Natal loses dedicated processor and sucks 33% of Xbox 360 CPU power potentially
CES is brining out some interesting news, especially from Microsoft’s camp. There is official confirmation that the highly touted dedicated processor will be taken out of Natal and will now rely on the Xbox 360’s CPU instead.
The dedicated processor within Natal was said to be there to reduce the latency between the gamers’ action and what was being displayed on screen. However, official confirmation came today that the processor will be taken out of the final product.
Instead Natal will be using one of the three cores on the Xbox 360. According to Microsoft, Natal will allegedly use around 10 to 15 percent of the Xbox 360’s CPU power. However, Kotaku is reporting that a source that is familiar with the development of Natal has indicated that the peripheral will utilize up to 33 percent of the Xbox 360’s CPU.
If true, a third of the Xbox 360’s power would mean that one of the cores would be dedicated to Natal entirely. According to the source, hi-def gaming would be theoretically possible but would suffer as compromises would have to be made.
At E3, Project Natal was played by several reporters, including me, with several games, including the high-end Burnout Paradise. At the time, Natal was actually a bunch of sensors held in a box, not a streamlined product in its final shell. – Kotaku
I doubt this game will suffer much
Apparently this change in processing strategy would not effect the fact that 30fps games will still suffer a 100 millisecond delay and 60fps games will suffer a 200 millisecond delay. The developers have indicated that with the loss in Natal’s dedicated processor, they are striving to maintain the 100 millisecond delay for 30fps games with the new setup.
There is more news than you can shake a stick at from CES, so stay tuned for more tid-bits tomorrow.
Related Posts:
60 Responses to “Natal loses dedicated processor and sucks 33% of Xbox 360 CPU power potentially”
Leave a Reply:
You must be logged in to post a comment. Don't have an account? Register today!
January 8th, 2010
And that’s why ill never buy it
Well that and motion control sucks.
Mwhahah
January 8th, 2010
I’m sure they know what they’re doing. They wouldn’t tout this is a game changing experience only to short change it by taking a chip out. Maybe they realised that the chip wasn’t needed?
January 8th, 2010
@SW,
Can’t say I’m a fan of motion-anything. The Sony Wand and Natal just seems like these devices are relying a bit too much on Nintendo’s influence. I guess I’m just too lazy to get off my comfy couch.
@Harry,
Yea I assume the goal of this tech was never meant for hi-def games so it really wouldn’t impact much. The target audience is the casual market, which clearly is not fickle about hi-def gaming.
January 8th, 2010
And what’s the bet the games will consist of little legless people playing games like golf and tennis?
January 8th, 2010
I still haven’t seen anything from Natal or the Wand that would make me want to purchase day one. The Netflix nav is neat but I probably won’t be able to use it until I get back from Japan in two years anyway.
If they did take a processor out, it was likely to lower the price. As well… I don’t see this controlling entire high end games at first, but rather parts in them as an option, say the HUD controls depicted in Mass Effect 2′s trailer on the ship… while still staying on the “comfy couch” so to speak. Small parts in games would still allow them to take full advantage of the 360′s processing, and Natal would only need the core momentarily throughout the entire high end game experience.
January 8th, 2010
@ Rhino,
I was legless last Friday night… I’m never drinking again.
January 8th, 2010
1/10th of a second delay doesn’t sound too bad. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.
January 8th, 2010
I don’t care if M$ is trying to save money here… taking the processor out of that thing is a bad idea and I am sure they will suffer for it in the end.
This bit of news will leave a bad taste in alot of gamers mouths. I guarentee it
January 8th, 2010
They’re saying Nov for the launch and by the end of this year we could easily be seeing the initial taster system
(exisiting Jasper or Valhalla Xbox 360 + Natal).
But I really don’t expect Natal to come into its own until the next Xbox, when the devs will have had a little while to get used to it.
In which case relying on the Xbox hardware to do all the work is a smart idea, Xbox 720/Mk3 or whatever is going to have (whatever hardware they do settle on) a big leap in ability.
Being able to carry your Natal unti over from one version of Xbox to the next is a very decent idea which I expect underlies this.
I’d have thought that was the most obvious point (unsaid) in this whole story.
Xbox 360 is 5yrs old this year (in May), I just cannot see that by Nov with it months off of entering it’s 6th year we will not have news of the next one pending launch.
Of course they will sell the 360 for a long while yet but the gap between PC & console is ridiculous and IMO we need another gen.
The fixing of res to the HD TV max probably means the next system will be cheaper at launch than before too.
January 8th, 2010
back during E3, did Natal had the proccessor when MS was showcasing it?
January 8th, 2010
Hah.. the Xbox 360 and PS3 are already such powerful systems… How much more powerful can they be? When will it stop making a difference? Graphic wise, there is a ceiling we are aproaching. Games now already look that damn good. How much better can they get?
The next logical direction is motion controls or 3D.
Nintendo made a good choice making the Wii motion control but lack of good games and snubbing hardcore gamers always puts in dead last every time.
Microsoft is working on natal… While it shows some promise i think removing the internal processor could limit the natal down the road. My money says that natal will be nothing much more than a gimmick for at least 3 years. As for the 720 or whatever the next xbox is… systems have traditionally had a 5 year lifespan but MS hasn’t even announced the next Xbox yet have they? I think that with the way the game market is right now everyone is going to hold off for awhile being making the move into the next console generation. plus MS better get it right this time. The Xbox may have been launched first but the number of defective consoles was too high.
Sony… where do I even begin? The wand… I think it’s going to end up the same as natal.. a cheap gimmick for the first few years… Sony’s next step really isn’t in motion sensing, it’s in 3D. Anyone who has paid attention to what Sony is doing (Ivan, Roca… I’m pointing at both of you) can tell you that Sony, as a large multi-tiered company, has their hands in 3D on all fronts. TV, movies, video games… if Sony can put 3D in it they are experimenting with it. I don’t have to emphasize how big this will be to the gaming industry. I think that Sony’s next console will probably have some osrt of 3D capability.
January 8th, 2010
LOL Eyetoy anyone? How fu@kin stupid. Eyetoy was stupid then and Ms version is just as stupid now.
January 8th, 2010
The guy in the pic looks like a wiitard without the wiimote.
January 8th, 2010
I agree with FahKinSuPah, MS and Sony are in for the long run this gen, they both have invested too much money into this gen. and they fact the both system can evolve via software updates and stuff like 3D gaming and motion its actually a sign that this generation is far from being over. it will also piss off devs and publisher as they will have to invest money and time into learning the new tech.
and like FahKinSuPah said, Sony has their hand in 3D on all fronts, but this time it’s not just Sony. Panasonic, LG, Samsung, Toshiba and other companies are all in to support the 3D tech. there were all kinds of crazy news at CES about 3D, from 3D printer, Digital Camaras to 3D laptops, projector and HDTVs.
January 8th, 2010
@Roca
Even as consumers we have invested so much money already into this console generation. It makes sense on many fronts for MS and Sony to keep stock in this generation. Hardware development costs $$$ and the longer these systems are active the more return they get on their initial investment. We are familiar with Sony’s startegy already. So far it has been 5 years between consoles with each one having a 10 year lifecycle, but i think the PS3 will break from that, which is a good thing for everyone.
If 360 and PS3 last longer than 5 years everyone wins. Both systems are incredible so we are already winners. Unless of course we just owned Wii’s… then we wouldn’t be winners lol.
January 8th, 2010
3D is definitly a direction media and hardware will be going in.
i wonder what the next big step will be? holograms maybe? lol
January 8th, 2010
man imagine what wipeout and uncharted 2 would be like in 3D
January 8th, 2010
FahKinSuPah, Phranc, Twilight and Liquid
interesting video, CES was all about 3D
http://cnettv.cnet.com/9745-1_53-306.html?tag=smallCarouselArea.1
January 8th, 2010
“Games now already look that damn good. How much better can they get? ”
Look at the best game graphically, something like Crysis on a beast of a PC. Then go look at the real world. You’ll see that there is a fair amount of difference
January 8th, 2010
Trouble is SW we’re probably now locked into 1080p as the max res for years to come.
I agree there’s still room for improvement, but it’ll be things like speed of the CPU & GPU (or ccombo SoC unit) and huge amounts of RAM for ever-more activity in any given frame.
You are right tho, a decent C2D PC with an Nvidia 8800 from over 2yrs back is way ahead.
January 8th, 2010
“Even as consumers we have invested so much money already into this console generation. It makes sense on many fronts for MS and Sony to keep stock in this generation. Hardware development costs $$$ and the longer these systems are active the more return they get on their initial investment.”
Yes but adding hardware this close to the end of a generation is not smart either. They should have done it 3 years ago. Thats goes for Sony and MS.
January 8th, 2010
Sounds like natal is going to be a laggy piece of crap then.
They’re really just trying to catch a free lift form nintendos coattails.
January 8th, 2010
“Yes but adding hardware this close to the end of a generation is not smart either. They should have done it 3 years ago.”
Wouldn´t that be indicative that they plan to keep the systems in the market for even longer?
Both MS and Sony are close to turn to profit, so launching another console any time soon is out of question. First they need to take advantage of their still growing install base.
Usually each step could be easily measured by a couple of variables, like architecture and storage. But now it is more than that: Processing power, memory capacity, online and multimedia capability, etc. And they made a big leap technology wise this generation.
My hypothesis is that they went beyond Moore´s Law and market boundaries in the world of gaming consoles at 2006 and 2007. They went farther this time and thus they have to wait a little longer before taking a next step.
January 8th, 2010
Microsoft: Hardcore Gamers Will Love Project Natal
Over 70 percent of publishers now creating Natal-based titles.
January 7, 2010 – Microsoft understands hardcore gamers don’t want to stand in front of their TV and wave their arms when playing Project Natal. For them, Natal will be a very different experience.
During Microsoft’s financial analyst briefing this afternoon, President of Entertainment and Devices Division Robbie Bach was asked to explain who the targeted demographics are for Project Natal, due out this holiday. Bach explained Natal was for everybody, including hardcore gamers expecting to play Halo: Reach.
“Take your hardcore gamer, they’re going to love Natal,”Bach explained. “Now, they’ll play a different style of game on that when they’re doing it. When they play Halo: Reach, they might be back with their controller doing some very, you know, targeted things. But the style of game they will play will be different.”
“But they will absolutely love Natal,” he added.
Bach also stated that 70 percent of the publishers are now developing titles for Project Natal. The company revealed a modest listed of Natal developers during this past Tokyo Game Show. The list included names such as Bethesda, Capcom, Konami, and Ubisoft.
January 8th, 2010
you seem so excited about this CAD, maybe Wii will be the perfect gaming machine for you since you seem to be one of those ppl who prefer playing a game by doing gestures or some type of movement
January 8th, 2010
“Wouldn´t that be indicative that they plan to keep the systems in the market for even longer?”
You have a point, but I don’t believe in the 10-12 year life span either. I’m sick of the DS and PSP iterations. Get on with it already.
“Microsoft: Hardcore Gamers Will Love Project Natal
Over 70 percent of publishers now creating Natal-based titles.â€
LMFAO Have fun with your arm waving guys.
January 8th, 2010
I’m interested to see what they have up their sleeves for the hardcore players.
Will it be, simple BS like KZ2 did where you twist the controller to turn a valve?
It makes you wonder as well…With potentially 1/3 of the processor power being utilized by Natal, what can they do in those hardcore games?
I have to imagine that Halo Reach will be a resource hog, considering the graphics engine is updated.
January 8th, 2010
I have this feeling MS is going to push the studios to support this and it will leave very little real games being developed. If Sony does this I will be pissed and stop gaming after this gen. Or go with PC games only.
January 8th, 2010
PC gaming is an eerie wasteland of could’ves and sorta-wases. I like minor auxillerry motion controls (like the arrows in heavenly Sword, or the loading screens in KZ2).
Now, if natal (or PSEye for that matter) could communicate with my power stand and swivel my TV to match my movements, I would be impressed, but again, its no deal maker/breaker, just another stupid little toy to sell to people who play 10mins of videogames a week.
January 8th, 2010
@ncaissie
I have a feeling that the PS3 will see HD ports of wii games that are coming out (maybe past ones as well).
This in return should make wii games look better as the wii is at least capable of Xbox like graphics and not too many games have been utilizing its potential and instead concentrating solely on the motion aspect.
The reason I can see this happening is the nature of the wand and the wii are pretty much identical (aside from the 1 to 1 accuracy in the wand). Natal on the other hand is an entirely different monster, and will probably see it’s own unique games. That said I’m sure the wand will have it’s share of unique games but have many more games on it due to the wii factor/similarity.
January 8th, 2010
apperantly PC is also getting motion controls
http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10429832-269.html
January 8th, 2010
Oooh, Can’t wait for all the Harry potter clones!
LOL I wont be getting one Roca.
I was just thinking how it would be nice to go to a CES. Now I’m glad I’m not there this year.
January 8th, 2010
hahah, I might be going to PAX 2010 since they are doing in Boston this year
January 8th, 2010
And if you see HP trophies in my list it was my wife. She didn’t change to her account when she rented it LOL. I like the movies though.
January 8th, 2010
CAD:
January 8th, 2010
“When they play Halo: Reach, they might be back with their controller â€
Just like I expected when this first was demo’d, Natal does not necessarily mean no controllers at all.
Makes sense and I’m glad it’s been specifically spelt out.
January 8th, 2010
dont lie ncaissie, we all you play HP to death
January 8th, 2010
*we all know*
January 8th, 2010
LOL much more fun on the Wii so you can do the wand spells for real!
January 8th, 2010
Did you get my question on PSN?
January 8th, 2010
“LOL much more fun on the Wii so you can do the wand spells for real!”
lmaooo
“Did you get my question on PSN?”
not yet, I’ll check it out today
January 8th, 2010
How do you use the control and gesture at the same time then?
Natal would be freaking awesome if combined with ‘traditional’ VR, ahh but thats just my dream
January 8th, 2010
SW
That’s the potential which ought to grow and grow.
Body motion or gestures for some cotrol/movements and some sort of controller for others.
Air combat games could be about to get very interesting – and yes a VR helmet you could look around ‘in’ would just expand the thing.
There’s a million and one idea that this could lead to and it might just be that PC tech drives the leading edge (as the average recent & decent PC has so much more power than any console) of ideas.
However you look at it this is going to get interesting in the next 5 – 10, so much so that I would not be surprised if gaming is almost unrecognisable by that time compared to today.
I’m thinking back to a pal who dragged out his Atari ‘flick’… tanks, planes and ‘flick’ just about everything.
Stone age stuff compared to todays stuff.
It certainly is going to make the knee-jerk sneering we saw after Natal was unveiled from that certain bunch of brand fanboys look very silly, IMO.
January 8th, 2010
“That’s the potential which ought to grow and grow”
and some how BD and 3D are doomed to fail. lol
January 8th, 2010
Roca
BD is really just a bigger physical disc to carry movies in a market already splintering between several competing formats.
Every day almost a new streaming service opens and in the UK at least our cable and satellite services all come with a DVR for VOD, including HD.
The failure of BD is to be what it was so obviously intended to be – to slot in ‘as the next DVD’.
3D is guaranteed to be taken up painfully slowly, probably by the back door
(meaning that HD TVs will appear over the coming years with the ability built-in as opposed to people actively buying the feature).
You really should try to see there’s a difference between a related product launching in an established market (Natal vis the Xbox 360 market) and a wholly new tech in the domestic TV market.
Xbox gamers are far more likely to try out Natal.
I doubt so many of our aging populations are going to be quite as enthused about 3D as you seem to be.
Your zeal to imagine people wearing 3D specs for hours a day is misguided IMO.
If they can find a way to ditch the specs then maybe, if not then I can’t see it being the big hit you want to portray it as inevitably being.
Of course you just see it as a new Sony product/upgrade so in your deluded world it must be everyone else’s wet-dream like yours and therefore a huge hit.
We’ll be getting the Blu-ray total markey share for 09 soon.
I’m looking forward to it.
Just like last years true 4.45% share all the BS about 12, 15, 20 & 25% of the market will be shown to be cherry-picked garbage which has no relation to reality.
Don’t worry if you miss it, I’ll post up the data and the trade links proving what I’ve said.
January 8th, 2010
Sony should lend Microsoft one of the PS3 cores LMFAO.
I bet if NATAL was for PS3 it wouldn’t had this problem because of the power of the beast. That’s a lot of fucking power for this shit damn is almost going to use everything. Xbox 360 needs more powerful shit. NATAL is going to have many problems i bet.
January 8th, 2010
Dead Or Alive 5 “in production” for PS3
computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=231027
January 8th, 2010
lol….im just going to ignore it this time…useless argument anyways
January 9th, 2010
“And if you see HP trophies in my list, it was my wife.”
LOL – thats what they ALL say m8.
January 9th, 2010
go get shit on HH
your the biggest loser on the net, always using stupid words like wriggling, shill etc in your arguments. you need to take the poker or old mans dick out of your ass
why do you see everything microsoft does as “paving the way for the future” and everything sony does as doomed to fail? i know you wont answer it and will either call me a saddo or fuckwit, at least try and be original. your a deluded prick
btw ivan and roca are two completely different people, they were both online the other night both of whom wer playing different games and they both have a different set of games when you compare trophies.
seek help HH. . . . fast
January 9th, 2010
Welcome to the HH parade, he thrives off this shit.
January 9th, 2010
JofaMang
Actually in the nano-second I gave it any thought at all, I found it laughably light-weight & pathetic and an insult to the site as much as anything.
The little attention whore is just pi$$ed off at being on ignore.
January 9th, 2010
happyhockum is preaching LMFAO fail Xbot LMFAO yes ignored him like most of us already have.
January 9th, 2010
i told you HH doesnt answer questions coz he is always wrong
January 9th, 2010
will it be an issue for you to actually have to insert multiple disc when playing Lost Odissey, Final Fantasy 13, Blue Dragon, Tales of Visperia, ODST, Forza 3, Star Ocean 4 and so on?
January 9th, 2010
(last post came up in the wong article/)
Liquid you are 100% right
January 10th, 2010
Xbox is crap
January 11th, 2010
okay, let me get this straight:
MS said THEMSELVES that it will only use 15% of the cpu, but somehow that’s not credible enough to report on, so Mike Ferro decides to take the word of an unnamed, unknown “source” as 33% as fact enough to write an article about it.
mike ferro, you are fucking loser, man….get a life. congrats tho; you got the single-digit-IQ ps3 fanboys on your side…
this site is the worst gaming news site on the ‘net. bar none.
January 11th, 2010
roca – uh, hey dumbass…you don’t have to disk swap in Forza 3, idiot. it’s a one-time, 1 minute load that includes huge tracks in high detail (certainly in higher detail than the any GT game has ever provided) that only requires ONE load…idiot.. no disk swapping needed.
the fact GT5 is provingn to be very “meh” by the early previews must be killing you to make such a stupid statement about Forza 3.
January 11th, 2010
why is peter m pictured here? he doesn’t work for MS…
damn..you know the ps3 fanboys are morons when they can’t even produce legit pics….lmao..
January 11th, 2010
Kev go back to sleep.