Tag Archive: NATAL


Project Natal: The Future is Here?

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June 6, 2010

Originally Published: April 27, 2010, on TalkXbox.com

Every day I come into work and I cross off another day on my Marvel Superheroes calendar (this month is The Thing from the Fantastic Four). Like most people, there are always dates I need to remember that are circled and with notes on them: weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, etc., etc. When I came in today though and looked at my calendar, I couldn’t help but look ahead to the middle of June.

Anyone with his or her finger on the pulse of the video game industry has already probably concluded that I’ve got E3 on my mind. And I figured that as our collective countdown clocks approach the 50-day mark for the most celebrated video game event in the USA, if not the world, that I take a look at just what is riding on this one for our beloved Xbox 360.

Last year we were blown away with controller-less gameplay and an A.I. named Milo (which I still think will cause Arnold Schwarzenegger to come back from the future to protect someone from it) when Microsoft revealed Project NATAL. We were then pleasantly surprised to find out that it would be an accessory for the current generation console and not pave the way for a next-gen console.

The biggest shocker came though when we heard the release date. Many of us (myself included) were predicting something like a 2012 release date since we figured that we were still a couple of years away technology-wise from what we saw at E3. I mean face scanning and voice recognition on a home console? But Microsoft released shortly later that NATAL would be on store shelves in time for the 2010 holiday season and our jaws hit the floor.

But now we are only eight months away from the holiday season when this revolutionary accessory is supposed to drop and we are still in the dark as to what it can do, what games to expect, how much it will set us back, and how effective it will be in living up to the promises it made at last E3. Sure, Microsoft has been promoting that Alleyway/Brickbreaker style game that everyone saw at E3 to the press as they’ve been holding small events around the country to show off NATAL to those of us who couldn’t make it last year to Los Angeles. But aside from that, there hasn’t been much in the way of demos or information leaked about something that is supposed to revolutionize our industry.

That’s why, I believe, this E3 will make or break NATAL. The industry does not deal with broken promises well (at least in the short term) and if NATAL cannot provide what it showed us at last year’s E3, with a comprehensive library of compatible games and seamlessly interactive features, you could see the ground Xbox 360 has made on the Nintendo Wii in terms of sales in recent months slip and possibly fall back even further behind than what it was. We could be looking at a new Power Glove, Super Scope, or bevy of other failed gaming accessories just due to a lack of software, never mind if the technology is not up to expectations.

Is this the extent of Natal’s ability? We’ll find out this summer.

There is hope though. Peter Molyneux (who I still think would make a great James Bond villain) has been toting NATAL since Day 1 and there are signs that Fable III could be NATAL compatible. There has also been a leak of a white water rafting game that seamlessly follows your movements as you head down the Colorado River. This looks like it would be a great aerobic workout and tons of fun for the family unit. Don’t rock the boat!

There is also much speculation. Gears of War 3’s trailer should at least be on display at E3. If Epic was one of the highly touted 3rd party developers who got one of these secret development kits mentioned last year and can throw in with NATAL, then all may be well in Xbox land. If massive titles that are predicted to come out well after the release of NATAL are not compatible with it though, then the accessory’s sales could be crippled before they even get started.

It could be a big step in gaming. Wireless controls blew people’s minds and motion control turned gaming on its head. Throw those out the window altogether, and the next thing you know we’ll have virtual reality helmets and teleportation devices in our homes (yeah, I’m really invoking my creative license on this one). Honestly though, we could be on the precipice of something really big in gaming and I hope that Microsoft knows from previous mistakes that it would be easier to have something revolutionary be delayed, but have all the kinks worked out and backing from a full compliment of third party developers, than to just rush something out onto the market in order to be the first. Either way, I know I can’t wait for E3.

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Xbox 360 makes splash at CES 2010

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May 12, 2010

Originally Published: January 12, 2010 on Examiner.com

The Consumer Electronics Show is always a great way for tech companies of all kinds to make a big splash in the beginning of the New Year. Due to the plethora of gaming conventions that happen across the year though, it isn’t necessarily the biggest draw for gamers. Microsoft and Xbox 360 though felt that some of the announcements they had couldn’t wait for a convention dedicated solely to gaming.

Robert “Robbie” Bach, President for Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices Division came to Las Vegas for CES 2010 with some late holiday presents for the 37 million plus Xbox 360 users out there.

The biggest news to come down at CES 2010 is the announcement that Project NATAL, last E3’s biggest bombshell, that was speculated by many in the media (myself included) at still being a couple of years before it could be released for retail, will be coming out in time for the holiday rush in 2010. Although still no details as to how many games will be compatible with Xbox 360’s newest peripheral or even how much it will cost at time of release, if it can do even half the things it did at E3 2009, Xbox 360 could be looking at its best holiday season since it’s initial release.

Another big announcement involved Xbox Live and it’s arcade with the hopeful introduction of the Xbox Game Room, an old school gamers paradise where 8-bits will reign supreme. Hoping to dial up the nostalgia-obsessed demographic, Xbox Arcade Game Room will have all the arcade classics from the 80s, as well as original games done specifically in the 8-bit style, a la Mega Man 9 and 10, that will now be trophy based to go along with classic gameplay.

Other big announcements that came down at CES 2010 included that the multiplayer beta for Halo: Reach will start in Q2 of 2010 on Xbox Live and the confirmation that Mass Effect 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction will be available first exclusively for Xbox 360 as Xbox 360 moves more towards the idea of a “mature gaming platform”.

With these announcements, it looks like 2010 will be another strong year for Xbox 360, or as Robbie Bach put it at CES 2010, “When I said 2010 was going to be a big year for Xbox 360, I was lying. 2010 is going to be the biggest year of Xbox history.”

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Xbox Portable in the Plans

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April 20, 2010

Originally Published: July 24, 2009, for Examiner.com

San Diego Comic Con is always a magical time of the year as announcements from all spectrums of the geek media rainbow permeate the culture and help us salivate over new details for upcoming releases or announcements of brand new projects. It’s why Microsoft felt it was the perfect forum for them to confirm their plans for a portable system.

Microsoft’s VP of Strategy and Business, Shane Kim, confirmed earlier in the week that the internet rumors are true and that Microsoft is hard at work on a handheld device. When pressed as to what the device would be, whether something multi-purpose along the lines of the iPhone to compete in another field with Apple, or something more gaming related to try to cut into the DS and PSP’s profits, Mr. Kim admitted that he himself did not even know.

Because of this, I’ll keep the mindset that I’ve had since the rumors began to surface, I’ll believe it when I see it.

I hate being skeptical considering how much the Xbox 360 and Microsoft look to be giving us in the near-future, but why even bother confirming rumors on a product that even your top brass don’t know about?

Personally, I’d rather Microsoft continue to focus on Project NATAL and worry about a portable system after they master that first. And considering how many resources are probably being poured into NATAL to try to have it released in time for the 2010 holiday season, I wouldn’t be surprised if this “Xbox Portable” wouldn’t even come close to enter existence until late 2012-early-2013.

The possibilities are fun to think about, though. A portable Halo or Gears of War would surely make a strong impact for Microsoft in the handheld wars, but the device itself would have to be something spectacular considering how late in the game Microsoft is throwing its hat into the handheld ring.

In another press release from Comic Con, in order to maybe take the heat off of Mr. Kim’s comments, Microsoft confirmed that there will be two new Dashboard updates in the near future. The first will be August 11th, which will include the “Games on Demand” feature. Confirmed with the launch of this feature were Bioshock, Assassin’s Creed, and Mass Effect among others. Shortly after this update, around August 25th, original Xbox programming like the new exclusive Girls Go Geek and the third season of The Guild will return for your viewing pleasure.

The second Dashboard update should be released late in the fall. This would be the update that we heard of at E3 that promised us Facebook, Twitter, last.fm, and Zune HD coming to Xbox 360. Microsoft had promised us to attempt one major Dashboard update a year, but like many major conglomerates, they failed to keep this promise. For once, though, this broken promise is probably a good thing. The more updates the better!

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Xbox 360 Project NATAL initial reactions

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April 19, 2010

Originally Published: June 1, 2009, on Examiner.com

Many people believed that Xbox 360 was going to have a quiet E3 this year. You knew that there would be the major franchises: Halo, Gears of War, Forza. But what Xbox 360 revealed was more than anyone could have expected.

As if the revelation that MGS 5: Rising (starring Raiden and not Solid Snake) was coming to the Xbox 360 as would Final Fantasy XIII from Square Enix (probably due to Sony’s awful sales) were not enough, Xbox 360 dropped the bomb of what could be the next step in gaming.

With a little help from Steven Spielberg and Peter Molyneux of Lionhead Studios (the Fable franchise), Xbox 360 unveiled a motion sensor that would eliminate controllers altogther. With graphics reaching their fullest potential with current technology, the next step in gaming was going to be finding ways to give gamers a more immersive experience beyond the TV set. The Nintendo Wii had captalized on this with their pre-set waggle commands (which the Xbox 360 folks took a bit of a shot at) and this left Xbox 360 asking “what would be the next logical step in gaming technology?”. They would give us an answer.

Imagine a sensor that connects to your current Xbox 360 and could scan your face, your clothes, objects in your room, and then follow every motion you make perfectly. You would become the controller. No more rechargable batteries. No more tripping over cords. No more limitations.

Xbox 360 has very likely created the next step towards virtual reality with what they have dubbed at this point “Project NATAL”. As development kits are being shipped as you read this, Xbox 360 showed to everyone at E3 several of the endless possibilities this addition could have.

They began by playing a Brickbreaker type game where you served as the paddle that would deflect projectiles at the bricks. The girl doing the demonstration danced around in a small circle as she hopped, punched, and kicked her way through the first three levels. A simple demonstration, but enough to start making eyes bug out of heads.

The next demonstration reminded me of Mario Paint for the Super Nintendo from almost two decades ago. A simple paint program where your arms served as the brush and your voice commands were recognized when you wanted to go to a more detailed or broader painting tool. An interesting concept, but how many gamers would really drop their hard earned cash on it?

The demonstration that took my breath away though was done with a small film presented by Peter Molyneux that was done at Lionhead Studios, one of the first to get their hands on the development kits. Peter proceeded to introduce us to “Milo”, an A.I. program that responded with original thought to the context of questions and answers it was given and reacted to objects that were scanned into the system, recognizing colors and shapes. This mind boggling revelation means that in theory, for truly the first time ever, the game could interact back with you.

It is a bit of a scary thought when you think of all the sci-fi movies that always begin with a benevolent A.I. that runs amok, but also think of the gaming possibilites. Calling out commands to squad mates in Call of Duty, climbing up towers that nearly touch the sky in Assassin’s Creed, ducking for cover in Gears of War, all with never pressing anything more than the “on” button. The possibilities are nearly endless and my mind is already racing with these very thoughts.

Of course, there could also be limitations. Not many people have the space in their living rooms to re-enact a futuristic war or sneak along shadowy corridors before assassinating their target. It will be interesting to see how Xbox 360 overcomes this question of space recognition, but the thought of this revolutionary immersal into video games is nearly beyond belief.

There was no date as to when we could expect to see the bugs worked out of NATAL or the complexity of games we could see to go along with it, but even without Sony of Nintendo’s press conferences taken place, Xbox 360 may have already stolen the entire show. So much for a quiet E3, eh?

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