Full FeedLive Blog: Microsoft’s E3 2009 press conference
E3 2009 is less than a day away and Gamertell is going to live blog all the exciting news that will come out of Microsoft’s press conference.
The press conference will begin at 10:25 a.m. Pacific Time (12:25 p.m. Central Time or 1:25 p.m. Eastern Time) on Monday June 1, 2009. We’ll be providing you with all the announcements as they happen. (Note that the start time was moved from 10:30 to 10:25 a.m. to accommodate “a very special last-minute surprise.”)
Microsoft has done a good job keeping most of its major announcements a secret so far which means we can expect anything to happen.
Read [Gamertell: E3 2009]
Keep up with the latest gaming goodness! - 
Subscribe to our feed
Check out the wrapup post on Gamertell as well as posts about each big announcement.
And that’s wrap folks. That was a ton of great announcements from Microsoft.
Natal is being shown behind closed doors at E3 to prove it really works. “This is a landmark in computer entertainment.” -Molineux
Molineux - “This is true technology that science fiction has not even written about. And this works. Today. Now.”
Clair (the lady in the demo) drew on a picture, showed it to Natal and Milo recognized and reacted to it.
Peter Molineux - “Surely, we’ve been making interactive games for 20 year haven’t we? Well, 30 years. Well, no, I don’t think we have. Because that thing in our hands, that thing that’s evolved in our hands and got more and more complex and more and more buttons is actually our biggest barrier to what we want to create. ‘Cause what we want to create is a connection to our worlds. And that’s what I believe Natal does.”
It’s hard to tell if the character responds to everything you say or if this is all set up ahead of time. Milo is the name of the virtual character.
Lionhead developed a program where you can talk to a virtual character. They show very subtle emotion. Who needs real people anymore?
Project Natal is being sent to developers right now. Peter Molyneux is on stage. Lionhead has had Natal for a few months now.
People can pose as objects and snapshots can be taken of them.
I wonder what happens if someone walks in front of you or, say, a dog or cat happens to wander between you and the sensor bar?
Defiantly Paint Party the kids can enjoy.
You say a paint color and throw buckets of paint on a canvas. It doesn’t look like you can control the subtleties of painting though.
The lady demonstrating the game looks quite winded. Maybe it could keep you in shape. Paint Party is a 3D art demo where you use your voice and body.
It’s like Microsoft’s answer to Wii Fit. “This isn’t a game where you wind up on the sofa using preset waggle commands.” - Tsundoa
I forsee Dodgeball in Xbox Live’s future.
You swipe your hands to move the menus on the dashboard. Ricochet is a game where your body controls a ball that breaks blocks. You can move freely in a 3D space.
Tsunoda’s avatar has pigtails. Shoes the bottom of the avatar’s shoe as if it is a breakthrough. Browsing the Dashboard with his avatar.Seems like there is a slight lag between real and avatar motion but that might be the cabling system for the stage.
Tsunoda is demonstrating the dashboard using Natal. It immediately recognizes your face and signs you into Xbox Live. Your avatar will mimic your movements.
Kuto Tsunoda is on stage. The creative director of Project Natal.
Spielberg - Talks about the Natal experience - “The goal is to make the technology invisible” and bring more people into gaming (so they don’t know they are gaming?) Talked about the evolution of movie screens a little. “It’s not about reinventing the wheel, it’s about no wheel at all.”
Steven Spielberg is showing his support for Project Natal. “The mass majority of people are too intimidated to pick up a controller. Over 60% of households do not own a videogame console.” -Spielberg
Brief look at the sensor bar in the video shows the Xbox 360 logo, three circles. One is a green light and I’m guessing the other two are cameras.
Project Natal is the name of the project. “This is controller free games in entertainment.” -Mattrick. It will ship with new Xbox consoles and work on current consoles. It sounds like this is Microsofts way of not making another console.
Does anyone remember the Xavix system? How about the Eye Toy? They have yet to show the actual input device but it’s certainly a camera of some sort, maybe included in a bar like the Wii’s sensor bar (with miophone). Price point guess anyone?
For the family, a game show is being shown. You can play movies by selecting them with your hand and saying “play movie”
You can also scan your own gear such as a skateboard. Apparently it recognizes word phrases too. It contains face recognition too. You can scroll through items and share them with friends. It’s like video phone!
“The controller is a barrier that separates video game players from everyone else… Can we make you the controller? We can.” “No controller required” looks like a slogan.
You are the controller. A video is showing people drive, fight and change tires with no controller in hand. You can use your whole body.
Mattrick - “Here at E3 we get the opportunity to dream the next dream, to create new experiences that will drive the next wave of growth and creativity for Xbox and our industry.”
“Can we make you the controller? We can- Mattrick”
“People ask me, can we add a motion controller. I tell them of course we can.” - Mattrick
Slogan sounds like it’ll be “Raiden is back.” - Now the “platform is complete” referring to the Xbox 360 offerings.
*Metal Gear Solid Rising*
The mystery is about to be solved. There’s no Solid Snake. Lightning Bolt Action is the tagline. It stars Raiden.
“What’s the one blockbuster franchise that every 360 owner has always wanted to play?” - brought several moments of silence from the audience, then some giggles and mummers.
Looks like there’s a Metal Gear Xbox game. “It feels great to be finally standing here on the Xbox stage”- Kojima. The next major release is called Metal Gear Rising.
Don Mattrick is walking onto the stage now. He’s says their missing one crucial piece of the puzzle. Hideo Kojima is now on stage.
Wrapup speech coming, SVP, Don Mattrick on stage.
Felicia seemed nervous but in a charming kind of way.
Xbox Live is teaming with Twitter as well. You can post to Twitter from the Xbox 360. Everything is updated instantly. These apps will be coming to Xbox Live this Fall.
Xbox Live version of Facebook appears to be far more robust than even the iPhone Facebook app.
Facebook Connect is new. You can now capture screenshots and texts to your Facebook profile starting with Tiger Woods PGA Tour.
The Facebook layout is just like the blades on the NXE. You can add friends right on the Xbox 360. You can also view you and your friends photos on Xbox 360. Status updates can be shown too.
Day - Heads to Xbox Live to see Facebook and Xbox Live friends together. Can cross invite and look at Facebook photos from Xbox .
“I’ve been a gamer for years and social networking has taken over my life” -Day
Microsoft is teaming with Facebook. You can look at Facebook on the Xbox 360. Felicia Day star of The Guild is on stage.
Zune Video - Reluanch of the video service. TV and movies - “No discs, no downloads, no delays.” Wordwide launch Fall 2009.
Instant On 1080p HD is launching in the Fall. You can enjoy music, movies and TV with your friends online. Your avatars will sit around at watch the big screen.
The Xbox video service is changing to the Zune video service with 1080p HD. Every show and movie can be played instantly. It’s called Instant On.
Some stats - More than 30 million active listeners in 200 countries - LastFM “is tailor made for the living room with with instant access to millions of songs coming through the best speakers in your home”
You won’t have to cue up movies on your PC to watch Netflix on Xbox Live.
You get access from the best songs that can be played through home speakers. Gold members will get this service this year for no additional charge.
Xbox Live is getting music from Last.fm
He needs manuscript pages to find his wife Alice. He’s on a crashing gondola. Enemies are trying to get through the door to Alan. They have a big tractor like vehicle. Alan Wake is coming out Spring 2010.
something supernatural is coming towards alan. they explode when killed. the game slows down to show alan about to get hit. now there’s a lot of enemies and alan must run. he’s cranking up an engine
alan is narrating whats going on around him. he is carrying a flashlight and a pistol. it’s dark and there’s evergreen trees everywhere.
Sam Lake - Alan Wake? Hmmm.
alan wake is being shown now. alan is looking for his wife. this is an in game demo.
sam lake is on stage. and halo reach is coming out in 2010, but maybe not the Fall
when you buy odst you’ll get a beta invite to halo reach multiplayer
a new bungie project is being shown. the earth from space is being shown. explosions are happening around the world. halo reach is the name of the game in fall 2010 it will be released
staten is now fighting with a group of soldiers. there’s lots of instructional talking from your comrades. he also has pretty strong rocket type gun. firefight is a cooperative mode
Games sounds more like a Call of Duty than Halo - you swap between several characters for the story instead of just two. (Maybe that means they’ll have a better story than previous Halo games?) But, they need to get to the multiplayer mode and online soon since that is the true meat of Halo.
you’ll flashback to other ODST’s experiences in the game. you’ll find out what happens to them as the game goes on.
you know have sound supressed weapons and a night vision mode from your visor. you also get a new pistol.
Big crash,Staten - “Welcome to the city of new Membosa - weeks before the start of Halo 3. You are a rookie orbital drop shock trooper separated from his team… stay alert for unexpected help.” New visor weapon, low light vision mode.
it takes place weeks before halo 3. you are the rookie who separated from the team. it looks like halo with a brownish hud instead of blue
he’s getting ready to drop from the sky in a pod. the soldiers are exchanging banter.
Staten - “OK, are you ready everybody? Buckle up and prepare to drop”
joe staten is on stage now. he’s showing halo 3 odst
“Largest roster of hottest cars, most thrilling and approachable game play. It’s the definitive racing game and it ships this October.”
yes u can see drivers in the cars. there’s now a video showing some of the cars that have been custom made in the game. they’re riding though a european environment
Greenwell also called it Forza Motorsport 3 the “Definitive racing game for this generation” - must be the PR slogan. Video shows development team who worked on the game talking about making the game realistic and “beautiful.” Will include new community features - inc. uploading hidef video.
now there’s a video of different people showing off the customization options in forza 3. over 1 million cars were traded in Forza.
it runs at 60fps. over 400 cars for 50 manufactures. you can do one button driving
Dan Greenwell on stage from Turn10.
live gameplay has started for forza motorsport 3. the driver is in cockpit view. there was some crashes
Sporza Motorsport 3 - Shipping October 2009 - Tent called it “Definitive racing game for this generation”
next up is a racing game. Turn Tent is showing forza motorsport 3
it’s coming out this fall exclusively for the xbox 360
there’s no health bar. the screen gets redder as you take damage. sam can interrogate people. he just got arrested by the police
your objectives are written in huge font along the walls as a reminder. might be sam’s psyche taking over
the environments are all sandboxes with multiple ways to kill enemies. the shadows will help sam get the drop on enemies
everything in the game happens in real time. sam is going jack bauer on us. he can now mark and execute enemies
Max Fallon and Alex Perizo(?) on stage.
sam has the guy he ran over his daughter by the throat. he’s telling sam everything he wants to know
a demo for splinter cell conviction is being played now. sam wants to know who killed his daughter. he’s beating a guy for answers
splinter cell conviction takes place in washington d.c.
splinter cell conviction is up now. sam fisher has short hair now. the sam fisher we know is dead. he doesn’t play by the rules
Crackdown 2 - The trailer looked great. Left 4 Dead 2 - Trailer with toxic zombies being shot in the head, maybe some nice multiplayer action but hard to tell from just the trailer.
next game has zombies in it. “if we run out of bullets, they’re gonna wish we had” left for dead 2 releases november 17
Crackdown 2 - The trailer looked great. Followed by toxic zombies being shot in the head.
Crackdown 2 - The trailer looked great. Followed by toxic zombies being shot in the head.
its crackdown 2!
the next game has a character who is the cure to an infection. he has guns naturally.
correction. joy ride releases in the winter
it’ll be free to download and play. u can buy new cars and share purchased tracks with friends. it comes out in the summer.
Joy Ride - looks like a silly minicart game. “A new social experience” - and FREE.
you can use your avatars in joy ride. you get a car and drive around the desert on ramps and tracks
shadow complex is coming out for xbla in the summer. it will also be on the show floor to play. next title is called joy ride
there’s over 120 secret items and the game is over 10 hours long. there are big mechs and varied environments like factories and the forest.
Donald Mustard (having mic issues) and Cliff Bleszinski - now both playing game live.
it’s a side scrolling shooter . think bionic commando:rearmed. the maps of the game are really big.
it’s an xbox live title from epic. there’s some mic problems. but shadow complex is the name of the game
Everything from now on at the conference are Xbox 360 exclusives. Epics reps on stage.
everything from this point on is exclusive to xbox 360. the first exclusive is from epic.
Live game play on stage but only a couple minutes long - still looks amazing. Spring 2010 release.
odin fights alongside you. it was a brief showing but looked cool
one difference is four active time gauges. the more you have the more powerful your attacks will be. they are summoning Odin for the first time
(Yoshinori Kitase and Motomu Toriyama from Square Enix)
everything appears to be in english. lightning and suds are fighting a giant flying mech
final fantasy is the talk of the stage right now. the worlds first looks at FFXIII is about to be shown on Xbox 360
FFXII developer and director on stage.
the first 2 modern warfare map packs will be released first on xbox live
now he’s in control of the snowmobile. he’s shooting with one hand. trees are falling. and that’s the end of the gameplay
you aren’t alone. u have a teammate controlled by the computer
guys are on snowmobiles and on foot
a big firefight has broken out
“things do not always go as planned”
A lot of audio feedback/guidance.
they are on an airstrip of some kind
the blowing snow makes it a stealth mission
Looks good but a bit dull/slow at this point. Now they get to the shooting and it’s more interesting.
or a radar rather
gun has gps on it
it’s like the sniper stage in modern warfare
a first-person view of climbing a mountain/cliff
guy is climbing a mountain. it looks great. and music is great too
Vince Zampella - they are playing the game live on stage, keeping up with the promise to show more than tell.
it’s in a snowy stage
they’re playing modern warfare 2 on stage
Jason West and Vince on stage.
even though its not new the audience still needs a change of pants
Trailer looks good, though - sounds like real actors doing voice work. Very realistic people and fire/explosions.
we saw this trailer. don’t worry it’s not new
modern warfare 2 trailer is playing now
the game is on the show floor. go play if u can!
Game guides you around obstacles - Tony tilts side to side on it. They show the deck with a black top on it - going to guess you can get custom skins. They are on display at the Expo.
score 2 for microsoft
it has a bunch of difficulty levels
“Resembles a blank board deck.” - Hawk
Shipping later 2009. Trailer includes skaters talking about the game - includes live footage of skaters on the board controller and bragging about it.
pro skaters are talking about why they love skating so much in the video
Shipping later 2009.
world exclusive trailer is coming up
He looks funny holding such a small board.
Nice board controller
“Whole thing responds like a real skateboard”
it has infra red and accelerometers
“new ways to connect with your friends” and “revolutionary experiences for everyone”
he has the board from tony hawk ride
here comes tony hawk
They are going to “deliver more” - promise no sales figures (get applause) and 10 world premiere games
and new ways to connect with friends
He welcomes everyone to E3. “Now, more than ever before, people want to have fun. hey want to play games, enjoy their favorite TV shows, movies, music all in the comfort of their living room”
no sales charts! just 10 world premier games
John Sheppard takes the stage - excited about the game and helping Doctors Without Borders
corporate vp for xbox is coming on stage
Paul - “I never thought we’d end up as androids” “Thanks for having us on your game show.”
peace and love from ringo to us
Now they are being punny. Ringo - minimal speaking on stage. “Game is good, Graphics are good and we were great”
i think ringo’s been drinking
I wonder is there was any backstage slapping with Yoko?
Paul and Ringo on stage - pretty cool
paul mccartny and ringo star! wow!
BTW: On stage earlier were Alex Riviello and Van Toffler
Oh no, Yoko Ono on stage?
yoko ono lennon and olivia harrison is on stage. wives of rock legends
danny harrison is on stage
Purchases give a portion to Doctors Without Borders - nice
full album downloads kick off with abby road right after launch. all u need is love will be exclusive to xbox live
september 9th 2009 is the release date
get back
here comes the sun
octopus’s garden
back in the u.s.s.r.
i am the walrus
day tripper of course and taxman
i feel fine is one of them
(Giles Martin on stage)
now the first trailer is up
I saw 3 mics being used in the song along with guitar, bass and drums
10 songs are being announced
How many mics did they have set up?
the instruments look great though
Haha - Makes me think of the line from Men In Black - “I have to get the White album again.” Kids around the world playing the Beatles makes me laugh.
Song is “Day Tripper”
because the kids love The Beatles
OK, there’s a band backing it so it actually sounds good. Alex is doing OK on “drums.”
And here is your lame VP Rock Band performance
09/09/09 - game comes out along side of 13-CD anthology
Talking a lot about Beatles, 45s, LPs and evolution of the band’s innovations.
Beatles: Rock Band trailer - Alex R. welcomed to stage (nice leather jacket)
They definitely spent big cash on this video.
Third Beatles song - Sgt. Peppers-ish (Here Comes the Sun)
Animated Beatles intro a la ‘Help”
Announcer is welcoming people.
I hope the extra 5 minutes is not for a lame air/Rock Band “performance”
i feel a rock band presence
and lots of floating circles (screen saver?)
Green is keen - stage is very green thanks to large monitors.
Couple more minutes.
haha - sadly enough, that would not be a huge surprise.
Let’s just hope it’s not an announcement promising an upcoming announcement.
PR move galore - shouldn’t everything at an E3 press conference be a “special announcement?”
Getting ready for the press conference. Note that the time change five minutes early for a “special announcement.”
Black Friday 2009
Black Friday is almost here! Gadgetell's got you covered with all the latest news on who's offering the best deals. Dangerous crowds? You're on your own.
Important Importables
Jenni Lada brings us information about all of the groovy new gaming imports from around the world.
Yes, I always love Microsoft’s E3 presentation. Here’s to hoping it will yet again be the best one.
on June 1, 2009 at 07:36 AM - LINKokay I will take care of about this..
in other word all are most WELCOME..
on June 3, 2009 at 04:37 AM - LINKTHANX.