Does anyone really expect that Shane Kim would say anything *other* than that MS's goal is to win? Q: What kind of a spokesperson would he be then? A: an unemployed kind.
The current gen of consoles is sticking around for *at least* another three years - 360 has yet to release a 'slim', PS3 is only just releasing a 'slim'. Neither system has played its entire hand and in general the public doesn't even see a need for a new console so soon.
So, why wait for Natal until the 'next' generation?
Nintendo has learned a lot from the Wii in these last four years and will be taking their motion-controller expertise to their next console whenever that console proves necessary. These four years have enabled third-party developers to get a really good grasp on what works and what doesn't. So the next Wii will have better-designed games from the beginning (unlike the beginning of this gen when all but first party games pretty much sucked).
If Microsoft gets Natal out there (presuming it's ready) next holiday, third-party developers will have three or four years to get a firm understanding of how this very different underlying tech works - and what things designers have to factor in for - before the NextBox comes out with the next rev of Natal hardware.
It doesn't make sense to sit on Natal for three or four years when the 360 can not only handle the tech, but the platform as a whole can only benefit from it.
In the absolute worst case (which absolutely won't happen) where Natal bombs, it changes nothing - the 360 still has regular controllers and super-high quality games. It'd just be a peripheral which no one uses.
Nothing to lose by releasing it this gen, lots of missed opportunities (including letting competitors catch up) by holding onto it.
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