As usual, Microsoft was first out of the press conference gate for the 2009 Electronic Entertainment Exhibition (E3) in Los Angeles held earlier this month. The company's gaming division used the event to announce several new Xbox 360 titles, including Left 4 Dead 2, Halo: Reach, and, perhaps most surprisingly, Metal Gear Solid: Rising, the first game in acclaimed designer Hideo Kojima's famed action/espionage franchise to find its way to a Microsoft console.

Also announced was Project Natal, a unique control system that uses motion sensors, a microphone, and a camera to allow players precise control over games without ever needing to touch a plastic peripheral.

Attendees were also told that customized Facebook and Twitter applications are headed to the Xbox 360's dashboard, that Xbox Live Gold members will have free access to the online radio service last.fm this fall, and that streaming 1080p movies and television will soon be possible via the console's Video Marketplace, which will be re-branded as the Zune Video Marketplace.

Chad Sapieha chatted with Xbox Canada's platform group manager, Craig Flannagan, just after the conference to get the lowdown on the new products and services coming to his company's game system.

Chad Sapieha: In your estimation, what was the biggest news to come out of Microsoft's press event?

Craig Flannagan: To try to pick one piece of news gets tough. We talked about ten exclusive games, 1080p instant-on streaming, the Zune Video Marketplace, and the addition of social networks Facebook and Twitter. And then, at the end, when we talked about Project Natal and Stephen Spielberg came out...well, it gets tough to pick just one.

I think the overall story is that the Xbox 360 is the best place for gaming and entertainment, and it's all available now.

CS: As you mentioned, the conference showcased ten games exclusive to the Xbox 360, most slated to be released by this Christmas or early next year. Which do you believe will be most important to the Xbox's future success?

CF: No matter what genre you like, there's something exclusive for Xbox 360. Obviously Halo: ODST, and the announcement today that the multiplayer beta for Halo: Reach will be included with ODST when it launches, is huge. We've got a massive base of Halo fans who are waiting for this.

Then I look at the racing genre and Forza 3. It will be the biggest racing game in the category. It's bigger than any other game. It looks great, and there are 400 cars from over 50 manufacturers. I get really excited when I see Forza 3.

Then there's the music genre, which just keeps exploding. We had Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr on stage with us today; music legends to help launch Rock Band: The Beatles. And then there are all the amazing songs we get to play. Plus, there's a charitable first with "All You Need is Love," the downloadable single where all of the proceeds from everyone will go to Doctors Without Borders.

So the range of genres is amazing.

Then there are the third-party games. Splinter Cell: Conviction looks amazing. [Splinter Cell hero] Sam Fisher's taking a bit of an evil turn with revenge in mind. I love that. Metal Gear Solid: Rising was a wicked announcement. Final Fantasy XIII...it was overwhelming.

CS: Let's talk Project Natal. Tell me a little more about what it is, and how you're differentiating it from innovative control systems already available for the Wii and PlayStation 3?

CF: Project Natal is controller-free gaming and entertainment. We are taking the controller out and putting you in touch with the game.

It was demonstrated on stage today, and it demonstrated very well. This is the first time that we've been able to be the controller for the game. You can see a ball and kick it, you can hit it with your hands. You've got facial recognition, voice recognition, whole body recognition, depth sensing. It really pulls you into the game and it's very responsive.

[Lionhead Studio's] Peter Molyneux came on stage and walked us through what his studio has been able to do with it, and it looked great.

I think it's the future. And what solidified that was when Stephen Spielberg came out on stage to say that this is what he has been waiting for, that this is the type of innovation and historic landmark moment he has been waiting for in gaming. He said this isn't about re-inventing the wheel, this is about taking the wheel away.

This is a brand new shift in technology.

CS: Nintendo has taken some heat from traditional gamers regarding the Wii, and how that system's motion-sensitive controls have resulted in fewer games that appeal to core gamers. What sort of research has Microsoft done to confirm that its gaming audience - which is composed mostly of core players - is interested in camera-based, motion-sensitive controls? Or is Microsoft simply hoping to attract a new kind of audience?

CF: Well I think what we're doing is creating a gaming experience for everybody. I can't speak to the research that has been done for Project Natal, but what I can say is that this is going to break down barriers. It's going to put core gamers and casual gamers - the whole family - into the game.

I think core gamers will be amazed at the fine-grain control they can have that puts them closer to the games that they love.

I think that this is it. This is an amazing leap forward in technology.

CS: Tell me a bit about how Microsoft is working with Facebook and Twitter to bring these social media services to the New Xbox Experience.

CF: Xbox Live is 20 million members. It's the biggest social network in the living room.

Of course, we know that people want to keep in touch using other networks, and Facebook and Twitter are the biggest ones out there.

But this isn't simply bringing Facebook to your television. This is bringing Facebook in a brand new way that makes sense for Xbox, and in a customized version for the television experience.

One of the coolest things we announced for Facebook is called Facebook Connect. I'll now be able to share gaming moments with all of my Facebook friends at the touch of a button. The example we used was Tiger Woods PGA Tour. When the new Tiger Woods comes out this fall, you'll be able to share your gaming moments - your successes - with your Facebook friends with a screenshot at the touch of a button.

And we're doing the same sort of thing for Twitter. You'll be able to update your status on Twitter and see your friends' updates.

CS: Can you talk a little bit about last.fm and Zune Video? Will they be available to Canadian audiences? In the past, Canadian Xbox 360 owners have not had the same sort of access to multimedia content that their American counterparts have enjoyed...

CF: This fall, Canadians will be able to use last.fm on their Xbox 360. If you're an Xbox Live Gold member, it's free. So you can have your own streaming radio stations, music, and last.fm experience on your Xbox 360.

The same goes for the Zune Video Marketplace. We are re-branding the current Video Marketplace, and with that we're bring movies and television in 1080p instant-on streaming. This is no discs, no downloads, no delays. Just streamed video when you want it. And that's coming to Canada this fall, too.

CS: Of course, the Zune Marketplace has yet to come to Canada for the device itself. Does this mean that it will be available for Zune owners at the same time it becomes available for Xbox 360 owners?

CF: We are working on that, but we don't have a date for the Zune Marketplace for the Zune device yet.

CS: As an Xbox 360 owner and avid gamer yourself, what came out of the conference that has you most excited?

CF: I'm really looking forward to Twitter. I've kind of fallen in love with Twitter as of late, so that was a great announcement for me. It will save me some time and integrate my two passions. That was a great one for me.