Project Natal Cost: Room For Movement
Microsoft keeps the vital information hidden.Published 07/10/2009 at 17:00 by Gastos84
Molyneux On Move: “I Think It’s Quite Precise” [34]
Full Natal Line Up At E3 [8]
Seeing Natal In Birmingham Not So Rare [12]
The President of Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division has been speaking about Natal. More importantly; Natal’s cost. Yesterday saw the First Annual Microsoft Open House (catchy), and Robbie Bach gave no indication as to the motion-detector’s price. Instead he favoured the Politician-like response of:
Relative to Natal, we’ll see how the pricing and costs work out, but I think people should expect it to be like other things: We work through the price curve, just like we have with other products.
This obviously doesn’t mean that Project Natal will be extortionately priced, but dodging the question altogether doesn’t indicate that it will be immediately ‘affordable’. Using the Wii’s pricing structure to clarify his meaning, he went on to say:
When you start at $249, I don’t know that a [price drop to] $199 — I don’t know how much difference that’s going to make in the marketplace
I can see where he is coming from, but has he not basically just said ‘Wait for a while and the price will drop noticeably’?
Source: Joystiq
Comments
Please note that all comments are the opinion of the individual author and not TheSixthAxis.
Raen | 07/10/2009 17:11
Team TSA: Writer
3716 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Just had a thought about this. In principle you could price it at £120 as it allows 4 players at once (4x£30 a controller). I wouldn’t like it, but I could see the logic in the pricing. Realistically? £75-£100 with a mini-game collection AND a ‘real’ game (I’d even take Milo and Kate).
Roarster | 07/10/2009 17:18
Member
148 TSA Points | Member since: Sep 2008
Even at £75, it’s going to be a real struggle to get anyone but a real fanboy to stump up for it. And there’s no way they’ll get the casual market they seem to be aiming at to pay anything like that.
For this to be a success, I reckon Microsoft are going to have to take a huge hit per unit and sell it at around £40 and even then I think it’ll be a hard sale.
Raen | 07/10/2009 17:20
Team TSA: Writer
3716 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
No that wouldn’t capture the casual market really, but I think bundling with a game could work. Real sales of Natal is gonna come from console bundles anyway.
jacklum | 08/10/2009 06:49
Member
988 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
The casual market paid a fair amount for Wii Fit. It just depends how it’s marketed.
gazzagb | 07/10/2009 17:22
Master of speling mitakse
2760 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
=o 120 quid?!? Id say more like 50. Who would buy it? No-one. Id say maybe at 75 with some games thrown in…
Raen | 07/10/2009 17:28
Team TSA: Writer
3716 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Oh it’s a terrible, terrible idea, and would cost them huge sales. I just mean I could see the logic of that pricing.
gazzagb | 07/10/2009 17:43
Master of speling mitakse
2760 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
What do you mean by logic?
mynameisblair | 07/10/2009 17:11
Member
3873 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
Wii motion Plus is 15-25 quid, PS3 controller will be somewhat just over this.
If Natal is much much more pricey, I don’t see why people will actually bother buying it.
And yeah, he did just say ‘prices go down on hardware’.
BadBoyBoogie | 07/10/2009 17:17
Let There Be Rock
2689 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Agreed. I just can’t see how they can charge much more than their competitors prices, even if it may be slightly more advanced.
cam the man | 07/10/2009 22:45
Member
2061 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
No point charging too much or people won’t buy.
hazelam | 07/10/2009 17:18
Member
3920 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
basically it’s just two cameras side by side right?
two of the vision cams would cost less than £70.
and what he said doesn’t mean it will be extortionately priced, the fact it’s a 360 peripheral from ms does.
Raen | 07/10/2009 17:23
Team TSA: Writer
3716 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
No, it uses an IR camera and has all the processing on board. So it’s far more advanced than two Vision cams together.
hazelam | 07/10/2009 18:01
Member
3920 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
ah, thought it was just a couple of cameras for stereoscopic vision, does it have two of those IR cameras though?
because i remember a sony video from a couple of years back showing something similar to natal but with a single camera, can’t find the video though.
anyway, i can’t see it being successful if it cost more then 70 quid though, people just won’t buy it without some compelling software.
but then people have been buying the rock band games that cost more than that, but then you do get more for your money.
Raen | 07/10/2009 20:42
Team TSA: Writer
3716 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
You can do it with a single camera (the EyePet does some of it) but Natal is more accurate and works in a greater range of conditions. One of the problems of the EyeToy and PSEye has always been lighting conditions and background. Because Natal uses IR to pick out heat signatures it can map movement in pretty much any condition (at least according to MS, but that’s basically the only info we have to go off, same with Sony and the Wand). For stuff like facial recognition you obviously need good light so that it can see your face, but actual movement tracking will apparently work anywhere.
Watchful | 07/10/2009 17:17
Team TSA: Writer
2084 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
After reading the headline I thought you’d be making the point that the main cost would be that of re-arranging your furniture to make “room for movement”.
hazelam | 07/10/2009 18:03
Member
3920 TSA Points | Member since: Feb 2009
from the headline i thought it was about how much space you’d need to use it and whether or not you’d need a bigger house
Gastos84 | 08/10/2009 09:00
Team TSA: Writer
3873 TSA Points | Member since: Apr 2009
Boom-tsh!
m1cky | 07/10/2009 18:25
Member
129 TSA Points | Member since: May 2009
Rock band / guitar hero sells with peripherals for over £100. And these are limited to one game (series). I don’t see why £100+ would be over-priced. If it’s good, that is.
Michael | 07/10/2009 20:09
Team TSA: Development
2210 TSA Points | Member since: Forever
Rock Band/Guitar Hero are compelling games. Natal is what exactly? Technology with (currently) no real sense of a compelling application. That’s the rub.
Rob92 | 07/10/2009 20:27
Member
1446 TSA Points | Member since: Dec 2008
MS just bundle it with Halo:Reach. The general public would lap it up. If they priced it at about £80 with Halo:Reach and made a massive kafuffle about it, it’d sell.
We’ve just seen what a ‘expansion pack’ rebranded as a full game will sell. It seems Halo can do no wrong ergo, bundle with Natal
bunimomike | 07/10/2009 20:34
Member
4733 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Gut-instinct tells me it’s going to hit close to the £100 mark which’ll be a real stinger. Oh well… if the technologies been used well then it might still be worth it.
gurglesletch | 07/10/2009 21:54
Member
450 TSA Points | Member since: Jul 2009
Obviously it is a secret. So my guess is 75$.
BlingOnMyWrist | 08/10/2009 04:12
Member
1484 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2008
Well, most 360 peripherals are (I find) really expensive. A $100 wireless adapter, $150 120GB HDD, $40 Camera, $30 chat pad, etc. (http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/hardware/accessories/default.htm EU site)
I see Natal coming out at around at least $100… They’ll probably package it with a sort of demo game similar to Wii Sports just for you to get a taste of Natal’s power.
diaboliq20 | 08/10/2009 14:16
Member
3 TSA Points | Member since: Oct 2009
Are you lot living in cloud cuckoo land????? Do we all not remember when Rock Band was brought out? – A set of crummy touch pads for drums, and a game ——- £130………..get into the real world people – if you expect to pay £50-£75 for the controller and a game and some mini games, you’re wasting your time…….I would imagine somewhere in the region of £150 including a starter disc to showcase the controllers ability. – There’s absolutely NO WAY you can compare this to Wii motion plus or a PS3 controller -you’re mad!
Raen | 08/10/2009 14:31
Team TSA: Writer
3716 TSA Points | Member since: Mar 2009
Yes comparing completely different peripherals made by different companies, using different functionality and sold in completely different ways make us the mad ones.