Sony and Microsoft got their CES 2011 press briefings out of the way on the first day of the event, staking out two early evening slots Wednesday night. Starting at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. respectively, the two briefings were the last major events standing between the jet-lagged press and a plethora of Las Vegas bars filled with porn stars from that OTHER convention in town.
So how did they do?
Microsoft
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer's keynote address was a press briefing in disguise, with Xbox 360, Kinect and Xbox Live and related content/services taking a significant chunk of the hour. Major announcements included:
- Avatar Kinect: It's real, and the answer is just as you probably suspected: You will be able to use Kinect to control your avatar. Kinect will be able to track your facial features (smiling, frowning, raised eyebrows) and match them with your onscreen avatar. While details were vague, it appeared multiple avatars were hanging out in a virtual living room chatting. It was also implied that Avatar Kinect will have some kind of connection to Facebook via Xbox Live, so you can record, say, a talk show with your friends and share it online. Avatar Kinect is scheduled to launch in spring 2011 and will be free to Xbox Live Gold members.
- Using Kinect to control Netflix: The Kinect video controls will be extended to include Netflix with an update due spring 2011.
- Hulu Plus: Hulu Plus will be coming to Xbox Live in spring 2011. Kinect control will be included.
- Windows Phone 7: Nearly two dozen game titles were announced for Windows Phone 7. The titles are a mixture of franchise titles, old-school games (via Game Room, which apparently was NOT taken out back and shot as previously suspected) and popular touch gaming titles. Fable fans should note that money earned playing Fable Coin Golf will be transferred to their console game via Xbox Live. If you're on the fence about Windows Phone 7 on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon service will be added by mid-2011. Titles discussed (some already available) included: Assassin's Creed: Altair's Chronicles, Asteroids, Butterfly, De Blob, Fruit Ninja, Full House Poker, Monopoly, Pac-Man, Parachute Panic, Pocket God, Pro Evolution Soccer 2011, Rise of Glory, The Sims 3, Tetris, Zombies! and Zombie Attack! 2
Sony
Sony devoted almost its entire briefing to the promotion of 3D entertainment, from new flat-screen televisions to a hi-def 3D video camera and a separate 3D digital camera. New functionality and services built into all Sony products promises to let you access your entertainment anywhere "from the cloud." Notably, a deal with Time Warner Cable will allow you to access any TWC content – live or on demand – on any Sony product via WiFi.
Sony was light on entertainment announcements other than a series of very awkward Green Hornet promotions sprinkled throughout. There were two notable game announcements, however:
- Killzone 3 will be out Feb. 22
- Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception will release on November 1, 2011 (11-1-11)
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