The future 360: Project Natal takes shot at Wii
We love the smell of Natal in the morning.
After a bunch of (mostly) expected games, Microsoft's E3 press conference finally revealed something of greater interest and scope: Project Natal, the code name for the company's well-rumored motion-sensing bar.
Taking a direct shot at Wii users who "sit on the sofa using some kind of preset waggle commands," Natal is controller-free, using what looks like a TV-mounted camera/microphone bar to sense motion, sound, and even 3D movement, suggesting that the technology involved is far beyond that of products like Sony's PlayStation Eye.
Project Natal is going to work with all current, past, and future versions of the Xbox 360, according to the press event. While the wide-open excitement of the initiative was refreshing, the fact that Natal has no official name, price, or release date was disappointing. In fact, it was called a concept for the future.
As if the legitimacy of Microsoft's move had not been validated yet, on came Steven Spielberg to rave about this future direction for game technology, claiming that "people are too intimidated to pick up game controllers." This makes sense, but it's already been proven with the Nintendo Wii and the iPhone. Microsoft is a latecomer to this party, but Spielberg did announce that he's currently working on games for this platform, although no more details were given.
Demoed at the press event were a Breakout-like game called Ricochet, which involved hitting a ball across a room to destroy bricks, and a paint program called Paint Party. Paint Party's gestural vocabulary seemed to be stuck in Jackson Pollack-land, but the simple splash-to-paint commands seemed to be relatively responsive.
Accuracy, however, remains a big question mark. Cheap shots at the Wii notwithstanding, Nintendo was smart enough to include old-fashioned buttons for quick interaction. The iPhone, too, has a quick-response tapping system. Will punches or swipes substitute for button-pressing in future Xbox-land?
The most captivating moment of the demo was Lionhead Studios and Fable designer Peter Molyneux's creation of Milo, an avatar in a game world who interacted with the player by looking in his or her direction, responding to live conversation, and even accepting hand-drawn messages, scanned into the game and "transferred" in real time across the virtual looking glass.
Click for full coverage of E3.
It's compelling stuff, but every part of Natal still seems to be geared to people standing up to play. At some point, sitting on a couch should also be in Microsoft's equation.
Does this mean that E3 2010 will feature a redesigned Xbox 360 packed in with Project Natal? It seems likely enough to bet on. Until then, we'll just have to wait for more detail trickle-down.
Scott Stein, a New York Jets fan and CNET senior associate editor, has written about tech, entertainment, video games, and viral culture for outlets including Laptop, Wired, Maxim, Esquire Online, Asylum, and Men's Journal. He also appears on the Digital City podcast. In his spare time, you might see him performing improv in New York City (when he's not being a dad). 
E3 is all about listening to what is said and what isn't said. In this case, you'd be well advised to note that Kojima said nothing about this Metal Gear game being exclusive or a timed exclusive. He only said it was in development. You should also note that the Kojima website is counting down to the Sony press conference.
You are the one stabbing Kojima in the back while calling yourself a fan. For shame.
Now, see, I thought I heard something like that... I'm hoping it really is exclusive. MGS on 360 was a nice move.
1. It is not coming out for a LONG time. I'm thinking late 2010 at the earliest, but more likely 2011.
2. It will be expensive. I'm thinking $149-199 range, but could be more.
With the current lead in the console war, Microsoft and Sony have lost, go cry harder somewhere and deal with it.
This system will require people to BUY it, ONTOP of their console, already a disadvantage compared to the wii. What about titles that require more then jumping around, are you going to hold a controller that requires both hands to hold it, while jumping around? Or does this mean the customer has to buy yet ANOTHER item.
Causal folks want ease and affordability; those into gaming want games, games and more games. If you're a "true" gamer you already have a wii and another system, if you're casual you only have a wii and nothing is going to change that anytime soon.
True, casual gamers will perhaps not want this based on price points, but then again, they may like the idea of Netflix, Twitter, Facebook, streaming 1080p (now we know why Microsoft did not waste time and money in Bluray after HDD failed), Last.fm and games people actually like to play (see: console attach rates).
You argument about ease of use kind of contradicts the Wii...get out of the 3-4 games developed by Nintendo, and you have a bunch of games that really aren't that good, not to mention you can play almost any Wii game sitting on the couch.
With the current collapse in Wii weekly/monthly sales in both Japan and the US, and with another at least 6 years more of PS3 sales to go (going by the PS2's sales longevity), and the PS3 still selling for a very high $400, and most PS3 sales yet to come when it hits $300/$250, nothing's been won or lost yet.
The Wii is like a marathoner that runs the first 400 meters of a marathon like he's running a 400 meter race. It's running out of steam right now.
@ cubedramirez :"This system will require people to BUY it, ONTOP of their console, already a disadvantage compared to the wii"
If I understood Don Mattrck corrrectly, new 360 consoles will come with Napal, after Napal is launched. At the very least, Microsoft can do a 360 bundle with Napal, even if it doesn't come as standard or bundle it with games that use that technology, at only a small premium for the game's basic price. There are plenty of ways to introduce Nepal into people's homes, without making them buy it seperately.
@ cubedramirez :"What about titles that require more then jumping around, are you going to hold a controller that requires both hands to hold it, while jumping around?"
You don't get it. You don't need no controller. If you watched Microsoft's presentation, all the people needed to do was jump around, or move their hands like they were driving a car, and viola!,Nepal had them driving the car, or playing soccer or whatever
@ cubedramirez :"Causal folks want ease and affordability;"
That is why they will be buying the 360 Arcade, which after all, is $50 cheaper than the Wii, and comes with 5 free games on top of that. The Wii is overpriced for what is basically a Gamecube technology with a wiimote..
@ cubedramirez :" those into gaming want games, games and more games"
The 360 does have the best AAA games line up of this generation. That is not even an issue.
@ cubedramirez :" if you're casual you only have a wii and nothing is going to change that anytime soon. "
Dream on.
The PS2 has sold 45 milion in the US alone, and still sold 173,000 last month. A big chunk of PS2 gamers are casual gamers.. The Wii is yet to sell even 20 million. I'd say there are more casual gamers on the PS2 than the Wii today. So your assertion that "if you're casual you only have a wii " is in fact wrong!
My favorite brand of game is FPS which I have yet to see Wii come out with a good exclusive title. Now my Son has a Wii up at his mom's place because he can play the games with his 8 year old sister, same with my friend so that their children (5 and 9 years old respectively) can play, but when they go to bed our X-Boxes come out and we play some Gears.
"Quite honestly the dumbest comment on the website "
Sorry to ruffle your feathers. Honestly, your much loved Wii is not even close to 30 million Xbox sold. That number is about to skyrocket. The Wii looks to have nothing compelling to compete with the Xbox.
How is that the dumbest comment on the website ever? Like I said goodbye Wii. MS wins.
\ / \ / \ /
\/ \/ \/
"Sorry to ruffle your feathers. Honestly, your much loved Wii is not even close to 30 million Xbox sold. That number is about to skyrocket. The Wii looks to have nothing compelling to compete with the Xbox."
where in the world are you pulling your numbers from? (besides somewhere that the sun doesnt shine)
for the sake of disclosure... i hate the wii. i bought my son one when they were first released, and its been sitting and collecting dust since immediately after that xmas. however, its impossible to argue numbers. the wii has sold 50 million globally... with 23 million in the united states alone. (sources: check wikipedia, joystiq, vgchartz, etc). the 360 on the other hand, has fallen embarrassingly flat everywhere except the us and uk.... moving a grand total worldwide of 30 million. last time i checked, that was 20 million fewer than nintendo.
as well, the 360 is still outsold weekly by the wii.
personally, i prefer the playstation or 360. i just recently gave the 360 another try after swearing it off after going through 11 after the launch. microsoft almost ruined it for me. but, i own all 3. each has its niche.
again though... you cant argue numbers. the wii is trouncing them all right now (sadly). i do hope that changes, as i dont like even the idea of the wii. when i game, i want to kick back and relax after a long day... not dance around my living room like a moron. (hence
Calling Nepal an "EyeToy", is like calling the Space Shuttle, a helicopter.
You just saw awesomeness, and you are still thinking stone age?
Would you pay upwards of $200 to paint on your living room tv? This seems like a novelty, and will leave many dissapointed like the Wii did, IMO. I think the technology is great and all, but I can't see jumping around my living room with a bunch of dorky friends asking for high fives after I painted a crappy picture of an elephant. It seems cheap and cheesy. I'd hate to play a racing simulation game on something like this as it wouldn't be very precise. Only Mario Kart type racing games would do, and the fun on such a game doesn't last very long.
Everything depends on the interface IMO. Maybe motion controlled web browsing and menu system with a nice looking interface would be really cool.
Did you even watch Microsoft's presentation at all?
Natal was shown being used to control the menus for watching movies(sitting down), as well as controlling the racing game where the familly were sitting down as they played it.
You are creating a "problem" that has already been taken care of.
:"While the wide-open excitement of the initiative was refreshing, the fact that Natal has no official name, price or release date was disappointing."
You are disappointed there is no official name?
I am not. We will have a name when it's ready to be released. Naming something doesn't take 10 years to do does it?
As for officoal date, heck even Halo Reach wasn't given an offical date yet. Again, it wil get a date at the appropriate time, which sould be come time in 2010, which would be pretty good for such a revolutionary, game changing technology.
: Microsoft is a latecomer to this party, "
There is nothing out there that even comes close to how advanced Projec Natal is. Nothing I have ever seen is even close to the demo that Peter molyneaux showed. This is nomere Wiimote. This makes the wiimote loook like something from the stone age.
Microsoft is not a latecomer. microsoft is the pioneeer in a whole new revolutionary way of interacting with your computer/console/TV.
:"Accuracy, however, remains a big question mark"
Don't knock it when you haven't even tried it. Looked super advanced and very accurate from all the demos I saw.
"Accuracy, however, remains a big question mark" could have been "The accuracy of the system during the demos was compelling and we look forward to trying the hands on demo later in the week"
Media biased at its finest..no such thing as reporting anymore, just blogitors.
Whatever your opinion of Wii, it wasn't the Wii-mote that sold it, it was Wii Sports, and the balance board succeeded because of Wii Fit. If Natal comes out for $199 and doesn't have an awesome game/application, it won't survive.
Nintendo did a similar thing with the Wii.. They showed it long before the wii even came out. Apple did the same thing with the iPhone too. It's kinda like normal for all new products to be demoed before they are launched.
:"Whatever your opinion of Wii, it wasn't the Wii-mote that sold it, it was Wii Sports, and the balance board succeeded because of Wii Fit"
True.
And I am sure Microsoft knows that.That is why Napal is not coming out this year, just so they can get all them great games that exploit that technology ready, before they launch it next year.
:". If Natal comes out for $199 and doesn't have an awesome game/application, it won't survive"
It's not coming out at $199. That would make it the same price as the 360 Arcade. Not gonna happen. Plus if I am understanding what Don Mattrick said correctly, it's gonna come in some bundle with new 360's.
If Ford produced a car that used Windows as the controlling Operating System would you buy that car and use it as a daily commuter? no...you wouldn't. why? because you know that the MS marketing team is better than the devteam.
don't drink the koolaid...those of us who have worked on MS products for years know for a fact that the video you saw above is NOT what you should expect to experience when the product comes to market...maybe eventually...
You could swivel your hips while keeping your shoulders square to initiate turns or twists, and step or run in place for movement. I don't know for sure but I'm sure they will come up with something. I'm just looking forward to being able to use my own marksmanship abilities in a game. :D
Check out the Demo here, then post again:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GH_gDreIdcM
you can't really expect to just walk in place and aim down imaginary sights in a FPS, the controller is an icon and the base of Microsoft's and all other system's video game interface.
To expect project natal to completely replace the controller is like replacing your car engine for willpower, it'll get you nowhere fast. Natal is an addition to the already amazing gameplay of Xbox, its just going to expand the world of options for Xbox and Xbox customers.
Gimmick games will now move to Xbox and Party games will become more prevalent, but sometimes that's what people need!
I live in an apartment with 2 other people, there's often on an average night between 4 and 8 people here, it's no fun to watch two people play Halo 3 online or two people play Co-op on Call of Duty: World at War and the Wii gimmick games are actually fun when there's a lot of people.
To have more interactive and remote-less games would make a world of difference. especially with the frame of my TV cracked by a high velocity Wii-mote.
I will admit that the Nintendo Wii Wii-mote and nunchuck have the perfect controller setup for a FPS but with its lack of high definition and realism its not a practical choice for someone who enjoys games like Call of Duty especially online gameplay. just reiterating the fact that wii has a terrible "wii speak" addition. online gameplay just isn't fun without people to talk to or people to get mad at you for "owning" them.
This makes xbox and Playstation more practical for FPS but to have Natal solely in use for FPS..... You've gotta be kidding me. when I have to buy my "xbox treadmill" and run in place for hours on end with my invisible gun hoping to shoot people who are foolishly doing the same is when i've given up on the world.
All of a sudden, motion-based gaming is the future of gaming, and we should all bow down to the awesomeness that is MS.
The same holds true with Project Natal. So far I haven't seen anything that would make me run out and get it except the fighting game (ohhh how I would love to pit my personal reflexes against some of my couch potato friends). I would prefer to be holding a steering wheel control for a racing game, so I can have the feedback, I don't think I would like sports games without having the feed back of a real basketball, baseball, etc. so to me it will be how does it respond in FPS and other first person perspective games.
Microsoft keeps getting better and better with the 360 features. I'm so glad I bought a 360.
This looks exactly the same except instead of seeing your image, you are seeing the outline of the player like in the Wii boxing game..
The more things change.....
On a similar note, I hear that GM is looking into this new coal powered technology everybody has been talking about.
What Microsoft is doing is genius; They've made the ultimate multimedia experience, by incorporating all forms entertainment. With Streaming 1080p, who needs BluRay? With streaming TV and music on demand, who needs cable? We can now get what we want through the internet, without cable, without a computer. It will only be a matter of time, before TV shows migrate to the internet. TVs will not only be the portal through which we are entertained, it will be our portal to friends, family, and the world at large. XBox and Micro soft is trying to make that happen through the integration of Facebook and Twitter, and streamlining Netflix will drive even more subscribers.
If you doubt the idea of being cable free, what about cable that costs $100 a month vs. $50 a year for XBox live and $15 a month for Netflix. You can get internet by itself for around $30 a month or less. That totaled, around $590 a year (Live, Netflix, and the ISP of your choice), is less than half the cost of a year's worth of cable w/ HD.
Microsoft's XBox 360 is where it's at, or if nothing else, where it will be.
1. Notice that this is still "PROJECT NATAL". It's not even got a retail name yet (confirmed one at least) so even IF you see some lag, which I personally didn't, it's very likely that MSFT will hear you and fix it by launch.
2. I'm pretty sure that as Don mentioned the standard in-your-hand controller will be available and compatible with games for people who want to use them. Sure there will be games tailored FOR Natal, but I don't think it is meant to completely get rid of the controller. So if you don't fancy or foresee and FPS using Natal, you may be on to something. Doesn't discount anything from this device though. To compare it to a Wii mote is silly. It's like comparing the Iphone's touch screen to a first gen touch screen. That's not to bash on Nintendo, they did something novel, but this is the next generation of that. novel idea, not copying it. The Iphone made an awesome multi point touch screen, is that to say they copied all other touch screen prior to it?
...to comment on the video I thought this was pretty neat.
The Natal project is very exciting, I think it is safe to say a Lot of people are looking forward to more reviews and leaked comments from the hands-on-experience the developer kits will be providing. I'm a big FirstPersonShooter player as well, and I don't really see those two coming together in the way we now consider the games to be played. To be clear: there are a lot of very fast button pushing combinations, and many users adjust their speed settings to be highly responsive. This might be in excess of what the human body can perform, or would want to perform (I'm only walking in place so long, period). Thankfully there is probably room in the market for both types of games (controller play & body control) to be successful and thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks for the time
- by kylebuttermore June 1, 2009 10:31 PM PDT
- what is on top of the xbox in that video? where the hard drive goes.
- Like this Reply to this comment
-
Showing 1 of 2 pages (65 Comments)