Xbox Live getting Mii-like avatars, motion-sensing mic?

  • By thorsen-ink, GameSpot
  • Posted Jun 16, 2008 8:30 pm GMT

Source: See below. What we heard: For the past several years, the weeks leading up to the E3 Media and Business Summit have seen major game companies suffer from a series of leaks. This year, however, will rank among the top of the list, apparently thanks to a cornucopia of ill-protected...

Source: See below.

What we heard: For the past several years, the weeks leading up to the E3 Media and Business Summit have seen major game companies suffer from a series of leaks. This year, however, will rank among the top of the list, apparently thanks to a cornucopia of ill-protected information on the Web site of the market-research firm Intellisponse.

Though the company has yanked any offending pages from its site, information sourced to Intellisponse has now been disseminated across the Internet, most prominently on the raucous game-gab souk known as the NeoGAF forums. The lengthy post, embedded with shots purporting to be part of an internal Intellisponse slide show, contains information that--if true--blows the lid off over a dozen projects from top game publishers, including Activision and Microsoft.

First and foremost, the alleged leak appears to have outed some major new projects from Microsoft. According to another Intellisponse-sourced screen on Xbox360 Fanboy, the software giant is planning to replace the GamerPics that currently indentify Xbox Live users by sight with "Avatars." The screen shows a host of cartoonlike characters that resemble a more graphically complex version of Miis used by the Nintendo Wii--characters that have already been derisively dubbed "MiiToos."

"Avatars are digital personas available this holiday for all connected Xbox LIVE owners and this spring for all new console owners," read the copy of a scanned image attributed to Intellisponse. "'Avatars' will be used in place of the gamer picture you have today and will give you a much more animated, lifelike, and fully customizable persona for you to reflect who you are online." According to the NeoGAF post, the avatars, will also appear in certain Xbox 360 games much like Miis do in Wii titles. However, unlike Miis, the avatars will have "hundreds of clothing options."

Today's Avatar leaks come more than two months after an early-April MTV report that Rare is working on a Mii-like Avatar system for Xbox 360 games which use a motion-sensing controller. That same report said the controller is laid out much like a Wii Remote and has a built-in microphone.

The item described in April sounds like it could be the microphone add-on to Lips, an Xbox 360 Karaoke game also reportedly unveiled in the Intellisponse documents. The game will supposedly come with two "wireless mics [that] are interactive, with lights on the shaft of the microphone that pulse to the rhythm of your voice, and motion sensors that allow you to dance, move or swing to score points. [Emphasis added.] ... Lips scores you on your singing (pitch, rhythm, and tune) and overall performance."

Though it will come with 30 songs preloaded, Lips will also allegedly allow players to download songs from Xbox Live Marketplace and--perhaps most importantly--let players rip songs from their CDs or MP3 players and then sing over them. "The game will reduce the vocals so you can sing along and be heard, and score on whether you're in tune," said the description. "Lyrics can also be added directly into the song to sing along."

Finally, in other Microsoft news, the Intellisponse documents also apparently revealed the existence of a new Scene It? game, Scene It? Pop Culture Edition, which will sport "trivia challenges about movie, music and pop culture."

The official story: "It is our policy that we do not comment on rumor or speculation."--representative from Intellisponse's external PR agency. Microsoft reps had not returned requests for comment as of press time.

Bogus or not bogus?: Coupled with the April reports, the magazine scan, and increasing chatter about a major Xbox Live overhaul in the offing, these detailed reports appear to be legit. However, it must be stressed that nothing is official...yet.

399 Comments

  • xbox360progamer

    Posted Jul 21, 2008 7:27 pm GMT

    wow so there basically being a copy cat if this is true =) jk

  • -Jankka-

    Posted Jun 20, 2008 4:20 am GMT

    Why can't you make it so that if you buy a game, lets say Assassin's Creed for example, and when you've put the game in ( = becomes registered in account that you own the game ) you get the Gamerpics / Themes that belong to that game?

    Wouldn't anyone agree this is a good idea?

    And if you don't have the game, then you have to pay for pics / themes.

  • krishan2247

    Posted Jun 19, 2008 2:45 am GMT

    wt the hell i just bought 2 gamer pic packs !!!

  • combatsoldier

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 10:27 pm GMT

    why are we all argueing. who cares, lets just enjoy the games the way that they are meant to be. games are supposed to be fun not have us at each others throats. i must admit though this is all pretty funny. i just hope that micro knows where there going with this cause i have no idea.

  • luevanos

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 10:24 am GMT

    why try to fix something that's not broken? (xbox live)

  • CVM_123

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 9:05 am GMT

    that will suck completely

  • yuzna

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 4:44 am GMT

    If it works it works. As long as its not under a a copy right you know any system out there will copy a wining concept. I don't really see the harm, after all, doesn't it benefit the gamer to have access to it all

  • ADJ209

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 2:50 am GMT

    Did Nintendo patent Motion sensor controllers?
    No.
    Get over it.

  • theNexus

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 1:42 am GMT

    LOL at lm_born2die's comment
    PS3 controller - same old same old bar the copied features off the 360 and wii controllers. In game dash, trophies coming to ps3, sound failure?
    Spot the ps3 fanboy, lol.

  • lm_born2die posted Jun 18, 2008 1:18 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    lm_born2die

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 1:18 am GMT (hide)

    microsoft are a bunch of copy cats..
    mii's and sony avatars...microsoft
    knows they will lose to sony so they decide to make this.. how lame.

  • martin_289

    Posted Jun 18, 2008 1:07 am GMT

    Sounds good, just might keep me interested in my 360 over the summer...for some reason I haven't been playing a lot recently. Rare are LEGENDARY!

  • man_alive

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 4:27 pm GMT

    100s of clothing options? well, guess what? any avatar I would be interested in wouldn't need clothes.

    my avatar is a 12 foot minotaur with condor wings and rail gun. offer options like these and then get back to me.

  • StarFox-Elite

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 4:19 pm GMT

    I agree with the comment below. Microsoft never copied anything. Its not like the Mii things from microsoft will be heavily used either.

  • parrot_of_adun

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 4:19 pm GMT

    @"EnigManic"

    1. "Wow! That statement is an epic fail at being intelligent and unoffensive."
    -I know it's offensive, I hate Nintendo with a fiery passion. Everything since the N64 has been a steaming load of ****.

    2."So according to you, no devs care only about money, and all casual gamers are stupid?"
    -No, and Yes. I said that Devs are the only ones who MIGHT not be in it exclusively for the money. And in my experience, Intelligent people either don't play games at all, or are "hardcore" gamers.

    3."If you don't like casual games, then don't play them."
    -Uh, I don't. I was saying that, because of Nintendo, the market will be flooded with strictly casual crap, at which point there won't be any games to play.

    4. "As for the avatars, MS is clearly ripping off Nintendo. Though it's still a good idea..."
    -Yes MS is immitating Nintendo, because as I said before, Neither Nintendo OR MS is interested in anything but money. Nintendo demonstrated to MS that casual crap like "Miis" are quite lucrative.
    And no, The Avatar thing is a horrifyingly bad idea.

  • V-Nine

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 4:02 pm GMT

    ...Sims gone awry....more impressed with Sony's take on this since their avatars look way better than this simplistic s***. Now If Sony would launch the d*** thing...too bad.

  • MatthewNintendo posted Jun 17, 2008 3:02 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    MatthewNintendo

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 3:02 pm GMT (hide)

    Wow I think Microsoft are getting desperate.

  • ascalon94

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 2:42 pm GMT

    I dont even care about this crap... If this is real then I might make a character if it is free or extremely cheap... if not ill stick with my GP.... why do you people constantly argue about which system copied who and which system is the best..... In the end video games wont exist so why does it matter?... oh crap why did i ask that question now athiests and christians will start aguring... oh well....

  • jameston80

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 2:29 pm GMT

    09231991, you couldn't have said it any better, i agree 100% with you

  • ascalon94

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 2:23 pm GMT

    I agree with 09231991 .... and i think that when you buy a game and play it it should add gamerpics and themes just for that particular game if you dont have a certain game and want those gamer pics you can still buy it... who agrees???

  • bannermanner

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 2:09 pm GMT

    Xbox live is already the greatest online service available - Nintendo's service is the worst. So why are you taking ANY inspiration from the Wii?

  • RebornJeremiah

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:56 pm GMT

    It's funny cause Yahoo called these AVATARS too...

  • Ton77

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:54 pm GMT

    its not going to be called wii60 or mii60 people... MS is calling them AVATARS. there is a different and i think its pretty cool.

  • RD1109

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:49 pm GMT

    You know if they try to make a whole bunch of games with motion sensor for 360, I'll give up. I had the Wii, not for me. The ps3 games weren't good with the motion. I like the avatar idea, but no motion sensors please.

  • 09231991

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:33 pm GMT

    Holy crap, is it really that hard to understand, people? Jeez, Everybody already starting rumors and conspiracy theories over nothing.

    The first thing I'll destroy is this stupid GP rumor now. MS will not cancel GP's, I repeat, MS will not cancel GP's. You know why, because people paid money for them and if MS canceled them and made them useless, either MS would have to refund the money or they would get a ****-load of lawsuits towards them. So they won't do it. Plus, the avatars ARE EXTRA. Understand now? This is extra, not something thats needed so why are people getting so friggin mad over nothing. Plus, as the article said, it'll be available around the winter season, guess what else happens for the 360 around that time every year? Thats right, *gasp* *complete shock*, the fall update. I can practically 100% guarantee that this will be apart of the fall update making it free. So now you have a choice between a regular GP or a custom, probably animated avatar GP, its your choice. I don't see what all the whining and crying is about when MS is heading down the right road of offering choices for their gamers. Also, there is another rumor going around that the fall update will contain a web browser and a private chat improvement allowing for up to 4 people to talk in one private chat instead of 2. Again, these are rumors but these could be some other things they are holding out for now. The second rumor I'll destroy is this MS copying everyone rumor. Honestly, Nintendo DID NOT invent motion-sensing. If anything, Nintendo is the one that copied, not MS. secondly, Nintendo used Motion-sensing at a big risk that it might not take off and look now, they are very successful for it. Sony tried it to and failed miserably. Now, MS wants to try it but they aren't going to make it a permanent thing with ALL their games like the wii and PS3, they are going to utilize it with a few games for now to see how it works out. If it becomes a hit and very successful, then they'll continue to do it and if it fails, then they'll stop, simple as that. MS is just trying to branch into other markets right now, nothing wrong with that. Also, if you want to talk about copying, what about Sony trophy idea thats very similar to achievements? Sony didn't copy it, they just looked at the idea and put their OWN spin on it, thats it, just like MS is doing with the motion sensing and avatars. What about this, MS was the VERY FIRST company to utilize the use of a hard drive in a video game system with the original Xbox. So what, now we're gonna bang on Sony for doing the same, no, they saw it as a good idea and added their own little touches to it.

    Honestly, these conspiracy theories is what ruins the gaming industry. Plus, the leaked info also said that MS had over a DOZEN projects in the works. These are just a few of what they are planning as well so I wouldn't go judging so quickly for that as well.

  • ColdRush88 posted Jun 17, 2008 1:19 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    ColdRush88

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:19 pm GMT (hide)

    Microsoft are getting so desperate! All these rumors of motion sensing controllers, add-on blu-ray drive, avatars etc. It just reeks of desperation. The PS3 is taking over and Microsoft know it. If this isn't proof then tell me what is.

  • Guts5

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:12 pm GMT

    "dmish82 So is the name changing to the Wii60 or the Mii60?"

    Actually wii60 is already taken. It's what most gamers choose to buy instead of a PS3. They own the wii for the unique games its gameplay and the 360 for the majority of 3rd party games and exslusives. It's the reason why the number of sales of the 360 and the wii are almost identical in the US. I'm only speaking of the USA.

  • masterclone

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 1:08 pm GMT

    Everyone, please read the text before getting worked up and saying "omigosh what about my gamerpics?" .. Quote:"However, it must be stressed that nothing is official...yet." End Quote

  • ActivistBike

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:59 pm GMT

    For all of you complaining about Microsoft taking the idea of Mii's, Sony is taking the idea of the Wii controller so yeah.

  • Craig410

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:53 pm GMT

    who cares . i just currently switched from 360 to ps3 and ps3 is an alot better system.
    Xbox may have more games but ps3 is a better system overall

  • fanboy999

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:43 pm GMT

    Gamerpics are fine and you can use any pic if you have the camera. I already have a Wii for Mii creations. Please don't use avatars on the 360.

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:36 pm GMT

    :
    getoffmylawn said: I wish you could import pics from a computer to use as a gamerpic. i would use this one


    FYI - If you have an XBL Vision camera, you can take pictures and use them as your GamerPic. At least it will appear for all of your friends. You should be able to use that pic for you friends, but everyone else on Live will see you other GP. Check out you account in the guide. There are two areas for changing your gamerpic.

  • supa_badman

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:31 pm GMT

    well this is...an odd idea.
    but stil got nothing on the HOME avatars

  • Eko_Eko_Azarak

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:18 pm GMT

    Nothing about XBOX LIVE needs to be changed. Microsoft needs to chill.

  • JLytle92

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:11 pm GMT

    thats kind of... pointless

  • getoffmylawn

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:05 pm GMT

    I wish you could import pics from a computer to use as a gamerpic. i would use this one

  • Hvac0120

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 12:04 pm GMT

    I have always found it stupid that Microsoft charges for us to display certain pictures on our GamerTags. I have not purchased a single GP the entire 2+ years that I have had my 360. Adding animation does not make me want to pay either. Many of the current messenger services (that are free of charge - mind you) allow avatars and even offer free animated avatars. Developers should just include the GP's in the game and provide gamers with the option to download unlocked GP's to their Xbox360 if they complete a task or an achievement.

    To those worried about your current GP's, I am 100% certain that Microsoft will allow you to continue to use the regular GP's. It's just you will now also have the option to replace it with an animated GP.

    @One9

    I doubt XBL on the original Xbox supported "hundreds of titles" since XBL didn't launch until Halo 2 was released, but let's pretend that it did. Out of those hundreds of games only a couple were worth the time and none were worth the monthly subscription cost. It was a horribly failed feature on the console.

    The Dreamcast gave Microsoft the idea for online play. Microsoft took that idea and created a service that they could bank on. Now with the 360 the fruits of their labor have been providing them with some financial rewards.

    Actually when I think back, the PC had the first networked games. Then the Sega Genesis had an add-on (X-Band http://www.gamespot.com/genesis/action/xband/index.html) that allowed gamers to play online. So really it's been around a lot longer than you think.

    I would never call Xbox Live a "premiere" service. It's a good service. The biggest problem is that you pay for the service and then you have to pay for everything you do on that service. The only thing you are really paying for is TrueSkill Matchmaking (a third party software package that Microsoft uses for XBL) and online multiplayer. I wouldn't really think that makes it a very good service at all.

    XBL is popular because (1) It's integrated into the Xbox360 (2) it's the easiest service to use. There are plenty of problems with the service, but people overlook certain things because it does it the best right now.

    I don't like when people try to talk down on PSN when XBL isn't really all that either. I will admit that XBL is the better of the two. However, the PSN is catching up, and since it is free, it will easily be able to overcome and surpass XBL if Sony plays their cards right and if Microsoft doesn't play theirs. It's a tough competition.

  • musicaz70

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:47 am GMT

    Yay... And expect to pay 800 points for a set of 5 pieces of clothing for your Avatar... I'll stick with my [adult swim] gamer pics I already paid money for.

  • dmish82

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:43 am GMT

    So is the name changing to the Wii60 or the Mii60?

  • scytheofluna

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:41 am GMT

    Hmmm... I think I'll stick with my gamer pics unless they offer animated Halo characters of Marcus Fenix or UNSC spartans. If my avatar could be my Hayabusa armored Spartan from Halo 3 that would be pretty sweet, but I'll leave my miis on the wii.

  • mehmetbalibasa

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:39 am GMT

    OMG you xboxers are paying for gamer pics!?lol!What a waste...

  • One9

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:28 am GMT

    @kashifalisikguy

    Yea you're right, sega dreamcast was the first console with online play. However if you read what I said, I said that Xbox had the premier online service that hosted hundreds of games under one service. I never said Xbox was the first console with online gaming.

    All in all tho, the avatar system does sound whack as hell. I dont wanna lose my Dr. Jones gamer pic.

  • kemar7856

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:23 am GMT

    gay lol

  • ozzdog123

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 11:20 am GMT

    Completely dumb and waste of all orginality.

  • SPOONNEYRAY

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:46 am GMT

    I DON"T KNOW THIS MIGHT BE KOO OR RALLY GAY

  • Evolution-X0

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:38 am GMT

    i stick with my paid gamerpics. don't make a damn 360 to a wii for the love of god.

  • DDR_Midian

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:37 am GMT

    "wow i thought that Sony Ripping of Nintendo wit the motion senseing six axis is bad microsoft is taking it to a whole new level !"

    Yeah cause creating a little virtual character is a thousand times worse than copying a whole hardware based game mechanic and design.

  • normsta posted Jun 17, 2008 10:26 am GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    normsta

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:26 am GMT (hide)

    LOL! wow, more crap on the 360. and how original.

  • superjon6

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:19 am GMT

    So what would happen to all the gamer pics that people bought?

  • kashifalisikguy

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:16 am GMT

    first of all one9, sega dreamcast was the first system to offer online play, second of all people are just saying xbox live is working already so why would they go out of there way to add on useless crap that they expect people to pay for?

  • wakeupdonnie

    Posted Jun 17, 2008 10:13 am GMT

    yay. my life is complete now that the xbox 360 is more like a wii. if i wanted a wii, i'd buy one. whats wrong with the gamerpics most people payed for?

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