because "this is where potential is."
He's talking about Nintendo specifically, now. Hardware sales to 25+ gamers have jumped over the last two years from 14% to 23%.
Now, about male/female split. Industry ratio is 80/20, like always. With Nintendo, it's 33% women. That's hardware sales, again.
"Nintendo DS may be the beacon that's lighting the way to the future of the entire game industry."


9:11 -- In Japan, the expansion of older and female audiences is even more pronounced. Wii hasn't been around long enough to track sales changes to same degree, Reggie says, but they're finding that 95% of all males between ages 6-24 who own Wii play regularly. A third of women in Wii households are "regular users" of Wii. Reggie's favorite category: one in eight people over 50 with a Wii in the house play it regularly. 10% of senior women do. "A first in video game history."


9:14 -- "People are saying it's just a fad. If I were in their shoes I'd be saying the exact same thing." But Nintendo DS isn't a fad, he points out. Reggie totally loses an opportunity to name-check me here. Wouldn't that be great?


9:15 -- The development community, Reggie says, is responding to Wii's success. Between now and holidays, North American players can expect another 140 games for DS and another 100 games for Wii. 14 of the top 20 best sellers for Wii have been from third party publishers, Reggie says. Hmm. How many games has Nintendo released? 6?


9:17 -- Video reel. Oh, what? They put Destructoid on the screen, but not Game|Life? Burn.


9:18 -- Reggie: I welcome to the world the first offspring of the Wii remote and the nunchuk -- the Wii Zapper. It's a plastic housing that holds the Wiimote and nunchuk. You hold it like a two-handed machine gun, with one hand on a stock in the front. This week, Reggie says, you'll be able to test-zap Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles from Capcom with the Wii Zapper.


9:20 -- Reggie shows Ghost Squad from Sega for Wii, works with Wii Zapper. EA's Medal of Honor for Wii is built specfically to take advantage of Wii Zapper. Up to 32 soldiers in "multiplayer" mode. Must be online. Other Wii Zapper plans from third party partners.


9:21 -- New Wii Zapper project from Nintendo. Reggie will package the Wii Zapper this year with the software, $19.99 for the software package. Must be another Wii Play style minigame cheap package.


9:22 -- Reggie showing other games like Soul Calibur Legends, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, and Smackdown vs. Raw. Now showing Dragon Quest Swords for Wii, "early next year" release date.


9:23 -- Showing Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. Showing a soundless video behind him. Looks pre-rendered, just some characters running around.


9:24 -- Super Smash Bros. Brawl time. He's hyping up Giga Bowser and controller options. "When? Not next year, not next Spring... SSB will launch in the Americas on December 3."


9:25 -- There's a video reel with the guy from the Nintendo fan site The Hylia. He and his girlfriend (wife? sister?) are going to play some games. He's up there playing Phantom Hourglass while Bill Trinen talks. Break time for me, because you guys already know all about Phantom Hourglass, right? Right.


9:27 -- Bill Trinen, in the middle of the Zelda demo, says that female players are buying more Zeldas than ever with this game.


9:28 -- Metroid Prime 3 Corruption demo with the girl from the video. She is wearing really nice jeans. I want jeans like that. Not those exact ones, because, I mean, I don't think I'd fit in them. Maybe I could wear them as a headband.


9:31 -- Trinen is talking about "lock-on free aiming". You can lock on to an enemy and strafe around him, but while you're locked on you can still shoot anywhere on screen that you want. Looks interesting. This isn't going to be for the Wii Sports crowd, not at all.


9:33 -- Reggie says Nintendo is going to get "serious" about online. Or actually, he says, "What if we already did, and you just didn't notice?" Showing a video reel of news stories talking about Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Showing Miis, etc.


9:34 -- Today, five and a half million DS owners have fired up their Wi Fi Connection, Reg says. 230 million different gameplay sessions. And with all that, it's been free. Not a single dollar has been spent. 5.6 million Virtual Console downloads. Talking about Wii Ware.


9:35 -- A new channel called Check Mii Out. Enter Miis you've created, and have them voted on by other players. Take home the Miis you like best. Contests and promotions -- create Miis based on certain real-life celebrities.


9:37 -- Reggie announces that EA will take Madden and FIFA online for Wii this year.


9:38 -- Talking up Dragon Quest Monsters Joker, which is online for DS.


9:39 -- Guitar Hero III: Legends for Wii. Wireless Les Paul guitar controller. Online.


9:40 -- Mario Kart Wii, online, first quarter 2008. Showing a soundless video. One player per cart. They're including a Wii steering wheel add-on. It's not just a piece of plastic -- it seems to have accelerate/brake buttons on the back. It will be included in the package.


9:41 -- They're showing another freakin' highlight reel of press clips and YouTube videos. This time it's focused on older gamers, Brain Age, kanji dictionaries, etc.


9:42 -- Reggie says let's widen the focus and look at what comes next for mass market. To do that, Satoru Iwata hits the stage. Yaaaay! "Thank you for spending time with us today. I played my first video game thirty years ago. In those days, there were not many gamers. So from the start, I thought it would be wonderful if some day, everyone could find the same enjoyment I was having."


9:44 -- Iwata: "There is a paradigm shift taking place in my own home. I am so enthused by the cookbook software in Japan that I am making dinner for my family on my days off." Does he take
days off? I think that's the catch, here.


9:45 -- Iwata still talking up why Nintendo is going after new players, and why existing players shouldn't be angry about it because hey, weren't we all new players at some point? Let Grandma have her Brain Age, kids.


9:47 -- Next immediate challenge at Nintendo is to destroy the "psychological barriers" that keep people from playing games, whether veterans or new players. They want to emphasize that the expanded-audience titles are for everyone. "You may think this sounds impossible. But think about the Wii Zapper, which erases the complexity that has always created a barrier. FPS games don't need to be ruled out anymore, even for the expanded audience."


9:49 -- Contents of expanded-audience games need to be "scaled," he said, with enough challenge for even veteran players. "In a few minutes, Mr. Miyamoto will be out here for a new title that meets" that requirement, he says.


9:50 -- Another highlight reel! It's average everyday ordinary people playing Super Mario Galaxy. Man, oh man. They'd better be announcing that this is coming out this year. They're playing Brain Age 2 now. Who gave them these games? Send one to my house.


9:52 -- In Japan, a returned Reggie says, Brain Age 2 is more popular than the original. Okay, now he's talking about Galaxy. "It's over the top," he says. "This is the first worthy successor to Super Mario 64." Whoa, they're renouncing Sunshine? Ouch.
"We believe this game sets a new gold standard for interface." Instantly accessible to people who've never played video games. November 12. Yay!


9:54 -- New expanded audience games... Talking up already-announced titles. "Can this thing grow? We, and other people, think so."


9:55 -- Flash Focus, the vision training game from Japan, is coming to America.


9:57 -- Okay, let's look at a sixteenth video highlight reel of Wii news coverage and how much people are sweatin' to the oldies with Wii Sports.


9:59 -- The last game we're featuring today, says Reggie, takes our big leap in audience expansion. It's called WiiFit. Same title logo treatment as Wii Sports. Oh, it uses a pad that you stand on on the floor. Crazy. Measures the pressure you're putting on it with left/right foot. Analog sensitivity. You can use it to do push ups. Can use it to hula-hoop by shifting your torso, which changes the pressure sensitivity on the floor.
Yep, I agree - this really could be the game that keeps bringing in the audience.


10:02 -- Miyamoto takes the stage, flanked by three incredibly built people who look like they do not need Wii Fit. Says that this was the one game he wanted to show people at E3. And says this was the game that they thought of when they first conceived of the Wii. Something that is relevant to everyone in the home.


10:04 -- They're doing a demo of a one-legged stretch. She's trying to keep her center of gravity in the yellow zone shown on screen. The guy to her right starts doing step aerobics, which is a DDR-like game where you're trying to match the timing on the foot icons and the music. By checking center of gravity it knows whether you're stepping to the back or to the side.


10:06 -- Final demo is the 'sideways twist' -- you twist your body to the left and right, trying to keep your center of gravity. This allows game to be sure you're performing correctly.


10:08 -- Miyamoto holds up the device. Says it's called the Wii Balance Board. It can measure your weight and how your balance shifts. The design of this thing is really nice -- it's big, but it's wireless and pure white and unobtrusive, as far as workout equipment goes.


10:09 -- One more very important aspect: they can do a "body check" on someone, measuring their weight and body size. They're testing it on Reggie. They show how his center of gravity shifted. His balance was shifted slightly to the right. You can measure your body mass index over time, and measure it against your family's.


10:12 -- As it turns out, Reggie's BMI means that he's overweight. Oh well, so am I. Miyamoto and Reggie are going to compete to "head" soccer balls. They have to lean left and right. Reggie kicked the living s**t out of Miyamoto. Do not screw with this man. He will utterly destroy you.


10:15 -- Reggie is finishing up with some closing comments about how awesome video games are. "When the day comes that video games are accepted as the preeminent form of leisure entertainment, then, not only will we be happy, we might just be satisfied." the end!
 

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