While this probably won't do much to satisfy those worrying about Microsoft's shortage of core games for the coming year, it appears that this years CES keynote from the company won't be without gaming announcements.

Specifically, it seems Microsoft is preparing for an announcement of 'Avatar Kinect' if screenshots taken backstage in Vegas are anything to go by. Nothing else is known regarding the project apart from these two shots we managed to snag from a video walk through from CES.



I doubt that 'Avatar Kinect' will be packaged as a fully fledged game. Instead, I'm betting we'll see this as part of another xbox live update, which we may see announced at CES.

http://www.glimpsedog.com/content/482-microsoft-preparing-avatar-kinect-game-ces-announcement.html

''hile this probably won't do much to satisfy those worrying about Microsoft's shortage of core games for the coming year'',

Sorry , from thits  part I do not take it seriously your post and stop for play kinect aventures... Luckily for the next......lol

I don't get it...why are they talking about avatar game and then showing the ESPN app for the 360...I thought they were supposed to be showing pictures of an avatar game?

I think someone hasnt seen the ESPN 360 app and think it is something new.

This is what passes for journalism these days ...

OT: Meh.  Its good to see there will something game related there, but I don't think it'll be anything that set the world on fire.  Like more mainstream stuff, which is fine considering this IS CES and that Alan Wake 'presentation' last year just felt ... off.

As I posted in another thread I started on here, created before I saw this thread, I am wondering if Avatar Kinect will serve the functionality Sony Home has, enabling avatars of people to meet one another, and make new contacts with people not on one's friend list currently.  In short, it would be an avatar center lobby for games and other activities over XBox Live.

Pretty much this.  I cant see what else it could be.

Though for the record I hope they pull it off a lot better than Home.  To me Home was a big waste of time.

sounds like a glorified chat room to me

Why would merely having a play area where your avatar gets to freakout with other people on your friend list be of any interest?  Not saying it should have the bloat and overhead Home does, but enable me to find other people who happen to like XBLA stuff I do, that is more obscure.  I am running events in Game Room, for example, and being able to hunt down other players for these events, would be of value.

Well this year there is a live stream of the CES keynote, so we'll know more tomorrow night.

I'm not expecting much in the way of core announcements though as I expect Microsoft will be targeting it's new Kinect owners coming out of the holiday season.