Microsoft’s E3 2006 Press Conference

• The conference opens with a trailer for Gears of War followed by creator Cliffy B. giving the crowd a gameplay demo of part of the first level.
• After the demo, Peter Moore, the head of Microsoft’s Gaming Division came out on stage to give a preview of what future of gaming means to Microsoft.
• First, he talks about the restructuring of Microsoft’s internal game organizations and how games are driving Microsoft’s focus of entertainment.
• He admits that all the excitement around the 360’s worldwide launch caused some unique challenges.
• He jokes and denies that consoles were actually hidden in the desert at Area 51 to cause false demand and points out several key successes of the 360.
• By the end of June over 5 million consoles will be sold, which is faster than any other console has sold in the past at this point in their lifecycle.
• They will also reach 5 million units sold before the iPod.
• They are also selling more games and accessories than any other console in history at this point in their lifecycle an average of 4.5 games and 3 accessories sold per console sold.
• He stresses that this success is the most fundamental shift in gaming since consoles entered the living room and is due to their focus on three main driving factors:
• High Definition Gaming 
• The new hot games will continue to come out for the 360 in 2006 and 2007.
• In an effort to downplay Madden on the PS3, Moore stresses that The 360 will be the ONLY place to find Madden ’07 come August. (Because the PS3 doesn’t come out until November.)
• It is also announced that Pro Evolution Soccer will make its way to the 360.
• A montage of other highly anticipated games dubed the “second generation of the next generation of gaming” were shown including:
• Lost Planet
• Mass Effect
• Rockstar Games presents Table Tennis
• F.E.A.R.
• Brothers in Arms: Hells Highway
• Moto GP ‘06
• Lord of the Rings Battle For Middle Earth II
• World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
• Enchanted Arms
• Test Drive Unlimited
• Prey
• Ninety-Nine Nights
• Peter introduces a new developer into the umbrella of Microsoft Game Studios (MGS) in Lionhead Studios and then shows a video of Fable 2
• Next a video is shown for Forza Motorsport 2 and it is promised to be released in time for the holidays.
• Two other game videos are shown in Splinter Cell: Double Agent and Viva Pinata as a game committed to be a game for the whole family.
• Three new accessories are announced to be out by fall
• A wireless headset for Xbox live.
• A camera for putting your face into the game
• And a force feedback steering wheel that will be wireless.
• He also stressed a commitment to Japanese Market.
• Hironobu Sakaguchi (The creator of Final Fantasy) is creating two new RPGs for the 360.
• A Blue Dragon video is shown and it is promised to be out in Japan for the holiday season.
• Lost Odyssey is the other game, but no additional information was given.
• Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja were highly praised for creating some of the most beautiful graphics for games on Microsoft’s consoles.
• A new DOA is on the way with DOA Xtreme 2.
• A trailer will be soon available on Xbox Marketplace.
• Peter promises that by the holiday season over 160 games will be available on the Xbox 360.
• Xbox Live’s Unified Online Gaming Network
• Predicts that in the next year, Xbox Live will pass 6 million members.
• They have a 57% attach rate for Xbox Live, up from 50% after launch.
• He attributes this to the success to Xbox Live Arcade and introduces new additions to the arcade that will all be updated in high definition.
• Namco
• Pac-Man
• Ms. Pac-Man
• Galaga
• Dig Dug
• Midway
• Defender
• Paper Boy
• Ultimate Mortal Combat
• Konami
• Contra
• Super Contra
• Frogger
• Time Pilot
• Track & Field
• Sega
• Sonic the Hedgehog
• Capcom
• Street Fighter II Hyper Fighting
• Microsoft has over 100 independent developer partnerships for developing Xbox Live Arcade games.
• A surprise addition to Xbox Live Arcade was also announced in Lumines Live.
• The PSP favorite is now headed to Xbox Live Arcade and will allow users to download music videos to play in the background due to an exclusive agreement with Warner Music Group.
• High Definition Entertainment of your Choice
• Music, Demos, Trailers, and Pictures all available on Marketplace.
• Over 18 million downloads have occurred since launch.
• There is currently over 1000 pieces available for download.
• Every publisher has some sort of content available on the Marketplace.
• Peter also revealed the new Xbox 360 HD DVD player.
• The addon was touted as the best bargain for HD DVD watching.
• It was mentioned how the first run of Toshiba HD DVD players have sold out as well as many of the HD DVD movies.
• No price was mentioned for the device but it was promised to be out for the holiday season with over 150 movies available.
• The news conference got really interesting when Peter began to make an announcement about:
• “one of the most powerful gaming experiences of all time.”
• “A franchise that generates more excitement than just about any other form of entertainment.”
• “And has a fan base that hangs on any mention of the latest chapter.”
• He then showed his Halo 2 tattoo on his right arm, supposedly proving that it was not fake.
• He then says “Some guys do rubber ducks, some guys do tattoos.”
• At this point everyone is assuming that he is talking about Halo 3.
• WRONG!
• He pulls up his sleeve on his left arm to reveal a Grand Theft Auto IV tattoo. (Which definitely looked fake).
• He then promises that GTA4 will appear on the Xbox 360 from day one on October 16, 2007.
• He also announces an exclusive agreement with Rockstar to provide episodic content via Xbox live.