Posted Jun 04, 2009 at 01:40PM by Mabie A. Listed in: E3, Xbox 360 Tags: Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, Aaron Greenberg
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Project Natal at E3 2009 - Image 1 


And so we become witness to the evolution of this generation's consoles race. No, it's not just about the hardware anymore. This time around, as we've all seen in E3 2009, it's about the controller. And how controller-less it's all going to be.

Nintendo had the Wii Motion Plus, Sony had the PS3 Motion Controller, while Microsoft had Project Natal. Aaron Greenberg of Microsoft weighed in on things, and is of the opinion that Sony's magic motion-sensing wand will be just as fun as the Wii's, but Natal is sure to go beyond them.

Said Greenberg, "I thought it was interesting and fun, just like the Wii is fun. I think it's great that they're sharing the space." If you never thought the Wii and the PS3 will be put in the same "space" ever, then Greenberg is doing exactly that. This would be mainly in thanks to the fact that both new technologies necessitate the players to hold a remote or a wand. Not Natal, though. Not Natal.

What's clear is that what we're doing is, in many ways, leapfrogging over any of the experiences [demoed today]. We're trying to breakthrough... with a new controller in gaming and entertainment, and I think that will differentiate us, and in many ways remove another barrier to people who are intimidated by, not just controllers, but wands and having to push buttons and do things.


To be able to just drive a car with your hands, or to be able to kick balls as you swing and kick your feet. It's a whole different type of experience.



While Project Natal can be assumed to be still a long ways to go before it officially hits the market, it is also safe to assume that, like the Xbox 360, it will hit the market first before the PS3's Motion Control seeing as the one presented in the E3 was still at it s prototype stage. Natal, on the other hand, already had developer kits sent out this week, confirming that it is, indeed already completed.



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12 Comments


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   by chloe - 2009-06-04
 » to be able to kick balls as you swing and kick your feet.

Greenberg sure loves to kick balls, doesn't he?

And he's so full of himself. He actually believes Natal is revolutionary when Wii has already done it, Sony has Eyetoy (plus now with a new controller at that).

He's the most annoying Xbox fanboy I've ever heard of.

And they say Wii is fad. Now Sony and Microsoft are jumping over the motion sensing bandwagon. When Sony does it they say it's mainstream. And when Microsoft does it then they say it's revolutionary? Funny.


   Re: Master Chef - 2009-06-04
 » totally agreed with last paragraph

Both MS and Sony called the Wii a "fad" and didn't consider it "real competition". Now they're jumping completely on board with the motion sensing stuff. Typical

   Re: Relys - 2009-06-04
 » What?

The Wii didn't do anything. Natal has and IR camera (not a couple of LED's on a silly looking bar), for heat/depth tracking.

This is what the Wii should have been in the first place, not to mention the voice recognition.
   by SPKuja - 2009-06-04
 » Seriously...

Whats wrong with game controllers? If I want to exercise I'll go to the gym or play squash... I play games to relax, not do even more exercise!

   by Keith K - 2009-06-04
 » Ugh

I wish that greasy bastard had any idea how horribly he represents his company, especially to those outside the US.

He has no sense of decorum or class. He's just a foul-mouthed fanboy with nothing to add to anything but vitriol.

Every single time I read a Greenberg comment, I consider selling my Xbox.

   by Navani - 2009-06-04
 » Ohh

I agree with the first comment's last paragraph. Reminds me of McCain bashing Obama's inexperience, then selecting an even more inexperienced running mate. And look how that turned out. Anyway, I can't WAIT until they have that device out that makes you feel as though you are IN the game.. I want to feel pain when I play Mortal Kombat and am being ripped in half woo woo! Actually I really hate this wireless thing.. I honestly prefer a controller. The Wii is fun but I mean.. Sometimes I want to sit back and relax and move things with a joystick. If everything starts to go controller-less, I might turn back to my N64

   by whaleshark - 2009-06-04
 » Well

Natal is extremely cool. I love it, but I love the way the PS3's new controller works.
But even more, what Microsoft seems to be leaving out, is Milo v. Eyepet
Personally, Milo looked flawed. A human character to interact with is the downfall of a game... and it simply won't work. Why?
well.
1. You assume that this human can do things that other humans can do, but as of now, it cannot even understand what you say. It understands tones, but not voice recognition.
2. Its "new tech" that really isn't new. Sony showed this off last E3 with...
The eyepet!
Why the eyepet WILL work
1. Its an animal, the user assumes animalistic properties. The user would not expect a human response, but rather, a pet-like response.
2. Usability. Simply the trailer alone shows how perfectly this concept works. And some hands on time with it really showed me that it is AMAZING. The level of interactivity here is unprecedented...


   Re: sony_player - 2009-06-04
 » ^

I was also comparing milo and eyepet, but i couldn't express it as well as you just did.
Also, i think sony's tech is a lot farther along than most people think, anybody remember that paintball tech demo from about half a year ago? I think that's the same tech and that looked almost playable at that time.
   by Genotype - 2009-06-04
 » ...

I don't see Natal working well in a wide scale sense. How would a fps work? How can you play for extended periods when you have to stand for these games? How stupid will I look using it?


   Re: Keith K - 2009-06-04
 » ...

Presumably with a controller. The camera could add peripheral features like head tracking to look around corners. It would be limited additions and would really be dependent on a large TV to really have a significant effect for the player but presumably it doesn't always have to BE the controller itself.

   Re: death - 2009-06-04
 » thats really my only issue with it

it looks like a great TOY something to play with for a lil bit but not something thats practical. how do i walk in my game? do i walk on the spot? what if its oblivion or fallout? if i had to walk that far IRL to do something it would discourage me from doing it
   by Digitus - 2009-06-05
 » Wow

Nintendo said "we'll simplify controls and make fewer buttons, everyone is familiar with remotes right?"

Sony eventually said "I guess Nintendo was right after all, lets put our own spin on it"

Seems like Microsoft thought the appeal for the Wii came in them simplifying things and then set out to over simplify "They say fewer buttons? We'll do no buttons at all"

and in that lies their mistake. Nobody in this day and age is going to be intimidated by a user interface. If they keep that point of view up Natal will end up exclusively casual gamer (no FPS can be played without buttons) and that could be bad for their core audience.

Also in terms of capability, the only real difference between Natal and Sony's thing is a microphone.



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