Posts Tagged ‘Natal Price’

Info Leakage about Natal Release Date and Official Microsoft refutation.

Friday, November 20th, 2009
MCV Logo

On November 11, 2009 MCV reported some details of behind-closed-doors conference between Microsoft and UK game developers.

Here’s their info:

1. Natal will be released in November 2010.

2. Natal will cost below 80$. It may even cost as low as 50$.

3. 5 million devices are scheduled for production up to release date.

Yep, that’s a really good news about Natal price. However…

Microsoft Logo

However, on November 17, 2009 Microsoft officially refuted this info:

Asked if reports on pricing and shipments for its motion control technology were correct, Xbox UK boss Neil Thompson replied:

No. They weren’t accurate, they were rumours. I’ve got nothing more to say about it… We’re still very much in the baking on Natal and there’s a lot of things to get decided on it.”

So should we trust MCV info or not? I think we should. But only approximately. :) After all, Natal release date strongly depends on game developers. Whether they manage to create high-quality Natal games before November 2010 or not.

And device price depends on the number of Natal game titles as well. More good games will mean greater price for Natal device – that’s normal. Yeah, and price is not constant. It can be 150$ at release date and fall to 80$ three months later.


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Michael Pachter’s Weird “Prophecy”: Natal for 50$

Sunday, October 18th, 2009
Michael Pachter

Michael Pachter, game industry analyst, suggested, that Natal would cost 50$:

I think that Natal will cost $50, as it only really involves a camera (a three-lensed camera, but a camera nonetheless).

Well, I’m almost sure that he’s wrong. And it’s not just common marketing sense:

Natal device gives second breath to Xbox 360, why sell it a price of a cheap accessory?

It’s also about official claims. Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s entertainment division, said earlier:

Relative to Natal, we’ll see how the pricing cost works out. But people should except that it will go through the usual price curve.

And the “usual price curve” hardly starts at 50$. )

I asked Michael Pachter about his reasons for such a prediction, he didn’t answer. Well, may be he’s too busy predicting something else.

And what do you, guys, think? Please, share your opinion in comments )


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