DON’T HATE THE PLAYER :: X360 LAUNCHES NATAL
POST by NVus
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That Microsoft was working on a motion-based controller wasn’t a surprise to most of the audience at the company’s pre-show media event, but the exact capabilities of the thing certainly were. Dubbed “Project Natal” for now, it’s a simple camera that sits in front of your television and, effectively, turns you into a video game controller. Unlike the Nintendo Wii, which relies on motion sensors and an actual ‘Wiimote’ that you have to hold, Natal simply detects your motions, letting you punch and kick and jump in combat games, sweep through menus with a simple gesture, and even raise your hand to answer trivia questions.
The camera can also recognize your face and detect what you’re saying, as evidenced by the conversation between a Microsoft employee and Milo, a virtual boy who communicates with you using the Project Natal camera (Milo is essentially a much more realistic version of Sega’s Seaman, if you remember that interactive buddy created for Sega Dreamcast back in the mid-to-late-’90s ). It’s all very early now and we’re not expecting to see Microsoft release the product until 2010 at the earliest, but we’ll certainly be watching it closely until then.
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