The lowdown on Microsoft's motion-capturing Project Natal
The Project Natal motion control and voice recognition system has been much debated since its unveiling at the E3 in 2009. The announcement of the new system raised an interesting question: is this simply going to be a gimmick, or will Microsoft truly change the way people play video games?
Anyone who had a chance to try out a demo agrees that Project Natal has potential. It has many advantages over Nintendo's Wii and will, therefore, be far more than stiff competition. In addition to the Natal add-on, Microsoft is also planning a firmware update, which will make the entire Xbox 360 dashboard navigable and compatible with Natal.
Game players will be quite interested in Project Natal, if not for the simple reason that they will no longer require controllers. For the first time ever, players will be able to interact directly with their games and their characters through gestures and voice command. Every hand wave, foot kick, jump, twirl, or other move the player's body makes will be automatically transferred on to the TV screen, an all without the use of intricate controllers like racquets, guns, guitars, balance pads, or wheels.
The fact that no controllers are required is revolutionary, yet simple to explain. The Natal's system is equipped with an RGB camera (using red, green, and blue light), a depth/distance sensor, and a built-in multi-array microphone. Although these are fairly ordinary components, once integrated using a proprietary software layer, they can create magic. Through the Natural User Interface, technology barriers are removed, teaching people how to work naturally with technology.
Will Microsoft's Natal be for everyone? That answer will most likely depend on the offered games and if the player is a real couch potato. As there are no controllers, the times of sitting on the couch tapping buttons will be over. Players will have to move around to create action on the screen. Simple gestures can be accomplished by most everyone, but when it comes to leaping for a low soccer ball, I don't think any average 75-year old will take the dive, and risk a chance on pulling a muscle or two.
Numerous games are in the making, but so far, it is unclear if existing xbox 360 games will receive Natal updates. Currently game such as Ricochet, Meet Mario, Paint Party, Beautiful Katamari, Space Invaders Extreme, Alan Wake and Burnout Paradise will hit the store shelves when the Natal system becomes available to the consumer. Microsoft aims to release Project Natal at the end of 2010, just before the Christmas shopping season starts.
There is quite a bit of mystery woven around the name of the project. Has Microsoft picked "Natal" as part of its tradition to give new technology city names as internal codenames, or is there another explanation? Could it have something to do with Microsoft's Director of Incubation, Alex Kipman's Brazilian background, which includes the beach city of Natal, or was the name picked simply because it refers to ‘birth' and ‘new life'? Whatever the reason may be, do not get too familiar with this codename, as it may still change before the product finally arrives in stores.
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