Iwata: Nintendo passed on camera technology

Cutting edge technology has never been Nintendo's strong point.

Can't say I really care about any of it, considering even my favorite Wii games either don't use motion/pointer (Brawl, Klonoa) or could be done without them (Mario Galaxy, Punch-Out). Really, the only games off the top of my head that truly benefited from Wii controls were Metroid Prime 3, Boom Blox, MadWorld, and I guess now Tiger Woods. But hey, it doesn't matter, I'm not complaining because I've played tons of great games on the Wii (DUR HURRRRRRRR, stay out of this thread if you're just going to try and Wiibash, we've heard it all by now), it's just that I see the same thing happening with these 360 and PS3 motion controls - good for a tech demo and maybe a few genuinely awesome ideas, but nothing that's going to be a game changer.

I'd be pretty surprised if Wii 2 didn't have a camera.
With both MS and Sony obviously prepping their new controllers for their NEXT consoles (I'd be surprised if Natal and the PS3mote actually release on 360 and PS3), Nintendo could be caught in another situation like they are now where 3rd parties are ignoring Nintendo's machine because it lacks features that the other two have. I doubt they want that again. Even if they're making serious bank from more casual games, they're still losing out on tons of money by not getting games like COD6, Devil May Cry, etc.

At this point, I think Sony's controller is the best solution of the 3, as it combines the best of both worlds. Although if the Wiimote 2 incorporated a camera, I think that would probably be the best solution.

Didn't Nintendo also pass on the Sony CD add-on for SNES? That worked out really well for Nintendo...

I'm all for new tech, and we know that each company has its own spin, like Microsoft claiming that the Wii had nothing to do with their development of Natal. But I think Iwata is not blowing smoke. They were trying to get a product out in a certain time frame, and a good, reliable control system using cameras wouldn't have allowed that.

And Iwata is right: Sony and Microsoft could release their duplicates of the Wii controls and motion system, but that would have failed. So, each company has to leapfrog or innovate in some other way to differentiate.

It's entirely possible that with Nintendo's hardware, it's not possible to do the camera detection that either the 360 or PS3 is able to pull off. I'd imagine that the level of pure number crunching the system needs to do for 1:1 image processing is very high, which is why the other two systems seem to be able to do it and the Wii can't.

That being said, I don't think that any of the systems motion controllers will go down in history as great successes, merely a lame novelty at best or a dismal failure at worst. If it wasn't for the sheer sales number of the Wii, I'd imagine that it would be enjoyed as the Virtual Boy is now: once in a blue moon by the few people who still have one.

The fact that he says he's not worried only reiterates how worried he is. I don't think there was a single person who experienced Natal and Milo for themselves who simply wasn't blown away by what they experienced and, further more, by the possibilities it presents.

haters. they're out there.

I would imagine they looked into it, especially when the EyeToy came around. The EyeToy clearly showed the benefits and drawbacks of camera-only technology, and Nintendo decided against it.

It seems to have benefited them commercially, and i think that's also true in terms of gameplay. Until we see more of Sony's solution, it seems that the Wiimote (with or without nunchuk) is able to do more genres and gametypes than any other pure motion solution. Really, Wiimote can do everything except Fighting (which is, interestingly, a genre where Natal will especially excel, according to their demos)

Now, Natal can be combined with the actual controller, which gives it an edge in diversity for hardcore adoption, but if you *have* to use the pad with Natal just to play certain game types, you lose the whole point of Natal as a market-expander

While Iwata's comments are strategically sound I believe project Natal will sell very well and it will be more a reflection of Microsoft's fan base than of product quality, those who exclusively support the house of Gates tend to have a slight Xenophobia not unlike those Mac people they rail against Microsoft supporters tend to be dedicated to their software/hardware and their crafter as witnessed in the RRoD tragedies where users repeatedly replace their console despite repeated failings rather than move to a new console.

That being said I don't see a giant market for Sony's motion controls although because Sony will play it conservative they will say that sales exceeded expectations. In the end however I can't help but think the pursuit of Microsoft and Sony to keep up with Nintendo will retard the growth of the industry.

I think the motion sensing camera technology Nintendo investigated is probably a lot different from the Project Natal technology. In some ways it is like comparing the PowerGlove to the Wii-mote. There is the beginning of the technology and then with advances over time a viable product that is more substance than gimmick. Having a stereoscopic camera provides for a leap in what can be achieved in the realm of accurate motion sensing and modeling of the physical world.

I believe the features that differentiate Natal from Sony and Nintendo solution is the fact you do not need a controller to control your experience. Natal will allow you do things that are not gaming related but which can be an advantage if done properly.

Natal allows 4 player support without any extra hardware. As we have seen with the Wiimote, it can get pretty costly if you want 4 player support and you have to get 4 Wiimotes and the numchuck. The same problem will exist for Sony as well. How many wands will you need. Will both or only one have a analog stick. Will both or one have rumble. You better have the PS3 with the 4 USB ports because now you will have to charge your wand and your gamepad. And lets not forget that you still need the Camera in order for all of it to work.

Read this article on 3DV QA.
http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=16637

It gives a lot of good info on how Natal works since the two are basically the same. You also get a good understand why camera's like the eyetoy and MS Vision have a hard time doing what Natal can do. The thing about Natal is that it can be as accurate as what Sony showed with the wand by just narrowing the field of the camera to only pick up a single reference like a finger.

I would think that Natal is even more difficult to develop with than the Wii's controls. I just hope this doesn't turn into a shovelware fest.

To be accurate, motion tracking was first demonstrated back in the early 70s. The first consumers products were offered as add-ons to the Commodore Amiga in the 80s.

So it isn't surprising that the passage of time, as with so much in digital electronics, has allowed for the technology to become more sophisticated, yet at a very low cost.

The Natal has buttons readily available. The camera will track a hand holding a controller just as readily as an empty hand. Additionally, it is trivial to produce a controller variant, a baton for example, better suited to generating button presses while gesturing. It's just another set of buttons and sticks to the console.

The better question is whether it is worth the additional cost to accurately track the position/attitude of the controller in addition to the camera tracking of bodily movements. Sony already has this function in their PS3 controller but it hasn't been applied well yet, as seen in the failed 'Lair.' The payoff may be realized in combination with the motion tracking camera. Microsoft could easily add this but it does represent new investment in R&D and in the price of the final product.

Natal will have it's own CPU that handles all the motion sensing from it's camera which will allow the 360 CPUs to operate normal ingame functions without any drag on the gameplay or graphics. Just like any other perephial, whether a controller, steering wheel, light gun, eye cam, etc., it will have a minimum effect on the game console. The Wiimote and PS3 waggle cam will rely more own their system resources. Being the Wii has a greater shortfall, it's system will be greatly overtax (as it already is) if it tried using motion sensing cams. That's why the big downplay by Nintendo. But they do print money. As for the PS3. Interesting.

Just think of the other possibilities with Natal besides ingame functions. Browsing thru your 360 dashboard without a controller. Music, Videos, TV, Movies, Shopping and even a Web browser. Maybe even a PC Windows 7 compatibility. Just by reading hand movements or even facial expressions for people with disabilities or without. Think about it.

Sega did it before Sony. And Sega's camera was much better.

I suspect Nintendo tried it before Sony as well (though not before Sega? I don't know when theirs came out) with their unreleased "Game Eye"... which was shown at e3 the year before the EyeToy was announced. Completely coincidental of course, I'm sure.