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Microsoft Interview – E310

Posted by SpectralShock on

There’s no question that E3 is a busy event. There is always something happening at all the booths, and Microsoft is no exception. Thanks to some careful planning though, we were able to get a chance to talk with two great members of the company. We spoke with Jeff Rivait, who is a product Manager at Microsoft Canada for Xbox Games & Accessories, as well as Glenn Purkis, Product Manager of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft Canada. With Jeff, we talked about the newly redesigned Xbox and also took a tour of the show floor. Meanwhile, Glenn chatted with us about the current state of LIVE and its upcoming features.

Part 1 – Jeff Rivait, product manager of Xbox Games & Accessories at Microsoft Canada

New Game Network: Hello Jeff. Could you guide us through the new Xbox design?
Jeff Rivait: Certainly! We are very excited to be revealing this new design to the world. It has been amazing for us to pull off the announcement on Monday’s press conference without it leaking early. We can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on the new unit. Because it is similarly priced, we have dropped the price on the current models effective immediately. So we hope that customers take advantage of that.

On to the new Xbox then. We are calling this model “S”, and it is easily identifiable by the new gloss black finish and of course the smaller physical size. This model is 30% smaller than the current Elite model, and significant changes have been made to the system to make it quieter, cooler and less power hungry. It comes with a large 250GB hard drive, along with the usual accessories such as the wireless headset, a wireless controller and composite video cable. Though the body has changed, the design remains similar, so players will be easily able to access all the basic unit functions such as power button and the disk drive as easily as before. We’ve placed 2 USB ports on the front, and 3 on the back. The 250 GB internal hard drive is easily swappable in the new design, though it’s not compatible with other models of Xbox 360, and is not simply a standard hard drive. The back of the unit has been redesigned; it now features a digital audio out as well as a dedicated Kinect port.
 

NGN: What about the current and past generations of Xbox 360?
JR: Those users will need to use a special adapter to connect their Kinect device to the older Xbox 360 model. But not to worry – all Kinect devices will ship with this adapter, so we are keeping our promise of no additional costs, and being compatible with all Xboxes on the market.

NGN: And the wireless option?
JR: Indeed! The unit now features an integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi card. It’s based on a single band technology, providing the fastest wireless speeds available.

NGN: Great! So what kinds of titles are on the show floor at this E3?
JR: We have a ton of great titles, including some first party games and many Kinect games. We’re happy to have announced release dates for most of our lineup, so fans can know when to expect the new software to be available in stores. Take Crackdown 2 for example, a flagship Xbox franchise that is set to release the long-anticipated sequel next month. The game offers tons of variety with its vertical gameplay, 4 player coop campaign, 16 player online versus and many more. The player is free to complete the missions in any order they wish, save for the opening and final mission. Game is out June 21, and the demo hits next week.

Next there is Fable 3, another franchise that we’re happy to have on Xbox 360. It features the same magical setting as the previous games in the series. Now that the main character is a king, your actions and decisions will impact the whole nation, making them that much more important. For the first time in coop play, the player can invite others into their campaign, and those who arrive get to keep all that they have. So the people you invite get to keep their unique characters as they enter into your game, rather than importing a generic character model.
 

NGN: What was the reasoning behind a PC version this time around?
JR: Whenever doing ports to PC, we wanted to have a quality game that could stand its ground as a “Games for Windows” title. With Fable 2, it all came down to resources and timelines. If we do a port, we want it to release on the same day as the console version. As such, Fable 2 did not arrive on PC for the above requirements not being met. But regardless, we think that PC players will appreciate Fable 3, and there is no need to have played the previous game in order to be immersed in the new title.

NGN: Thank you for your time!
 
 

Continue to next page for Part 2…
Part 2 – Glenn Purkis, product manager of Xbox LIVE at Microsoft Canada
 
New Game Network: Hey Glenn. So why should gamers choose Xbox Live?
Glenn Purkis: Xbox Live is the most definitive online entertainment experience. We have over 250 arcade titles ready to download. There are over 700 movies – more than half of them in HD – right at your fingertips. That, along with over 1000 TV episodes from over 15 channel networks makes Xbox Live the center for all your entertainment needs.
 
NGN: Are there any changes to the service with the arrival of Kinect?
GP: Yes, we are actually changing the look and feel of the dashboard slightly in order to make it easier to use with Kinect. Players are now able to operate the console without a controller, which means we had to adjust the look of the dashboard to make everything quicker and easier to use with just your gestures. For example, players can easily begin watching videos of Zune with a simple hand movement or even their voice. It’s worth noting that Kinect does not require any kind of voice calibration. As you may have seen during the press conference, our goal is to make it as simple as “If you see it, just say it”. This function provides users with prompts for possible voice commands, so you are never at a loss of what to say.
 
 
NGN: How will Kinect affect the Live experience?
GP: Xbox Live already has over 25 million members, all ready to enter the next era of social networking. With Kinect, we are able to bring video chat to every Xbox 360 owner. Those with Gold memberships can enjoy advanced video features, such as a wider camera view and party mode. The camera in Kinect automatically expands to accommodate more users as they enter the video chat. It can also follow the person around the room to keep the user in view. Another huge boost to this feature is the fact that Windows Live messenger is now compatible with Live service, allowing users across the globe to use their PCs and Webcams to chat with friends using Kinect.
 
NGN: What does the ESPN deal mean to the service?
GP: Undoubtedly, this is one of the biggest service offerings yet for Xbox Live. Providing hundreds of live and pay per view events to our audience is a huge step forward, but we’ve also included social features such as voting, trivia and more. At this time, the ESPN deal is only valid in USA, but there is always hope for other countries as well. We are always looking for the right partnership, and in Canada we have yet to find it. However, we do have TV deals in UK and Australia, so there is always a chance that a certain service will become available for Xbox users in your country sooner or later.
 
NGN: Thank you for your time!