Nyko: Project Natal not a threat, but a 'challenge'
by Tracey John 
{ Jun 10th 2009 at 9:00AM }
When Microsoft unveiled its controller-free camera technology dubbed Project Natal during E3 last week, you'd think that gaming peripheral makers might start asking President Obama for a bailout.
But not so. At least not for Nyko. The manufacturer of third-party accessories, whose core business is unlicensed Wii products, doesn't see physical controllers going away anytime soon. In fact, Chris Arbogast, Nyko's director of marketing, has a hard time seeing casual gamers letting go of the Wii remote.
"People in the casual market like feeling something physical to keep your hands aligned," he said. "When you grab the Wiimote and swing it, it feels like you're swinging a baseball bat, versus pantomining swinging a bat. I think that if you take all [the controllers] away and you're just pantomiming everything, there may be some disconnect with realism there."
Obviously, working for Nyko, Arbogast has to stay positive. However, if Project Natal does take off, we wondered if the company has a Plan B. Arbogast said it might force Nyko to "think outside the box." "We'll have to think of other ways we can accessorize and augment the players' experience," he said. "Not with a controller anymore, but with other things to add to that camera functionality. It could be a whole new avenue of business that opens up for us because we'll be forced to challenge ourselves."
Luckily for Nyko, Project Natal is probably a long ways off, with analysts saying it won't trump the Wii just yet. Until then, you can enjoy another innovation in camera technology: the Nyko DSi Zoom Case.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TheLionOfAzzalle @ Jun 10th 2009 9:07AM
He's got a point. It's just like the whole bluray vs digital distribution argument. At the end of the day I (and most people I think) would prefer to own something physical that they can hold in their hands as opposed to dealing with some digital/in the air w/e that you can't touch.
Project Natal looked awesome. By far the best thing at E3 but I hope MS isn't going to just abandon the controller entirely. That would be dumb IMO.
Foetoid @ Jun 10th 2009 9:41AM
As a massive fan of Steam, i disagree. I've sold all my retail physical copies of games so i could get the Steam variant. That being said, i love Steam, as a PC platform. Console games can stay disk-based for as long as they want (tho i DO love the VC/Wiiware).
ronEbear @ Jun 10th 2009 9:12AM
Since Natal scans the entire surroundings in 3-D, what`s stopping the programmers writing code to detect when the user is holding an item such as a baseball bat or a plastic sword?
WiNG [XBL&Steam: WiNGSPANTT] from lifeinagame.com @ Jun 10th 2009 9:37AM
Better question:
What's to stop Nyko from making those cheap plastic add-ons regardless of their functionality?
shawn.vanhoose @ Jun 10th 2009 10:16AM
Maybe I am wrong, but I was under the impression that is exactly what you would be able to do with Natal. If I am playing...say Tiger Woods 2011, I could just get one of my golf clubs from my bag, and providing i had enough open space in the room, swing to my hearts content.
baby sea tuna @ Jun 10th 2009 9:15AM
And if Natal does take off, Nyko can always just come up with some worthless plastic piece of shit thing that clips onto the camera and breaks in 5 seconds anyway.
Innovation!
Markez @ Jun 10th 2009 10:26AM
How dare you rip on Nyko Natal Night Vision like that, you haven't even USED it man.
Yeesh...
Judgmental prick...
god your so cool @ Jun 10th 2009 9:16AM
Did Nyko forget about the part in the demo where the kid gets a skateboard and has the sensor scan so he can play with it? I think the tactile solution was already solved right there if it can scan other things like baseball bats and what not.
Darren Tilley @ Jun 10th 2009 9:57AM
Do you really believe that video was a true demonstration of Natal?
Notice how the kid's hands that cover up parts of the skateboard magically disappear in the scanned version. None of that video featured anybody playing a real game.
You do realize that it was just a promotional video containing only their ambitions for the project. Some of which are based on nothing but misunderstandings of their own product. Microsoft didn't develop Natal themselves, they bought the technology from another company and they likely don't fully understand the limitations yet.
Foetoid @ Jun 10th 2009 9:54AM
Natal is gonna fail. Casual gamers and soccer-mums alike know of the Wiis reputation for family-friendly gaming at a good price. Launching something like Natal on the 360 is going to bomb hard. Most motion-controlled games on Wii can be controlled with simple wrist-movements, just as much as using a PC mouse. Natal on the other hand really does look retarded and without a controller or analog stick to dictate 3D movement (like the nunchuck), hardcore gaming becomes impossible. It'll be cool to control your dashboard in a 'Minority-Report' style and similar, but for gaming it's going to be terrible. Sure you could pretend to hold a gun for a FPS game, but how are you going to change guns and move about/strafe in the game plus ducking and jumping? Natal = Fail.
R (XBL: Esoteric Lord) @ Jun 10th 2009 11:10AM
Righto. Someone has to say this every natal topic, so I guess Ill take my turn. Natal isnt (in all probability) meant to replace controllers for hardcore gaming. If anything, it will suppliment it. Read back in other natal posts for other ideas.
Controllers arent going away until neural interfaces become practical and useful at a commerical level. So maybe like another 5 years or so.
Nixorbo @ Jun 10th 2009 10:58AM
"When you grab the Wiimote and swing it, it feels like you're swinging a baseball bat"
Incorrect. It feels like I'm swinging a Wiimote.
jynxycat @ Jun 10th 2009 11:24AM
I lul'd
p_ABSO @ Jun 10th 2009 12:38PM
I think Mr. Arbogast is spot on, think about the way children play while they tend to engage in imaginary adventures they always have some sort of tangible item to accompany them on their journeys, be it a stick posing as a sword, or a towel portraying a cap children from preschool to geriatric long for tangible mediums to augment their adventures.