Have you ever wanted to hang out with an autistic tween named Milo who likes to fish? Have you ever wanted to look like a weirdo while flailing around in front of the TV? If your answer to both questions is “yes,” Microsoft’s Project Natal for Xbox 360 is for you.
You can now say goodbye to that lousy gym. Why go outside to play basketball with friends when you can shoot make-believe hoops right in your living room. You won’t even need a controller to pull that off. In fact, Project Natal seeks to eliminate controllers and joysticks. This thing looks creepy, kinda like the real life version of iRobot. Proceed to see some videos of Natal in action.
Sure, complex controllers sometimes get in the way of gameplay. For avid gamers, the controller is so much a part of the routine that they’re no longer consciously aware of its presence. It becomes invisible. Whenever I’m playing NBA2K9, for instance, I basically think up a play and it magically appears on the screen with little awareness of the intricate finger motions required to produce that play. However, some gamers never fully achieve this level of fluency. For them, the controller may be a barrier between them and a pleasant gaming experience.
Microsoft is suggesting that once you eliminate this barrier the game becomes much more accessible. Enter Project Natal — an amalgamation of depth-sensor, camera, custom processor, and microphone array. Natal promises onscreen control with full-body movements and voice commands.
If we’ve learned anything from Wii it’s that motion control is only effective to an extent. The more extreme you make it, the less valuable it becomes. The problem is that Natal is trying to push the limit as far as possible.
Still, I don’t see voice and gesture replacing controllers anytime soon. Is it an interesting alternative? Yes. Does it possess the potential to expand participation? Absolutely. Still, controllers offer so much more practical use while that you simply can’t accomplish with a motion-sensor console. Oh, and there’s no way this thing works as precisely and accurately as advertised.
Besides (and this is probably my only real concern), the thought of a screen constantly scanning my face is creepy.
