And when the summit comes to a close and we are left to digest the overload of information, the questions start to form. Over the next several months we will patiently (or not) wait for supplemental information to E308 on these topics.
Netflix
I'm a previous Netflix customer. When Blockbuster was first to jump on Blu-Ray, my impatient household defected to Blockbuster online. Before we come crawling back to Netflix, how exactly will Netflix accounts tie to gamertags? If a house has two Xbox 360 consoles do they need two Netflix accounts? How quickly will the number of available streaming movies grow? Will Netflix bump their fees like Blockbuster? Film-buff gamers want to know.
Party System
Xbox 360 gamers love a party. Parties are the foundation of Xbox Live. But just how seamless will this enhancement be pulled off? If I try to take my party of 8 from photo-sharing to small-team Call of Duty 4 will the console know that may party is too big? What will happen? Once a party enters a room, does the audio channel for the game open up to Timmy-land? Party animal gamers want to know.
Avatars
The community is decidedly split on Avatars. Some people are disappointed, if not angered by the kiddy and cartoon-like additions. Other gamers can't wait to customize their pixilated alter-self. And the rest are taking a wait-and-see attitude. I personally think Microsoft took one of the Wii's best features and copied it. Imitation is the highest form of flattery. But I digress - If Avatars represent my new friends list, what the heck will my Community screen look like on November 7th when my entire clan is playing Gears of War 2? Will it be an Avatar orgy of epic proportions? On that note, can I group my avatars in some fashion? Will they be animated? What customizations will Microsoft charge me for? And beyond altering my clothing and appearance, can I obtain accessories? What if I want my avatar to carry around a companion cube? Mii-loving gamers want to know.
Dashboard
Another community split. Some gamers will welcome the "Vista-Apple" dashboard with open arms. Other xenophobic gamers will prolong their update to have a few last days with their blades. But questions on everyone's mind are of usability and performance. Will the dashboard REALLY be easier to get around? Will I really be able to find the demo, the arcade game, the gamerpicture-I-mean-avatar shirt that I'm looking for? How long will this dashboard take to load and navigate with the addition of spiffy new graphics and animation? Gamers that hate the hanging blades want to know.
Singstar
This game announcement may not be a big favorite of the 2o2p crowd (at least you won't admit that you like to sing in your living room publicly) but that doesn't mean we don't have questions. We will soon get to sing to our own music - which is awesome. The days of Rock Band rock-blocking our favorite bands are no longer. We can hook up an iPod or Zune and belt out our favorite DRM-free songs. Gwar! Here we come. The demo clearly showed lyrics on screen but how will that work for the songs in our own libraries? The game is likely to have a finite set of lyrics, but will that list grow? And how exactly does that motion-sensitive feature that Microsoft glossed over supposed to work? And is this going to cost $60. Beer-drinking, karaoke-singing gamers want to know.
Primetime
Perhaps the "Super Old Spice Challenge", Primetime games are likely to be a welcome supplement to hardcore and arcade games. How often will games run? Beyond 1 vs 100 what other games shows can we expect? And gamers love prizes, but what booty will we compete for? Not a pair of avatar shoes right? Cold, hard cash-I-mean-Microsoft Point loving gamers want to know.
You're in the Movies
Clearly the most confusing and odd announcement of the Microsoft Press Briefing was You're in the Movies. The point of this game was not clear until the end of the strange and awkward demo. But now that gamers understand what is going on, how will the plot of this game unfold? Is this the upgraded Jib Jab? Will funny community content be generated and shared? Or will this go down as just too weird for anyone to grasp onto? Perhaps only gamers will be able to answer these questions. But nonetheless, confused gamers want to know.
Bungie
Forget all the questions of why the announcement was canned or who is to be blamed. This sudden turn in events confused, angered, and stunned many Bungie-loving fans. Will Microsoft at least tell gamers when they will get their delayed announcement? When we finally know what the news is, will it be big enough to overshadow the snafu? Killtacular-crazy gamers want to know.
Your Questions
Over the next few months gamers will expect a steady flow of information as the game industry ramps up to Holiday 2008. We will continue to get trailers and videos of the most anticipated games. We might even warm up to the features that are not-so-highly anticipated. Without doubt, we will save our pennies to fund the barrage of 4th quarter games. And by December 2008 we will know if Microsoft will have made good on their promises. So 2old2play - what other questions do you have after this week?
