Well, XBOX360 has outsold the WII in the US.  Xbox 360’s sales spiked 32 percent for the week of August 23rd through August 29th. Does this bode well as a sign for the Christmas season?

Gaming Hardware sales seen not in a big recession. VGchartz tells the story: http://www.vgchartz.com/chartsindex.php

I am waiting for the hands-free controller…

Manipulate objects with your body, but touch nothing - Project Natal:

It’s Microsoft’s the new XBOX controller, otherwise known “The Uncontroller”.

In a short piece in “The State Press”, author Shanen K. Lloyd shared thoughts about the present state of XBOX video gaming and the media:

Project Natal is a controller-free, motion-sensing game, created for the Xbox 360. They haven’t set a release date, but it is rumored to be out sometime by the end of 2010.

Without a controller, users are able to control the screen and the game through body movements, voice commands and even by using other objects or images they have around them. The game recognizes the player, can differentiate between people and objects in the room and even between different players. The technology of this new interface even includes facial recognition for player sign-ins.

I saw a few demo videos on YouTube [see new XBOX Controller videos below], and I’ll admit, it looks pretty cool. I suggest everyone to check those out to be able to fully grasp what Project Natal is. Words don’t really do it justice. Following in the footsteps of Nintendo’s Wii, it seems this new form of interactivity with video games is the way of the future.

Read more of Shane’s thoughts here:  The State Press

OK, picture this: You see somebody having a seizure. At least, that’s what you think is happening. You see them flailing their arms like they are trying to shoo away a bee. Their whole body is contorting. Without any apparatus to explain the behavior it seems like something must be really wrong.

Upon further examination you find that they are playing a video game. That is what you can expect to happen with the xbox new controller.

This hands-free device will read your movements - even your expressions - and then deliver reactions based upon the information received.

Look out. This is gonna be fun.

Sony announced its own motion-sensing controller to compete with the Wii and Xbox’s Project Natal, at E3.

Here are some details mentioned:

• Scheduled launch date: Spring 2010
• When it comes to market it will be available to a “range of first-party and third-party content.”
• This new controller will function “with any games across all genres from casual to core.”
• “Face-tracking and head-tracking capability already in the PS3 SDK” will offer developers “powerful tools for new types of user interaction.”
• Works with the PlayStation Eye’s built-in microphone array for voice input and voice recognition.
• There can be up to four of the new motion controllers can be tracked at once by the PlayStation Eye.
• May combine motion control wand and PS3 controller functions.  “the motion controller as a sword and use DualShock 3 as a shield.”
• Utilizing PS3’s power: ”motion-tracking library has some SPU overhead and has an impact on memory as well, although these will be minimized.”

Will you adapt to this new kind of moving around gaming interaction, or will you still like to veg out - couch potato-like - mashing a controller  with your thumbs?

The “Kodu” game-building tool for the Xbox on June 30, will be released by Microsoft for $5.00.

Can you build your own XBOX Game?

They make it look easy.

Is the new XBOX controller and a new XBOX console just Microsoft marketing vapor? It seems not just gamers are hungry for this piece of technology.

There is some of back and forth we have been seeing with the new product pre-launch of Project Natal (the gesture-driven control device that suggests endless possibilities for not just gamers).

You can almost feel the buzz from the anticipation of the release of the new XBOX controller.

But hear Major Nelson trying to quell the rumor of an early release of a new console…

From the “Major Nelson” blog:

A few people have emailed me regarding something Steve Ballmer said earlier today about a new Xbox coming in 2010. As the Xbox team stated at E3 two weeks ago, we are not even halfway through the current console generation lifecycle and believe Xbox 360 will be the entertainment center in the home for long into the next decade.  Project Natal will be an important part of this platform, but we have not confirmed a launch date at this time.

Probably, no new Xbox next year…

Steve Balmer says this new xbox controller  system will be featuring a “natural interface” that’s “really, really close” to reality. This supports what Microsoft executive Shane Kim’s said earlier this week about a Project Natal launch that would be every bit as big as the original Xbox360 launch.

The Microsoft CEO, added that the console will feature a camera that recognizes motion and voices.

A hands-on experience with XBOX 360 Project Natal at the  E3 show.

Here basketball players Jordan Farmar and Josh Shipp check out the new xbox controler.

Apparently, there will be a new xboc which will have the <!– /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:”"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:”Times New Roman”;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –>

new xbox contoller already incorporated into the console.

In a recent speech in Chicago, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that there definitely will be a new Xbox console on store shelves by 2010, despite constant denials by Microsoft executives. The characteristics of Natal were suggested to be housed within the main Xbox console, as opposed to Natal’s original design of being an external peripheral.

Microsoft’s Aaron Greenberg says Natal will be completely compatible with the current Xbox 360 system, and will not need additional auxiliary support to function the XBOC.