Rumor: "Avatars" are Microsoft's take on Mii's?

by Terrence Stasse { Jun 15th 2008 at 2:00PM }

Well, well, well, what have we here? Looks like we're finally getting some real evidence that Microsoft really does have some sort of response to Nintendo's Miis on the way. It's been rumored for some time now and the above shot of the linked flash page seems to portend the end of the rumors. Giving the rumor more credibility is that the information contained in the image, supposedly taken from an online survey, conforms to details recently given to Joystiq by a trusted source. These "Xbox Avatars" certainly look to do everything that Miis do and more.

Taking into account that Microsoft doesn't seem too troubled by the rest of the year, this, along with the rumored "Newton" controller, could possibly be what they're betting the farm on.

Hmm ... E3 should sure be interesting this year ...

[Thanks Mighty Healthy]

Tags: avatar, mii, xbox-avatars, xbox-live

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Xoviet chiK @ Jun 15th 2008 2:28PM

You think they rip you off for Game Pictures and Themes now?

Ugh, I don't want to imagine the hundreds of thousands of shirts, hats, dresses, shoes, accessories, pants, etc... sitting on XBLM for 80-200 MS Points a pop. And we think XBLM is cluttered, unorganized, and nearly unnavigable now?!?

Though, they do seem cool. And conversely, the one major problem with Miis is that there aren't enough options. So maybe downloadable content would be a welcome addition. Wonder how long until XBLA gets flooded with "LIVE Avatar Compatible" games?

Roto13 @ Jun 15th 2008 2:28PM

And exactly what percentage of the customization options will they make you pay for?

kevin @ Jun 15th 2008 6:01PM

PLAYSTATION HOME RIP OFF

DemonGSides @ Jun 15th 2008 7:39PM

RETARD RIPOFF!

Wait, nevermind, you are obviously the real deal. Truly retarded, through and through.

Dr. Jones @ Jun 16th 2008 8:57AM

God forbid someone copy someone else's idea. We live in a world where all ideas are original and none are stolen or copied.

Tess @ Jun 15th 2008 2:29PM

Heh? What's the "will be used in place of the gamer picture you have today" mean? Are gamerpics going buh-bye? I hate Miis, Meez, and all the bobble headed cartoonish crapola.

todd @ Jun 15th 2008 2:33PM

Why winter for live members and spring for new owners? Why not Spring for all?

Studley @ Jun 15th 2008 2:41PM

I guess it means that existing console owners will be able to download them this winter (possibly via a dashboard update), but that if you buy a new console from spring, they'll come with the avatars feature pre-enabled, without needing to download an update.

Iced_Eagle @ Jun 15th 2008 2:55PM

Maybe they're using the current Live members as guinea pigs :)

Superduperm @ Jun 15th 2008 2:39PM

I love my gamerpic... its the weighted companion cube!

Giuse @ Jun 15th 2008 2:39PM

It would be cool if you could buy castle crashers avatars or Dishwasher avatars

GANNONSMASH @ Jun 15th 2008 2:40PM

Having actually spent money on gamerpics, I'd be pretty pissed if they became obsolete. That said, The idea is sorta cool.

Iced_Eagle @ Jun 15th 2008 2:42PM

Oh god, just imagine the micro-transactions.

PLEASE MS, stop charging for meaningless stuff! I know there was nothing mentioned, but I want to say it before it happens.

I think it would be very cool if new costumes would come out when new games are released. Like some COG armor when GoW2 is released, some sort of Fable2 outfit, etc

Though obviously I think even better than doing micro-transactions would be to have the costumes unlocked when you put the game in.

Xoviet chiK @ Jun 15th 2008 2:53PM

Nice! Pop a game in, unlocks content. Should be like that with all game related Gamer Pics / Themes (by choice, of course).

Also, synching your Avatar in Fable II with your LIVE Avatar would be pretty cool (different aesthetics / stylizations, of course). I can totally get behind a Mii rip-off if it's done right.

007craft @ Jun 15th 2008 2:50PM

the miis are one of the lamest things about the wii. Sure these avatars look better then those stick figue like miis, but their still lame. Leave gamerpics and give us an option to use any picture we ant from our computer. I dont want a retarded avatar to represent myself online. I dont care what my virtual character looks like in anygame.

Xoviet chiK @ Jun 15th 2008 2:55PM

"Any Picture We Want From Our Computer"

Every other person you meet would have a Penis or a Nipple. The others would have both. Can already capture one with a Vision Cam, proper lighting and set up and you can get some good GPs visible only to friends... should be enough for most, is for me :)

007craft @ Jun 15th 2008 2:58PM

well i dont have a vision cam, and i shouldnt need one to have a custom gamerpic. And penis and nipple pics? man people who think these things are so ignorant. Is MSN filled with penises? are webforums that let you use custom avatars and signatures (almost all of them) filled with penises? NO. to think people would do this is just dumb. And suppose they wanted to do it, let them. Are you afraid of human body parts or something? we all have them.

Xoviet chiK @ Jun 15th 2008 3:05PM

Well of course there is nothing wrong with Nipples and Penises, unless you live in the US in which that is what you are taught to believe. (Hurray for nudity!)

It's just Xbox LIVE is mostly a haven for socially inept racist homophobic miscreants. A normal, socially healthy person with a Penis or Nipple GP? I wouldn't mind it so much. A Socially inept racist homophobic miscreant with a Penis or Nipple? Spare me, please!

Dr. Jones @ Jun 16th 2008 8:54AM

Sure, most MSN users and forum signatures/avatars don't use penises and nipples. But there always will be people who do that kind of crap... like the kids who send naked pictures of themselves to underage girls on Xbox Live.

It's more shit Microsoft has to filter out and just gives XBL a worse name.

Flip Top Eddie @ Jun 15th 2008 2:51PM

I don't mind the idea of Avatars but I don't want to see them replace gamerpics. Hopefully they do unlock new customization options by playing games.

Neuromancer @ Jun 15th 2008 3:01PM

Agreed, in fact they should be optional considering a lot of people probably won't care too much. Personally I think it's a great idea and look forward to it (if these rumors are true) although I don't see me buying stuff of the marketplace. They should let you use your gamerscore points to buy them instead, that'd be super cool.

Cal @ Jun 15th 2008 3:17PM

If this is true then they better co-exist with gamerpics, I can't lose my customised NUFC crest...

victor360hd @ Jun 15th 2008 3:10PM

great

Valek500 @ Jun 15th 2008 3:13PM

Come people this is good for us... this is the MS response to the nintendo Mii and playstation 3 Home. dont judge just yet wait for E3. i got the feeling this gonna be good.

mcwattersm @ Jun 15th 2008 3:17PM

I think your gamer points should count towards, uh Gamer Money, or something so for each achievement you get it goes into a bank, and you can use those points to purchase different clothes for your character. Because if they start charging us for hats, and other small bullshit then no more xbox for me.

monkeymonkeymonkey @ Jun 15th 2008 3:19PM

I smell BS. Why is the linked page a Flash SWF ? It can easily be just an image...

Mighty Healthy @ Jun 15th 2008 3:46PM

It's an .swf because it's part of "a fun and interesting survey for you about potential NEW Xbox360 features" that I received this morning. It came from SurveySpot (which I am not a member of).

I couldn't even straight up copy the link (which I nabbed by viewing the source of the page), nor could I hit Print Screen to paste the image anywhere.

The picture is very likely a mockup, but it's quite interesting that the survey proclaims the future availability in the way that it does.

In addition to asking about Avatars, and possible names for them, the survey asks for help in naming the upcoming XNA Community Games service.

While this concerns a lot of stuff still obviously in R & D, it's far from BS.

Also, to Xoviet chiK: I noticed the same thing :D

Xoviet chiK @ Jun 15th 2008 3:24PM

Just Noticed:

The blonde boy with the red outfit has an "Incredibles" logo on his shirt (as in Pixar's The Incredibles).

Odd...

LaughingMan @ Jun 15th 2008 3:28PM

Is this what the next gen console war is? Just everyone taking from everyone? PS3 took achivements from X360, now X360 is taking from the Wii, etc, etc. Whatever. I'm pretty "meh" about this.

Wickedneoq @ Jun 15th 2008 3:28PM

You all complain about gamer pictures, well I'm the one who buys them, and I don't complain. I like them. So there. Take that. If anything, Xbox Live has consistently evolved since it started. Static pictures won't be phased out because of the web version of a gamercard (see MyGamerCard.net). In short, anyone whining about nickel and diming should only whine if they're paying for it, like I've been saying for years. Quit your belly-aching, go play some vidjagames, eat your vitamins, and when you're ready to be open-minded to stolen ideas, then that'll be awesome.

r3m1x @ Jun 15th 2008 3:43PM

I fully agree with Xoviet chiK's first comment. As if there isn't enough taxation in XBLM already, enter "Avatars." Reading this makes buying extra crap for your PS Home avatar more valuable.

E3 is next month, so I'll reserve further judgment until then.

Zac LaCombe @ Jun 15th 2008 3:53PM

I just think that as long as they keep the Gamerpics I paid for with "Special Edition" games or my beloved 1-in-500 Iris gamerpic, I wouldn't mind this ridiculous marketing ploy. Why does everyone think that the real 'mature' platform, the Xbox 360, would want kiddy charicatures? I guess they're trying to fix their image as not being child-friendly enough for the consumers.

Jonathan @ Jun 15th 2008 3:53PM

I was under the impression that this was a XNA developer's concept and not an official Microsoft backed feature.

http://management.intellisponse.com/imgfiles.nsf/0/86b99ee556fcc351852574630058e194/

Mighty Healthy @ Jun 15th 2008 4:02PM

I'm sure you didn't see my first reply yet, but the survey asked about Avatars, in addition to the enticement and naming of the XNA Games Community.

They were presented as entirely different, unrelated concepts.

Jonathan @ Jun 15th 2008 4:24PM

I have a habit of commenting, and then reading all the comments. Backwards depending on who you ask..

Um...in other news...is anyone else 0.o at all the information available through that link? It mentions something called Trioxide...and a standalone price + price bundled with a console for different regions.

360's waggle controller?

Jonathan @ Jun 15th 2008 4:29PM

and furthermore,

Lips is a music and singing game that includes 30 songs, 2 wireless interactive microphones, the ability to use and sing your own music or downloaded songs from an online service. Designed to have fun with friends, Lips scores you on your singing (pitch, rhythm, and tune) and overall performance.

...

and Forza 3 will be 2 discs..

and a lot more for people who would like to investigate is spewing everywhere.

Momer @ Jun 15th 2008 3:55PM

lol@kid with Incredibles shirt. I see some company partnering ahead...

Drachen77 @ Jun 15th 2008 4:13PM

I guess this has some unique possibilities. Perhaps you can get stuff based off gamerscore or something. I guess I'll just wait to see what more comes of this.

Arnon @ Jun 15th 2008 4:58PM

You know.. considering how much customization this could have... with things like the vision camera taking effect with your avatars, etc., this could be a really really fun thing to do. Though, I don't want it to replace my gamerpic. I would like however, to be able to choose either the regular dashboard, or click a button that lets me hop into a virtual, 3-D dashboard and hang with my friends. Idk, that's just me. Also, this stuff should be free! X(

grief @ Jun 15th 2008 5:20PM

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=312708
you guys have no idea what exactly you dug up.

Dwag @ Jun 15th 2008 5:24PM

I hope this E3 they release that 45nm chip and tell us about some new equipment for the 360 like Blu-Ray add on, Black wireless headset, different color controllers lika a red one and that Lips/Ninja blade thingy.

These Avatars are Ok but I hope they don't replace Gamer Pics and Themes and I hope they don't go down Sony's path and try some second life joint cause M$ that would be a waste and I doubt anyone would use it Apartments maybe cool but thats time and effort I could be wasting playing an actual game.

That Wii-Mote clone thing shouldn't come out until next year its too much of a waste of time to make something that barely seems like t would make sense now who's really gonna use it and it will probably cost like 90 just to get it and the attachment that makes the motion sensing work with it or maybe even over 100.

What I think M$ should do is release the stuff I said above and maybe make like two new SKUs

a 20 SKU with everything the original 20 gig SKU has but a drop in Price 300 or 279 and a new jasper chip

A 60 Gig SKU with a packed in Game maybe GoW/Halo/Perfect Dark/COD4 something that would sell systems and those new chips and everything the 20 Gig has and cost maybe the same as the old 20gig

A Elite with its regular Eliteness but with something new in the box like a chargable battery or black wireless adapter or Headset and with new chip cost the same as usual but atleast buyers get something

M$ needs a change in strategy cause Sony's taking over I mean first Europe then maybe even the US

Magic Whiskey @ Jun 15th 2008 5:28PM

Bottom line here is as always: if you don't want to pay for something, don't buy it.

If you're not interested in Avatars, don't pay for one. Nobody held a gun to your head and say "Buy those jet Microtransactions in AceCombat or we shoot your family!"

If you like your Gamerpic you have now and in a future date you can't use one, decide then what that means to you.

MS has never forced us to pay for any microtransaction that I can think of. That's all up to us to buy and pay money for.

The sheer fact of the matter is blatant; some of you have been bitching and moaning about the cost of something you CHOOSE to purchase. If you want it, then it's worth spending money on to you. So do so, or not.

If the same people that continue to gripe and moan about being nickel-and-dimed, yet still pay for content, then each of them are hypocrites. They sound like spoiled children that throw tantrums for no reason, and they sound very much like 9/10 of the obtuse souls we all run up against on Live.

I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in specific, but I ask you all to make a stand. Either you decide to buy or not, that's up to you. If you feel very much against microtransaction purchases via Live, then write someone. Try to do something about it. Do some homework and find out what you CAN do. At least make your voice heard, maturely and respectfully, to someone that can listen. Bitching on forum pages and story posts doesn't help a bit.

Buy or don't. The end.