Microsoft didn't directly address a British TV personality's assertion that Project Natal would be finished by October instead of Christmas in 2010, but they did reiterate previous messaging and claim that nothing has changed on their roll-out calendar. The prediction came from Jonathan Ross, a well-known TV and radio presenter in the U.K., who tweeted yesterday that Microsoft would "have until October" to finalize their new control system.
"There have been no further announcements on the release date of Project Natal -- it remains scheduled for Christmas 2010," a Microsoft spokesperson told MCV.
Upon parsing Microsoft's statement there, you'll see that it is merely a clarification of what announcements have been made and what it officially scheduled. It makes no acknowledgement of possible or non-existent changes in the works behind closed doors, but then again, Microsoft probably wouldn't announce such a thing without a full-fledged marketing effort.
At the same time, Ross's tweet doesn't necessarily mean that Project Natal will be in stores by October -- just that it would need to be finished by then -- and that could merely indicate that he's been privy to timeline details about production and planning deadlines.
With Sony's PS3 motion controller slated for a Fall 2010 arrival, however, Microsoft might have good reason to consider an October launch.
What do you think Jonathan Ross's tweet meant? Do you think Microsoft might be planning an early release for Natal? Sound off in the comment section below.