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What will Microsoft call Natal?
LAS VEGAS -- Speaking with longtime Xbox official Aaron Greenberg this afternoon, he reminded me that "Project Natal" is actually the code name, not product name, for Microsoft's motion-sensing Xbox 360 control system.
And it's not shaping up to be one of those cases where the code name becomes the product name. "It will not be called Project Natal," Greenberg said. "I can tell you that it will be called something else."
At the Consumer Electronics Show, the company announced that Natal will be available for the Xbox 360 by holiday 2010. However, the technology isn't being shown or demonstrated here, not even behind closed doors. Prepping and setting up for a big trade show can be time-consuming and distracting, and Greenberg explained that the team stayed home to press ahead toward what's now a concrete public deadline.
On the naming issue, Nintendo faced a similar situation when it announced that its console, code-named Revolution, would be called the Wii instead. People made fun of the product name at first, but the Wii has gone on to register more unit sales than either the Xbox 360 or the PlayStation 3.
Microsoft announced this week that it has sold 39 million Xbox 360s to date, with more than 20 million Xbox Live members. Robbie Bach, president of the Entertainment & Devices Division, told the CES crowd that he expects this to be the biggest year in the console's history, with Natal, Xbox Live improvements, and a series of potential blockbuster games, including the highly anticipated "Halo Reach."
About Todd Bishop
Todd Bishop is co-founder and managing editor of TechFlash. He has covered Microsoft and the technology industry for more than five years, most recently as a daily newspaper reporter and blogger based in Seattle.
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