Xbox Project Natal. WANT, NOW!

[sgreger1]

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/


Has anyone else seen this? Watch the whole video, it'll blow you away. No controllers, everything done by your body and it just motion captures you in real time. Normally I would say the tech isn't really ready to make this flawless but check this video out, I am utterly amazed and glad to be living in 2010.

And if your playing a skating game, it'll scan your own scateboard in and you can use it in the game, it has voice recognition too.

Has anyone else seen this, or does anyone care to poke holes in why this game system will suck to shatter my afternoon?

[Bigblue1]

WOW
As long as no RFID is not required and it works as advertised. It will change gaming forever......

Edited for correction

[sgreger1]

It seems there would be obviouse limitations without some sort of controller but a whole line of amazing games with a new control system could come of this. I saw it and when the kid was fighting the guy I was like "nifty", but the res tof the video just kept build on it.

Absolutely amazing technology. I could see this becoming what Xbox has always wanted, where the xbox serves as the central entertainment and communication unit where you can play game as well as consume video content, go on facebook, etc etc.

I think this will revolutionize gaming. can't wait to see how Sony responds.

[daruckis]

im not interested. i think this is gonna flop big time.

[sgreger1]

That's what I thought about the Wii and they have done pretty well considering they have yet to make any actually good games (except mario).They've made millions without having to make 1 quality game.


I think it will be a big hit and signifies a shift in video game technology. It's targeted at family type stuff and some of the younger kids, as the video shows, and I think it will be popular in that demographic just like the Wii was.



I'd love to see one in action. I have my doubts that motion capture technology is really ready to be useful for things like this but it did look pretty impressive in the video.

[deadohsky]

I am very interested in Natal, with restraint. I like the advances in technology, but i am unsure how this software would work with certain games i.e. FPS, RPG, Racing, etc. I don't really see playing games like that with motion control. I understand that it would work, but i just don't know how much i'd enjoy it compared to controllers. Don't know if that's me getting old and stuck in my ways with gaming or what lol.

[Veganpunk]

This is my take on it: I will probably get it, as it will be fun to play it with my 3 year old. As far as serious gaming goes, I don't see how it would work. Like the above poster said, most genres of games wouldn't work well with it. Honestly, you want to stand and walk through a massive plain in Final Fantasy? Or have to physically jump every time Mega Man needs to jump? I think it will over saturate the market with crappy shovelware, just like the Wii. Every good Wii game that exists now doesn't even use the motion aspect. New Super Mario Bros Wii, Twilight Princess, (what little motion control in the game was tacked on late in development), Super Smash Bros Brawl, hell even Super Mario Galaxy only uses it a little. Not for controlling Mario at all. The only decent game on the Wii that uses it is Metroid Prime 3. The only upside to the shovelware, is if a company like Ubisoft makes a shit ton of money selling "Bunny Hop" or some shit, and they take that revenue and use it to develop hardcore games, like a Beyond Good And Evil sequel. Instead though, they'll probably just make "Bunny Hop 2 - Now with Spin!!!"

[daruckis]

This is my take on it: I will probably get it, as it will be fun to play it with my 3 year old. As far as serious gaming goes, I don't see how it would work. Like the above poster said, most genres of games wouldn't work well with it. Honestly, you want to stand and walk through a massive plain in Final Fantasy? Or have to physically jump every time Mega Man needs to jump? I think it will over saturate the market with crappy shovelware, just like the Wii. Every good Wii game that exists now doesn't even use the motion aspect. New Super Mario Bros Wii, Twilight Princess, (what little motion control in the game was tacked on late in development), Super Smash Bros Brawl, hell even Super Mario Galaxy only uses it a little. Not for controlling Mario at all. The only decent game on the Wii that uses it is Metroid Prime 3. The only upside to the shovelware, is if a company like Ubisoft makes a shit ton of money selling "Bunny Hop" or some shit, and they take that revenue and use it to develop hardcore games, like a Beyond Good And Evil sequel. Instead though, they'll probably just make "Bunny Hop 2 - Now with Spin!!!"

well said. i fear for the future of conventional controllers.

[sgreger1]

I agree wtih all you guys on this. I didn't mean it was going to replace xbox or anything I am just saying that it is like a better version of the Wii that could have some very cool applications and would likely sell to the same demographic.

The way I see it, the thing will be too expensive to just have shovelware, they will likely offer a controler for the more hardcore games. It's just like the wii, while the motion thing is the center point of the control interface, in reality to make good games there still needs to be a controller that you can use (like for mario bros).

I think this will sell good for the younger kids market and family market (like the Wii), but I particularly like at the end of the video where they are controlling the xbox dashboard (buying movies) by swiping their hands and stuff. Very minority report and I think it's way cool.


I am excited for this advance in technology moreso than I am in actually considering Natal as a cool new game system. I am a bethesda junkie and if I had to actually walk from one side of Oblivion over to the other, it would kill me. I play videogames to be lazy, which is why my Wii collects dust.


But think of the applications, you can control movies and other things all with no controller. Hand gestures could supplant whatever you wanted it to do (like volume up or down). I think though at the end of the day if they wanted to sell this system they would have to have the option of attaching a real controller for RPG's, FPS etc.

[Veganpunk]

You're right, it will be cool. I just think it will be too expensive for the casual market. That's the main reason the Wii kicked so much ass. The price. Everyone owns a Wii. It all depends on the price point they make it. Plus most casual gamers will have to go out and purchase a 360 as well. If Microsoft marketed it right, packaged a cheap bundle, advertised the Netflix, Facebook, Twitter interface, they might win over the casual crowd. They do stand a better chance then Sony, with the Sony Move. Talk about ripping off Nintendo.

[sgreger1]

You're right, it will be cool. I just think it will be too expensive for the casual market. That's the main reason the Wii kicked so much ass. The price. Everyone owns a Wii. It all depends on the price point they make it. Plus most casual gamers will have to go out and purchase a 360 as well. If Microsoft marketed it right, packaged a cheap bundle, advertised the Netflix, Facebook, Twitter interface, they might win over the casual crowd. They do stand a better chance then Sony, with the Sony Move. Talk about ripping off Nintendo.

This is what I was saying, that it will be like a mega-wii, and if they are going to market it to the same crowd, and load the store shelves with shovelware that just shows off the cool motion capture feature, it won't work. It will probbalybe like 600$ at launch and they cannot corner the wii demographic with a price tag like that. It will have to have some ability to play regular games that sell in the millions, like MW2 and Fallout. That requires a controller no matter what. I expect they may integrate a controlll system but who knows. No one will buy it if it's just for kids games.

[Veganpunk]

You're right, it will be cool. I just think it will be too expensive for the casual market. That's the main reason the Wii kicked so much ass. The price. Everyone owns a Wii. It all depends on the price point they make it. Plus most casual gamers will have to go out and purchase a 360 as well. If Microsoft marketed it right, packaged a cheap bundle, advertised the Netflix, Facebook, Twitter interface, they might win over the casual crowd. They do stand a better chance then Sony, with the Sony Move. Talk about ripping off Nintendo.

This is what I was saying, that it will be like a mega-wii, and if they are going to market it to the same crowd, and load the store shelves with shovelware that just shows off the cool motion capture feature, it won't work. It will probbalybe like 600$ at launch and they cannot corner the wii demographic with a price tag like that. It will have to have some ability to play regular games that sell in the millions, like MW2 and Fallout. That requires a controller no matter what. I expect they may integrate a controlll system but who knows. No one will buy it if it's just for kids games.

Yep. I'm reserving judgment on it until I see the price. If it's only 60 or so, I'll pick it up. One analyst was projecting 99.99, be he's an idiot anyway. The next MW is gonna be hurting anyway.
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178968

[sgreger1]

99$?

Rofl if you think they are going to launch this for the Wii price. MS doens't roll that way, it will be very expensive, almost cost prohibitavely expensive, and is likely just to show off the new technology in hopes of gaining a better hold of the marketshare for future projects.

It will be a game changer, I know that, but absent some revolutionary way of controlling it without a controller, I think it will not be a big hit to the hardcore games crowd. But judging from their video, it looks to be more for the younger/family crowd, which is not willing to pay 600$ for something.

[Owens187]

im not interested. i think this is gonna flop big time.

I agree. As said the technology just wont be there yet. It will probably be full of flaws, and just suck at first.

Not to mention, it IS Xbox were talking about, so it will only work for like 4 days before it breaks or RROD's the console.... OOOHHHHH! :lol:

[Veganpunk]

im not interested. i think this is gonna flop big time.

I agree. As said the technology just wont be there yet. It will probably be full of flaws, and just suck at first.

Not to mention, it IS Xbox were talking about, so it will only work for like 4 days before it breaks or RROD's the console.... OOOHHHHH! :lol:

Yea, yea, but I remember this past February, when my PS3 was just an expensive paper weight for a day because Sony couldn't figure out how to program leap year into the PS3's clock! And now we can't run our own operating system, It's turning more and more into PS3 - It Does Nothing!