E3 2009 is now over and almost 11,000 gamers so far have voted on CNET’s Instant Poll for “Which company had the most impressive E3 2009 announcements” with Microsoft taking over half the votes. All three had a great showing but fanboy or not Microsoft did have a showing that has left the world in awe. Microsoft had many highlights but what was the one that shined the most?
Microsoft had a load of games to show off but the one piece of tech that has to be E3’s best in show would be “Project Natal”. Don’t know what Project Natal is? Check out Natal’s interactive site here on Xbox.com.
No Strings (or Controllers) Attached
Natal is a controllerless device that will connect to the Xbox 360 using full-body motion control that doesn't require a controller of any kind, you are the controller!
Natal will be compatible with any Xbox 360 system. "Project Natal" sensor is the world's first to combine an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor running proprietary software all in one device. Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, "Project Natal" tracks your full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions and even a shift of emotion in your voice.
In addition, unlike other devices, the "Project Natal" sensor is not light-dependent. It can recognize you just by looking at your face, and it doesn't just react to key words but understands what you're saying. Call a play in a football game, and players will actually respond.
Is Natal going to be for everyone? Eventually, YES! Even for the hard core gamer? Still YES! It might not be used fully for all games especially first person shooters unless they get creative in implementing all the controls you need for a first person shooter but I don’t see why they couldn’t mix in a controller of some type that will help with moving and looking around but we’ll leave that up to the Devs, they will make it right.
The Nintendo Wii has captured the casual gamer and some but if you think about it, Natal could capture the world, yes the WORLD. Not just for gaming but for the everyday person that just wants to watch TV, a movie, network with friends or family, surf the web, video conference, Minority Report style menu control anyone? The possibilities are endless. Natal could control the whole entertainment center and more.
Put your thoughts in the comment section on how you think Natal could be used in your everyday life, I will use it in a following article.
