Using cameras, motion and audio sensors and complex processing, Microsoft's forthcoming Xbox 360 add-on turns your entire body into a video game controller
Posted 06.01.2009 at 5:47 pm
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Project Natal: via Game Trailers
Not only can you punch and kick through fighting games or turn a wholly imaginary steering wheel for driving, Natal will recognize your face with its RGB camera and sign you into Xbox Live or listen to and understand your voice as you call out plays in a football game, for instance. The demo even shows a kid scanning his own skateboard into a game by simply holding it at the TV, and seconds later he's riding one that looks just like it, virtually.
If it works as advertised (a big if, as all we have to go on so far is this Microsoft-produced video shown during a keynote), the possibilities are pretty incredible. There's a lot of only-in-scifi stuff in this demo, including a fabled Minority Report interface (the Holy Grail!) for scrolling around an interface with your hands only.
Several companies have tried without much success over the last few years to integrate gesture-based controls into their gadgets, but it looks like Microsoft is making a concerted play for actually making it work. The whole thing looks a lot like 3Dv's Zcam, which we looked at a year ago and is thought to be at the heart of Natal's tech. So consider us excited to see this thing in real life.
Stay tuned for more coverage live from E3.
[Press Release, video via Game Trailers]
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microsoft is gay and bill gates is a stupid asshole who is monopolizing the world, and turning it into a giant censored piece of crap just like xbox live
from coral gables, fl
Lol and how many microsoft products did you use to make that comment?
Freaking hilarious, bdhoro87... I don't always agree with you, but that was by far the most entertaining comment I've read on this site in a month.
But yeah... Bill Gates may not agree with what shimbob has to say, but he will defend to the death the right for shimbob to pay for products with which to say it.
hey shimbob ! can't you see genius when you see it ?
you prefer to spend money on many useless accessories ?
It's up to you, but when we'll be playing games with glasses or helmet in a 3d world, will you still really be reclaimin' a fuckin' remote ?
lol
this looks sick
i wanna know when it comes out n how much its gonna cost me
n stfu shimbob PCs/microsoft/bill gates dont suck n the 360 pwns the Wii n PS3 its got the best online gaming network in the world n this is just awesome
Haven't we all seen those videos of over enthusiastic players flinging wiimotes through their TV's? I'd love to see what people do with this!
this is the sickest thing that hit the industry. enough of that crappy e rated wii. here comes call of duty/ gears of war/halo on the natal!!!! Nick, the kid who likes science.
Yeah I agree no more of this e bullshit it its time to kicksome ass on teen and r rated games on the xbox with natal. i will probibly feel that your the one kill those Middle easterns in call of duty or killen some aleins ass out of his planet in Halo. Hell with wii natal is what i want. All hail natal!!