Rumor indicates Project Natal release in October

The Microsoft Project Natal motion-based controller for the Xbox 360 game system will be released in time for Christmas.  The latest unconfirmed release date indicates Natal's release in October.

A new media report from a different part of the world indicates a possible October launch, with Microsoft scrambling to release Natal before Christmas.

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"So I do have great news to share with everybody," said Syed Bilal Tariq, Microsoft Saudi Arabia marketing manager, on the KSA 2 station in Saudi Arabia.  "Project Natal will be launched in Saudi Arabia the same time it will be launched in the world. That is going to be somewhere in October."

The interview with Tariq can be found on the Gamer Tag Radio forums.

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Project Natal's centerpiece is a new motion-sensing camera technology that provides a completely controller-free gaming environment.

Microsoft hasn't issued an official release date, but the rumor mill previously said a November launch for less than $80 would be ideal.  U.S. Microsoft has told myself and other bloggers that Project Natal will launch sometime "this holiday," but a specific month hasn't been released.

It's expected Microsoft will announce an official launch date during E3 next month.  An October-November time frame makes sense -- and I'd like to see Microsoft release Natal as early as possible -- as long as it's ready for release.

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As noted already on MyCE, an Xbox 360 price cut as early as next month makes sense for Microsoft, as the company prepares to market Project Natal to casual gamers.

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