As most of you know by now, the big news of the day belonged to Microsoft and the Xbox 360 gaming entertainment platform. The software company made a flurry of announcements on Day 1 of E3 including the introduction of the world’s first “controller-free” gaming platform code-named “Project Natal” as well as several enhancements and additions to the Xbox LIVE service. Here’s a rundown of all the major announcements related to the Xbox 360 platform:

Project Natal:

Yes this wasn’t exactly a surprise to most folks on the Internet. There had been rumors for months on end now that Microsoft was working on a new motion-based controller a la the Nintendo Wii. However, today was in fact the first time Microsoft publicly acknowledged the existence of the project as well as providing images and video clips of how it all worked.

So what is Natal (pronounced “nuh-tall”)? It’s an entirely new way of interacting with the game console – extending the motion-based controller concept first introduced by Nintendo to a “controller-free” paradigm. Using a device combining an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone, and a custom processor running proprietary software, Natal is capable of tracking full body-movement in 3D and responding to commands, directions, and shifts in emotion in your voice. Remember the movie “Minority Report” and how Tom Cruise interacted with that slick user interface with a glove? Picture that – minus the glove.

With Natal, Microsoft elevates immersive entertainment to a whole new level. Kick a soccer ball across the field simply by imitating the kick. Swipe a menu tile across the screen simply by mimicking the swiping motion. Yes.. I can see it now – a whole new slew of accidents in the home including slippers flying across the room, twisted ankles, bruised shins and feet.. you name it.

Other interesting tidbits about Natal – it’s not light-dependent and it’ll work on every single Xbox 360 out there. It’ll recognize your face when you walk into its field of vision. It’s also not dependent upon keywords – the system will try and understand what you’re saying.  You can find out more about Project Natal here at the Xbox.com website (as well as see video clips etc). No word on when it’ll come out nor the pricing for the system.

More of the Internet comes to the Xbox 360:

Moving on now, Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 console was getting into the social groove with the introduction of Xbox LIVE Party for movies, Facebook, and Last.fm.

Xbox LIVE Party for movies allows Xbox LIVE subscribers to share a movie experience with friends – whether they’re with you or on a couch someplace else around the world. Think of it as a virtual movie theater where you can gather together with other Xbox LIVE subscribers. Users will see and  interact with friends using avatars and voice chat.

Continuing the social integration front, Xbox LIVE subscribers will soon be able to directly  interact with their Facebook account via the Xbox 360 console. The social aspects of Facebook meet the snazzy user interface of the Xbox 360 console. You’ll be able to perform status updates, read news feeds, share pictures, as well as share snapshots of supported games directly onto your Facebook profile.

Finally, Last.fm brings millions of songs directly the Xbox 360 platform. Xbox LIVE subscribers will be able to create their own free personalized radio stations and listen to them with friends in the same room or across the country via the Internet. Strangely enough – there’s no integration with the Zune Music marketplace.

1080p HD direct to you instantly:

Microsoft also announced today that they would be the first platform to deliver true instant-on 1080p movies and TV shows with 5.1 surround sound directly to the Xbox 360 console (assuming of course you had a 1080p compatible HDTV set). The new movies and TV shows will appear in a new Zune branded video section of the Xbox 360 user interface starting this fall. The best premise? The content will be available nearly instantly at the click of a button (assuming of course you had the necessary bandwidth connection).

Microsoft also announced that it will more than double the number of markets where Xbox LIVE will offer TV shows and movies – from the current 8 to 18 markets. The company will add Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland into the supported country list.

And finally, Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland will have:

• Netflix enhancements including the ability to browse and add selections to your instant queue as well as share movies with others on the Xbox LIVE Party platform.

• Live TV with BSkyB Ltd. – for the first time, watch live or on-demand TV from Sky on the Xbox 360 console.

More and more games…

Because the Xbox 360 console is after all, still a gaming console, Microsoft announced the new titles due out for platform including:

• 1 vs 100
• Alan Wake
• Crackdown 2
• Forza Motosport 3
• Gears of War 2: Dark Corners
• Halo 3: ODST
• Joy Ride
• Left 4 Dead 2
• Shadow Complex
• Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Conviction
• Final Fantasy XIII
• Metal Gear Solid: Rising
• Modern Warfare 2
• The Beatles: Rock Band
• Tony Hawk: RIDE

You can get additional details about the games over at this Microsoft press release here.

And.. that’s a wrap for the Xbox 360 console!

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