Natal and Move: Only 15% of Gamers Know About It

The first major engagement of the Motion Control Wars is about to begin, with both Microsoft and Sony rallying their troops and polishing their peripherals to win our hearts and minds on the E3 battlefield. However, a recent study of 2000 independent consumers indicates that most of us simply aren't going to give a damn. According to OTX (a stateside market research firm), only a tiny percentage of the gaming audience actually know about the upcoming peripherals... and even less could give two hoots.

The most worrying statistic for Microsoft and Sony is that 15% of the Xbox 360 market are actually aware that Natal exists, while the same percentage of the PS3 market know about Playstation Move. Not only that, but only a quarter of this would even consider preordering. Weak marketing (especially on the part of Microsoft, who practically let Natal drop off the radar in recent months) and a slew of excellent traditional exclusives is likely to blame for this lack of interest.

This may seem like an abnormally low figure, but I can believe it. Natal and Move have only really made waves in the hardcore games media and news sites- which are typically read by "hobby" gamers that aren't the least bit interested in flailing around like idiots after a hard day's work. Hopefully, E3 will make us sit up and pay attention- or force Microsoft and Sony to realise that motion control is a fashionable fad that's distracting them from their core (and most profitable) audience. [Gamasutra]

We've asked this question before... but with E3 around the corner, it's more important than ever. Do you care about motion control? Want to quibble with the statistics? Fancy telling us exactly why we should be excited about Move and Natal? Drop us a line in the comments!

Square Announce Downloadable Co-Op Sidescroller

Square Enix has unveiled Necromachina: a cooperative sidescrolling beat 'em up/platformer for XBLA and PSN that looks like an insane mashup of Devil May Cry and Super Smash Brothers Brawl. Directed by Kouishi Yotsui (the brains behind the legendary Strider arcade game), Necromachina will launch four players into a brutal cooperative brawl featuring cyborg ninjas, stylish visuals and plenty of hardcore scrolly shenanigans to go around. Why not check out the trailer and see what we're excited about? [1UP]

Kojima Productions E3 Site Goes Live... Stuff Gets Cut

Kojima's official E3 site has gone live...and once again, he's taking the opportunity to mess with us. I was being absolutely literal with the title- because the site currently only features pictures of things being cut in half.

So, what could this mean? Our current prediction is that it's a reference to Metal Gear Solid Rising- which is set to let us cut lots of stuff up with Raiden's HF blade. Got a better idea? Let us know in the comments! [Kojima Productions]

Techmo Koei Announce E3 Lineup

Just so you know, Techmo Koei has now announced their E3 lineup. Slim pickings, I'm afraid.

• Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage
• Quantum Theory
• Warriors of Legend: Troy’s Legacy
• Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll

Fist of the North Star is definitely the main event, but Quantum Theory is shaping up nicely. Once a PS3 exclusive, this ultraviolent cover-based shooter is set to deliver some serious alien carnage. My only worry is that Techmo Koei have a history of delivering sluggish and cumbersome control schemes that could affect these titles rather badly. Hopefully, our fears will be unfounded.