Revamped Xbox 360 To Be Revealed at E3

Microsoft is to release a redesigned Xbox 360 console with a 250GB hard drive and built-in WiFi, according to online adverts a keen-eyed NeoGAF forum member spotted.

The Italian-language static adverts and video appeared briefly on Italian website Console Tribe. Sleuthing by Joystiq discovered that the Microsofted-owned advertising company Atlas Solutions pushed the ads out.

The ads gained further credibility by boasting of support for Kinect, which at the time was not yet known to be the new name for Microsoft's Project Natal controller.

Microsoft began to sell 250GB hard drives separately in March this year at the price of $129.99, before which they were only available in select hardware bundles. A regular console model with a 250GB hard drive seems almost inevitable.

Competitor Sony launched its own revamped PlayStation 3 Slim in September 2009 with a larger hard drive and a slimline new look for $299.

Were Microsoft about to to announce such a revamp, it would almost certainly be during its E3 press conference this morning. We'll have our top newsmen reporting from there.

Natal Becomes Kinect and Aims for Family Play Time

Even by the exaggerated standards of E3 events Microsoft's Cirque du Soleil "Natal Experience" show stood out as an amazing spectacle. And make no mistake; it was a show, not a videogame demonstration. In hindsight it seems painfully obvious that the famous performing troupe weren't there to play games. Their job was to suspend reality and help the audience envision the fantastical world of living with the device now known as Kinect.

Most of that vision looked like outtakes from the long line of Nintendo Wii commercials promoting "Wii would like to play." Happy families gathered in the den around the television, bonding as they play together. Mom, dad, and the kids took turns competing in the obligatory sports game running in place and jumping to simulate hurdles, running in place and launching an imaginary javelin, and, of course, bowling. Brother and sister happily guided a raft down whitewater rapids, jumping and leaning to control its movement and posing in space to touch coins along the way to score points. The camera in the Kinect even snapped a few shots as they did so afterward everyone could have a chuckle at how silly they looked having fun.

The message came across loud and clear: the family that plays Kinect together, stays together. It doesn't get much more wholesome but how realistic is it? I'm not sure you can stand in front of the TV mimicking dance moves and not feel self-conscious on your own, much less doing it with your parents. And no matter what the input device, driving a kart in a racing game is a pretty solo experience, not something that will keep a group of spectators riveted to the screen.

For such a unique innovation -- interacting with videogames without a traditional controller -- it was the Cirque du Soleil performance that tickled the imagination more so than Kinect. The montage of family gaming played it safe but left me wondering why the average person it seemed to be aimed at would be inclined to make the investment when it looked like what their Wii already does. Even the Yoga game that made good use of the body position sensing capabilities of Kinect immediately brought to mind all the various Wii workout games.

It will be good to get a chance to play some of these games this week not just to see how they are but also to get a sense for interacting with Kinect. If it feels comfortable and accepts natural motions then the potential is there for something as imaginative as a Cirque show, but it will take more than jumping around in front of the TV.

PS3 is Well Connected: More Users Online Than 360, Wii‎

There is no doubting that Sony was late to the game with the PlayStation Network. Even though the PS2 did feature some online gaming, albeit very late in its lifecycle, it didn’t feature a robust, feature-filled platform like Xbox Live. The PlayStation Network launched along side the PS3 back in November of 2006 and has since grown into a thriving platform that is rivaling Xbox Live’s paid service. Despite Xbox Live’s 4 year head start, the PS3 has more users connected online that any other console.

According to new data released by US analyst The Diffusion Group, the PS3 is the most well connected console on the market. This is quite a surprise considering the Xbox 360’s lead in the US, and the fact Xbox Live has been around for 8 years. The research shows that 78% of PlayStation 3 owners are connected to the internet. The Xbox 360 comes in a close second at 73% and the Wii a distant third place with only 54% of users connected online.

Could this difference between the PS3 and Xbox 360 be attributed to the cost involved with getting your Xbox 360 online? Granted you can be connected to Xbox Live via a Silver Membership using the console’s Ethernet port. However the idea of having to pay an annual fee for the almost necessary Gold Membership is enough to steer some people from ever checking out 360’s online features. Another issue, again having to do with the Xbox 360’s admission to play online, is the fact you need to purchase some sort of wireless adapter to connect the console to your home’s wireless network. Something that isn’t an issue with the PS3 nor the Wii, both of which come with built in Wi-Fi out of the box.

The Nintendo Wii could be suffering from the fact its user base consists mostly of casual gamers. Causal gamers may not be as tech savvy as hardcore gamer and might have trouble setting up a wireless network. That, or many of the Wii owners just aren’t aware that the console can connect online. Then again, it could be because all of those Wii sports playing grannies at the senior center never even heard of the internet.