Microsoft plans Natal blitz at E3

Microsoft is preparing a Project Natal marketing push in June, promising a "World Premier" event to show off the motion control system on the Sunday before E3.

Held at the 10,000 capacity Galen Centre in LA, the event is to showcase the wide-ranging appeal of Natal, and will be followed on Monday by an official press conference.

"We’re gearing up for a really exciting E3 – unlike any E3 we’ve ever had before," Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg told VG247.

"As you may have heard, our traditional news briefing is on the morning of Monday, June 14. Additionally, as a kick off to the week, we will be hosting a can't-miss exclusive Project Natal World Premier experience designed for all ages and demonstrating the universal appeal of Xbox 360 on Sunday evening."

The system was first unveiled at E3 last year, but Microsoft has yet to show any significant software releases for Natal, or commit to a price or solid launch date.

Peter Molyneux said last month that he's found it frustrating that so far demos of the technology have only used early iterations of Natal, and that the software has been through "countless" revisions since it was first announced.

E3 is held June 15-17 this year, but as is traditional, the platform holders and major publishers will hold events before the official show dates in attempts to get better press coverage for their products.

The 2010 show looks to be one of the busiest in years, with rumours already circulating about new game announcements.

Earlier this week Nintendo pre-empted its competitors by revealing that it would show a brand new 3D handheld console at the event, and Sony has said that it will be unveiling more details of PlayStation Move and 3D games for the PlayStation 3.

In the same week, cloud gaming service OnLive is also set to go live to the public for the first time.