By Josh Ward
With E3 fast approaching, predictions are in on what to expect from Microsoft this year.
A couple of unveilings, a price cut on Xbox 360 hardware, and a 60GB hard drive all have a high chance of being shown, according to Jacob Metcalf of 8bitjoystick.
The “Lips” microphone communicator accessory will likely be unveiled, along with Xbox 360’s “Newton” motion-sensitive controller to “show it off and build a buzz.”
A $30 price cut on Xbox hardware and a 60GB hard drive replacing 20GB in the Xbox 360 Pro pack is also predicted.
“They have a newer cheaper motherboard hitting the market in September and Shane Kim said that Nintendo might not always have a price advantage over the Xbox 360,” Metcalf wrote. “That means that we might see a price cut in the US that is at least 30 buck off the 30 line to push the Xbox 360 Arcade SKU to the Wii’s price point.”
“Also they are probably going to drop the price of the 120-Gig Hard Drive. They have been working on a 60-Gig HD for a while now and it even was accidentally showed off in Tokyo a long time ago.”
As for the games appearing at this year’s E3, Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Fable 2, Gears of War 2, Halo Wars, Too Human, and Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise have been confirmed. Microsoft said it still has “quite a few aces left up our sleeve,” but an Alan Wake appearance is still up in the air.
“I sort of doubt that this game will ever hit the shelves,” he said.
