Microsoft Guns For Nintendo With Project Natal, A Full-Body Motion Controller

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

By John Mahoney Posted 06.01.2009 at 5:47 pm 10 Comments

Project Natal: via Game Trailers

Today at E3, the annual video game conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft took the wraps off Project Natal--a sophisticated new sensor bar for the Xbox 360 that installs under your TV and tracks your every move, effectively translating your motions directly to those of characters or objects in the game. And judging by the demo video they released, it looks pretty incredible.

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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10 Comments

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shimbob

06/02/09 at 10:36 am

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

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bdhoro87

from coral gables, fl

06/02/09 at 10:51 am

Lol and how many microsoft products did you use to make that comment?

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qlmmb2086

06/02/09 at 11:13 am

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.

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3rd Eye

06/02/09 at 2:26 pm

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 ?

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E=mc2

06/02/09 at 9:17 pm

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

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electric rain

06/03/09 at 11:46 am

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!

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NickNesty

10/10/09 at 4:35 pm

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.

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Sciencemaniac

10/22/09 at 6:32 pm

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!!

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naomirocks

03/28/10 at 9:09 pm

I expect my grandmother to have some negative comments in relation to the youth and not so youthful, obsession with virtual reality and interactive computer games. This is primarily because they have little comprehension of the mass communication and entertainment value we have now since the introduction of computers. Providing we continue to balance between "online reality" and "face to face" interaction we as earthlings will continue to evolve and develop into intellectual, physically healthy, and considerate inhabitants. Lets not take entertainment too seriously!

For the record my grandmother would never use language that some writers have used in this article. Sad that you don't choose some of the more colorful language that is available to describe your comments and opinions.

Have a great day!!

Andy Thomas
www.footballsuperstars.com/