Microsoft Game Guru Seeks To Expand Xbox's Appeal
微软(Microsoft Co.)已经展示出，其Xbox 360游戏机能够俘获核心游戏玩家的“芳心”。现在，微软还得证明自己在针对休闲游戏玩家展开的争夺战中也能打败市场领军者任天堂公司(Nintendo Co.)。微软视频游戏团队的主管马特里克(Don Mattrick)周一宣布一项计划，将为Xbox 360控制器装上新的3D摄像头，从而让人们通过活动身体的方式来玩游戏，以此扩大这款游戏机的用户群体。这款产品预计将在明年推出，它可以算得微软能否超越任天堂Wii的动作感应手柄的一次重大冒险尝试。Wii令对按钮众多的传统游戏控制器望而生畏的人也转变成了游戏玩家。微软代码为Natal计划(Project Natal)的新摄像头则完全不需要手持任何硬件设备。Reuters微软的视频游戏团队的主管马特里克周一宣布一项计划，将为Xbox 360控制器装上新的3D摄像头，从而让人们通过活动身体的方式来玩游戏。马特里克周一在洛杉矶的E3游戏展上首次展示了这款摄像头。微软演示了玩家可以如何使用摄像头在虚拟的画布上作画，以及用头去顶游戏中的足球。摄像头还能识别语音命令，并能根据面部特征识别玩家。微软管理人员拒绝透露这款摄像头的价格。不久前在位于华盛顿州雷德蒙德的微软园区接受采访时，马特里克说，公司最优先考虑的重点就是让Xbox更能够让不是铁杆游戏迷的人所接受。45岁的马特里克说，我们怎样让它为全家人所用？这就是我们渴望做到的。在电子游戏发行商电子艺界(Electronic Arts Inc.)任职多年的马特里克曾经参与了不少大获成功的游戏设计，帮助设计师赖特(Will Wright)完成了《模拟人生》(The Sims)。电子艺界的王牌赛车游戏《极品飞车》(Need for Speed)就源自身为车迷的马特里克的一个幻想：偷取法拉利(Ferraris)之类的拉风名车，并逃避警方追捕。为了全力维持游戏业务的利润，微软需要让其游戏机吸引更多的人群。自2001年推出最早的Xbox以来，微软游戏业务已经损失了逾50亿美元。微软声称，其在全球范围内已销售了逾3,000万台Xbox 360。这个数字领先于索尼公司(Sony Corp.)，但仍不及任天堂。索尼PlayStation 3(PS3)和任天堂Wii的总销量分别为2,300万和5,000万台。马特里克于2007年7月加入微软，在那之前不久，微软被迫披露了一个颜面无光的失误：Xbox 360的普遍故障导致其为顾客承担了11亿美元的维修成本费用。但从那以后，马特里克就引导Xbox业务实现了长足增长，部分原因在于对欧洲销售的游戏机实施降价，并改善欧洲的管理。他还领导了对Xbox Live网络服务的彻底改造，通过提供新的服务赢得客户，比如用于租赁电影的Netflix Inc.服务。有人质疑马特里克会不会长期留在微软。他的家在温哥华，还没有搬到位于西雅图郊区的微软园区。相反，他通过视频电话和电子邮件来履行大部分工作。与马特里克共事的一名人士说，他每个月在微软的办公室待不了几天。电子艺界董事长普罗斯特(Larry Probst)说，我觉得大多数人都对他在微软待了这么久时间感到惊讶。马特里克创办的企业被电子艺界收购后，他在电子艺界任职了14年。马特里克说他忠于微软，并不觉得住在温哥华有损于自己的表现。他也得到了上司巴赫(Robert J. Bach)的支持，巴赫是微软游戏部门总裁。巴赫说，最难的是找到一个既能经营企业，又能帮助营造极具创意的氛围的人。他说马特里克很好地平衡了这两方面。Nick Wingfield相关阅读微软在为Xbox 360开发新型3D摄像头 2009-05-13索尼与任天堂各辟蹊径吸引玩家 2009-06-03任天堂发展外部游戏发行商 保持Wii势头 2009-05-27任天堂掌上游戏机全新升级 2009-05-04 本文涉及股票或公司document.write (truthmeter('2009年06月04日10:58', 'MSFT'));Microsoft Co.总部地点：美国上市地点：纳斯达克股票代码：MSFT
Microsoft Corp. has shown its Xbox 360 console can win with serious gamers. Now it has to show it can out-play market leader Nintendo Co. in the battle for casual players.Don Mattrick, the head of Microsoft's videogames group, on Monday unveiled a plan to expand the audience for the company's Xbox 360 console with a new 3D video camera that will let people play games with the movement of their bodies.The product, expected to be released next year, is a big gamble that Microsoft can outdo the Nintendo Wii's motion-sensing wand, which has won new gaming converts intimidated by traditional button-heavy game controllers. The new Microsoft camera, code-named Project Natal, eliminates the need to hold any hardware at all.Mr. Mattrick showed the camera for the first time onstage at the E3 games conference in Los Angeles Monday. Microsoft demonstrated how a person can use the camera to paint virtual canvases and head in-game soccer balls. The camera will also recognize voice commands, and be able to identify from facial features which person is playing.Microsoft executives declined to say how much the camera will cost.In a recent interview on Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus, Mr. Mattrick said a top priority is to make the Xbox more accessible to people who aren't hardcore gamers. 'How do we make it work for the family?' says the 45-year-old. 'That's aspirationally what we want to do.'Mr. Mattrick, a veteran of games publisher Electronic Arts Inc., has had a hand in some huge game hits, helping game designer Will Wright shape what ultimately became The Sims. EA's blockbuster Need for Speed racing game franchise came out of a fantasy that Mr. Mattrick, a car aficionado, had about stealing fancy vehicles like Ferraris and running from the police.Microsoft needs to attract a bigger audience to its console as the company seeks to keep up profits from a games business that has lost it more than $5 billion since the original Xbox was introduced in 2001.Globally, Microsoft says it has sold more than 30 million of its Xbox 360 machines. While that's ahead of Sony Corp., which says it has sold more than 23 million PlayStation 3 consoles, it lags Nintendo, which says it has sold more than 50 million Wii machines.Mr. Mattrick joined Microsoft in July 2007, shortly after the company was forced to reveal a humiliating misstep: widespread malfunctions with the Xbox 360 that caused it to take a $1.1 billion charge to cover the cost of repairs for customers.But since then, Mr. Mattrick has helped guide the Xbox business to solid growth, in part by cutting prices on its console in Europe and improving management in that region. He also led an overhaul of its Xbox Live online service, which helped win customers with new offerings like a Netflix Inc. service for renting movies.Mr. Mattrick faces skepticism he'll stay on the job for the long haul. The executive hasn't moved near Microsoft's campus in the Seattle suburbs from his home in Vancouver. Instead, he conducts much of his work through video conferences and email. One person who works with Mr. Mattrick says he isn't in the office at Microsoft more than a few days a month.'I think most people are a bit surprised at how long he's been there,' says Larry Probst, chairman of EA, where Mr. Mattrick worked for 14 years after it bought his start-up.Mr. Mattrick says he's committed to Microsoft and doesn't feel that living in Vancouver hurts his performance. He also has the support of his boss, Robert J. Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.'The challenge is to find a guy who can run a business . . . and help foster a highly creative environment,' Mr. Bach says. He calls Mr. Mattrick 'a wonderful balance of both of those.'Nick Wingfield
Microsoft Corp. has shown its Xbox 360 console can win with serious gamers. Now it has to show it can out-play market leader Nintendo Co. in the battle for casual players.Don Mattrick, the head of Microsoft's videogames group, on Monday unveiled a plan to expand the audience for the company's Xbox 360 console with a new 3D video camera that will let people play games with the movement of their bodies.The product, expected to be released next year, is a big gamble that Microsoft can outdo the Nintendo Wii's motion-sensing wand, which has won new gaming converts intimidated by traditional button-heavy game controllers. The new Microsoft camera, code-named Project Natal, eliminates the need to hold any hardware at all.Mr. Mattrick showed the camera for the first time onstage at the E3 games conference in Los Angeles Monday. Microsoft demonstrated how a person can use the camera to paint virtual canvases and head in-game soccer balls. The camera will also recognize voice commands, and be able to identify from facial features which person is playing.Microsoft executives declined to say how much the camera will cost.In a recent interview on Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., campus, Mr. Mattrick said a top priority is to make the Xbox more accessible to people who aren't hardcore gamers. 'How do we make it work for the family?' says the 45-year-old. 'That's aspirationally what we want to do.'Mr. Mattrick, a veteran of games publisher Electronic Arts Inc., has had a hand in some huge game hits, helping game designer Will Wright shape what ultimately became The Sims. EA's blockbuster Need for Speed racing game franchise came out of a fantasy that Mr. Mattrick, a car aficionado, had about stealing fancy vehicles like Ferraris and running from the police.Microsoft needs to attract a bigger audience to its console as the company seeks to keep up profits from a games business that has lost it more than $5 billion since the original Xbox was introduced in 2001.Globally, Microsoft says it has sold more than 30 million of its Xbox 360 machines. While that's ahead of Sony Corp., which says it has sold more than 23 million PlayStation 3 consoles, it lags Nintendo, which says it has sold more than 50 million Wii machines.Mr. Mattrick joined Microsoft in July 2007, shortly after the company was forced to reveal a humiliating misstep: widespread malfunctions with the Xbox 360 that caused it to take a $1.1 billion charge to cover the cost of repairs for customers.But since then, Mr. Mattrick has helped guide the Xbox business to solid growth, in part by cutting prices on its console in Europe and improving management in that region. He also led an overhaul of its Xbox Live online service, which helped win customers with new offerings like a Netflix Inc. service for renting movies.Mr. Mattrick faces skepticism he'll stay on the job for the long haul. The executive hasn't moved near Microsoft's campus in the Seattle suburbs from his home in Vancouver. Instead, he conducts much of his work through video conferences and email. One person who works with Mr. Mattrick says he isn't in the office at Microsoft more than a few days a month.'I think most people are a bit surprised at how long he's been there,' says Larry Probst, chairman of EA, where Mr. Mattrick worked for 14 years after it bought his start-up.Mr. Mattrick says he's committed to Microsoft and doesn't feel that living in Vancouver hurts his performance. He also has the support of his boss, Robert J. Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division.'The challenge is to find a guy who can run a business . . . and help foster a highly creative environment,' Mr. Bach says. He calls Mr. Mattrick 'a wonderful balance of both of those.'Nick Wingfield