Microsoft: Milo Just a Tech Demo [UPDATED]

[Logan Westbrook]

Microsoft: Milo Just a Tech Demo [UPDATED]

Microsoft's virtual boy Milo wasn't missing from E3, he was never supposed to be coming in the first place.

Milo was one of the most interesting things to come from last year's E3, and many noted his absence from this year's Kinect announcement. But comments made by Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg suggest that it may be some time before we see Milo again.

Speaking to ABC's (Australian Broadcasting Company) Good Game [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2939012.htm], Greenberg said that the Milo demonstration that we saw last year was exactly that, a demonstration, and wasn't a game that was being worked on: "The Milo Project is something that Lionhead Studios in their labs had developed. Last year we unveiled the Project Natal technology, we showed a bunch of technology demos as part of that ... [Milo] is a technology demo that continues to exist, but right now it's not a game that we're planning to bring to market."

Greenberg's comment doesn't mean that there won't ever be a Milo game, but it doesn't sound like we're going to be seeing one any time soon. I must admit, I'm disappointed to hear this; not really because I wanted a digital boy of my very own, but because Milo really showed off the new things that could be done with Kinect.

UPDATE: Greenberg has clarified his statement, saying that Milo is not a game that Microsoft plans to bring to market this year.

In a statement to Kotaku [http://kotaku.com/5575672/no-project-milo-is-coming-to-the-xbox-just-not-this-year], Greenberg said: "Project Milo absolutely continues in development at Lionhead Studios. It is just not a product we plan to bring to market this holiday."



Source: Good Game [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/goodgame/stories/s2939012.htm]



Permalink

 

[Skops]

Good, cause it looked astoundingly useless.

 

[Digikid]

Too bad. It would have been quite a lot of fun to actually have an A.I. to interact with on the human side.

 

[Vanguard_Ex]

Jesus, that's a hell of a lot of work to go to waste. They should really pick up on it sometime.

 

[Withall]

Hmh... "The Sims: Milo Edition", anyone? That or, "Kinect: Virtual Boy"

 

[Woodsey]

The more I hear about Natal (nope, still not calling it Kinect) - and Move for that matter - the less I give a shit about either of them.

I really don't see Natal extending the 360 by "at least another 5 years".

I'll buy the Natal-ish tech for my PC though, because it's supposedly dullest application (i.e. navigating menus) is what interests me the most so far, because all the games are piss-poor.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

I figured it couldn't have been much more than a demo of the possibilities NATAL could bring about. As a game, MILO seemed pretty useless. Why would anybody want to befriend a little boy? Especially a virtual one? Unless of course PROJECT MILO is an attempt at one-upping the rapelay games by being the first child molestation simulator.

Player: "Hey Milo, how do you like this drawing I made?"
MILO: "Wow, this look just like me! I do like the taste of mushrooms..."

 

[Binerexis]

I have to say that all this Kinect/Natal stuff looks like it's going to be a giant disappointment to anyone who buys it. With every demo of it so far, it looks like someone interacting with a recording or video.

 

[wooty]

I still think most of that milo vid was staged, I also wonder whether anyones told Molyneux that milo won't be a feature of natal, he seemed adament that it was.

 

[Dexiro]

Aw i was looking forward to people getting hyped over it. It looked pretty terrible from the start, and you could tell from a mile off that anything Molyneaux said about it was complete crap.

 

[CarlosYenrac]

..."Kinect: Virtual Boy"

I think Someone Else [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_Boy] may have the rights to that name already

On a side note, it's interesting to see that somebody pays attention to Good Game- I'd assumed it had been canceled already for being mindless fluff- one of the co-hosts quit last year for exactly that reason

 

[Jared]

Well, I suppose was good for tech demo, but, that was about it...I cant say im upset not to see it...he kinda freaked me out anyway

 

[automatron]

Microsoft office people: Lets see what we have for the kinect.

Kinectimals: random crap with a pet that will entertain kids for 20 minutes until they realise the have an actual pet. Keep.

Kinect adventures: Game which is stupid and could pretty much be on the eye toy. Keep and make 20 like it.

Kinect sport: Wii sports game but a bit more responsive. Keep

Kinect fitness: Same as above

Jedi game: could be good. Keep (for now)

Milo game: After people get over the creepiness and sadness of this, it'll be huge and show off the kinect's potential to just not be shovel ware crap. Get rid of it

What actually went through their heads?

 

[Viruzzo]

Milo game: After people get over the creepiness and sadness of this [...]

Well, uhm... I don't know if that's gonna happen. Oh, and add annoyance.

 

[DazZ.]

I must admit, I'm disappointed to hear this; not really because I wanted a digital boy of my very own, but because Milo really showed off the new things that could be done with Kinect.

Well that shows it was a very good tech demo that shouldn't be made into a game. This was a good decision in my opinion.

 

[Jonluw]

Shouldn't they have made it clear from the beginning that it was only a tech demo? I was completely convinced it was a game.

 

[Scary_Bob]

I still think most of that milo vid was staged...

Very much agreed, some of the timing just seemed off to me.

 

[Carnagath]

Good call. I would stay as far away from a Milo game as possible anyway. If you're playing this, you're gone in my opinion. Gone in the same way as when you are having sex with blow-up furry animals. Gone so far that you will never come back. Icky icky icky icky.

 

[drkchmst]

the way he said that its not something they are ready to bring to the market sounds like they would charge like 30-60 bucks for it. That software should be packaged with the Kinect IMO. Its not a true game but it would let the person who buys Kinect the chance to experience what was.