In a speech at the Game Developers Conference here, J Allard, the
Microsoft executive overseeing the software development tools for the
new Xbox, said the new streamlined interface would help draw more
users to the platform.
"We've got to create a consistent experience so that consumers can
enter our worlds much more easily," he told a packed convention center
audience. "If we want to get to 10 or 20 million subscribers we've got
to create some consistency."
Microsoft is expected to release the new Xbox in time for the 2005
holidays, but the company has kept mum so far on both timing and the
name of the new device.
Among the features Allard demonstrated was an on-screen "Gamer Card"
that gives information other players can see on a gamer's location,
achievements in various games, time playing specific games and level
of skill.
Other features include a custom music player and a "store" where
players could make small purchases, for pennies or a few dollars, of
new characters, parts for virtual racing cars and the like.
The theme of Allard's speech was the "HD Era," which he described as a
time when all games are in high-definition, players are constantly
connected through mobile phones, instant messaging and the Internet
and gamers can personalize their environments to suit their tastes.
"The HD consumer needs more than a hi-definition Super Bowl," Allard
said. "The opportunity is real and now, but make no mistake we have
the power to blow it."
Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.
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