It's no stretch that Halo: Reach could use Natal

by Alexander Sliwinski { Jun 29th 2009 at 1:30PM }

It appears that Halo: Reach may be a warm-up exercise for Natal sales. Bungie Studio President Harold Ryan tells the Seattle Times that he "absolutely" thinks that Reach could use Microsoft's motion-sensing peripheral (provided both launched around the same time frame).

Let's take a look at why Project Natal + Halo makes sense:

The Halo name has helped sell other iffy propositions like Halo Wars.
The game is already called Reach, come on.
This answers the question: "How is MS going to get core gamers to buy/upgrade to Natal?"

However, then we must ask: "Do core gamers want to actually exercise with their Halo?" This gamer's biggie-sized core politely responds, "As long as it involves fries and a shake after."

Tags: bungie, halo, halo-reach, natal, project-natal

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

iFester @ Jun 29th 2009 1:33PM

Okay it's time for teabag stretches. 1 and 2 and 3...

Cj @ Jun 29th 2009 2:02PM

Actually this is the only thing I can see working if Natal and Halo team up.

Rhamsey @ Jun 29th 2009 2:11PM

good point, the rate of tea-bagging would go down, so there's a plus.

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 29th 2009 2:15PM

And what happens if it just so happens you are doing some press ups to warm up and didn't realise you were above a dead masterchief when your parents walked into the room?

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 29th 2009 1:34PM

I'm especially curious, give me a light gun and I might be more forgiving :D

roger @ Jun 29th 2009 1:36PM

You could pack in a real gun and I still won't play it after a long day of studying or work.

Markez @ Jun 29th 2009 1:38PM

Is a real gun usually a good enough carrot to entice you to do things?

Sly @ Jun 29th 2009 1:49PM

getting a flamethrower built into a guitar case would entice me to do anything.

Sly @ Jun 29th 2009 2:05PM

btw, here's the video in case you don't know what i mean.

around the :50 mark, but you might as well just watch til then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5COo2rPybB4&feature=related

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 29th 2009 2:12PM

I ponder, if I do the matrix when someone throws a grenade at me, will it work? Better yethow the hell do you fly a banshee with no controller? Open up your arms and run around making plane noises?

Cottonball @ Jun 29th 2009 1:34PM

Who would use Natal to play Halo? Lol.

ALBGunner04 @ Jun 29th 2009 1:36PM

Personally, I'd love to see videos of people playing Halo using Natal. They'll look like complete fools lol

FNG @ Jun 29th 2009 3:04PM

hey guess what? we don't have any idea how they are planning to do this. the tech isn't limited to "all or nothing"

this is Microsoft's baby here. they will not use natal if it doesn't benefit the gameplay in some way. and it will be optional no matter what is using natal tech.

so please stop with all the "natal will make halo suck" blind ignorant posts.

Tiptup300 @ Jun 29th 2009 3:21PM

Hand signals to the computer.

Mouthsmasher @ Jun 29th 2009 7:08PM

I'm extremely skeptical about how succesful Natal will be. I certainly have no interest in playing a Halo game with the technology, but then again there are a lot of smart people out there with good ideas. Maybe they'll figure out something that works.

At this point all I can say is: I sure hope that if they use the Natal technology, it's only optional.

Mazrael @ Jun 30th 2009 2:47PM

Squad of Spartans.. Natal.. maybe this is for hand gestures to your squad apart from 'I' & 'V' when the AI team gets it wrong

untitled @ Jun 29th 2009 6:45PM

Hmm.. I don't know. But driving the warthog with no controller might be fun.

Markez @ Jun 29th 2009 1:36PM

"Do core gamers want to actually exercise with their Halo?" Yeah my guess would be no on that since there was a Halo branded Mountain Dew, and no diet option. Don't get me wrong, I use to guzzle full strength Dew like water as a lil youngan but since switching over to diet and not drinking much soda anymore I can't handle the strong stuff.

As long as they don't make it so that Reach requires Natal in any way I could suppose they may give it a whack. Kinda sounds like the guy is just speaking in hypotheticals though, off the top of his head. I think this has 0% of becoming a reality.

tcc3 @ Jun 29th 2009 2:04PM

It also didnt help that Gamer fuel was (is?) disgusting. It actually tastes think like its got too much syrup in it.

Regular MD, OTOH is quite tasty.

Dirty @ Jun 29th 2009 2:16PM

Game fuel tasted like what I imagine clown vomit tastes like. Or unicorn piss.

J @ Jun 29th 2009 3:51PM

just fyi: made a concoction w/ the tools available at a picnic on sat... Sour Apple Vodka and Mt. Dew are actually rather tasty... was like a green Jolly Rancher.. some said clear Gummi Bear. (not usually into that kind of drink, but it's worth trying -for those 21 and over, of course.)

The Dark Wayne @ Jun 29th 2009 5:00PM

too old? He's not 70. The thing you gotta remember is the average age of gamers is 35, and has been for a while

uncle jesse @ Jun 29th 2009 7:06PM

@Jung guns:

Too old, are you serious?! You know how people always complain about retards on Live screaming racial slurs and obsceneties that they don't even understand and use incorrectly or even here in the comments when people make idiotic statements that everyone downvotes (like yours)? Guess what, those people that everyone complains about are not 'old'. It's actually quite the opposite. Damn kids! No respect!

matt Taylor @ Jun 29th 2009 1:39PM

with the special edition of HALO: ODST you get the multiplayer beta for HALO: REACH. so that would mean that A) Project Natal will be out before the release of ODST or B) HALO: REACH won't be a "ONLY ON NATAL" game.

Prox @ Jun 29th 2009 1:47PM

BUT the multiplayer beta for Reach doesn't kick off the day ODST launches (lands?). Bungie has said that buying ODST will give you access to the beta, but everything I've read suggests that the beta won't happen for a bit.

ILikePopCans @ Jun 29th 2009 2:51PM

The beta will be on the first disc of Halo 3: ODST, not the special edition. And I belive you can play it once you get it, you don't have to wait.
I agree that if you NEED Natal to play ODST, than it may be out before ODST, but it won't happen. If you can play Natal with Reach, than I think you won't need Natal.

seriousam7 @ Jun 29th 2009 3:10PM

Nah, I'm pretty sure I read on bungie.net that its going to be like the Halo 3 beta on the Crackdown disk. It's not gonna be available right away, but when it does the download link on the disk will go active.

Paul @ Jun 29th 2009 3:13PM

@ ILikePopCans

there is no way the halo reach beta is going to be available right when odst comes out. first of all, i agree w/Prox that everything i have read basically says the beta won't be out until well after odst is released. second, why would bungie want to do that? that would split the amount of people playing odst to ones playing the beta and ones the playing the real game. the halo 3 beta came out a few months before the real game came out. and correct me if i'm wrong, but even when you bought crackdown, you got access to the beta but it didn't start right when crackdown came out. so yeah no way that is happening. besides they aren't going to make natal REQUIRED to play reach anyway.

TJ @ Jul 2nd 2009 7:23PM

Seriously, #2 is a huge stretch. That really doesn't make sense.

Hydrophobicfish @ Jun 29th 2009 1:39PM

I thought we all left the Wii to get away from waggle controls, and shallow game mechanics?

And yes, Sony, you're just as guilty as Microsoft. Though, with the inclusion of the wand for more traditional control, I'll say less guilty... but being guilty of 40 counts of murder is only slightly less guilty than 41.

That's right, I just implied Microsoft murdered 41 people and Sony murdered 40, what are you gonna do about it!

Mr Khan @ Jun 29th 2009 1:56PM

gotta love generalizations. Keeps things fresh

Girugamuk (Moptimus Slimed) @ Jun 29th 2009 2:03PM

Id say that comparing motion controls to mass murder is probably one of the stupidest things I've ever read.

Hydrophobicfish @ Jun 29th 2009 2:09PM

Thanks, Girugamuk, I'm glad that my grossly out of proportion metaphors were able to brighten your day. :D

avan @ Jun 29th 2009 1:40PM

I want it

Storm Eagle @ Jun 29th 2009 1:41PM

I would like to see some pure humiliating acts implemented with Natal and Reach.

Examples:

Teabagging, Boot-to-face, Curbstomping, Virtual beatdowns/assasinations as well as the ability to grab my opponents head and snap his neck as a laugh extremely loud into the mouthpiece.

Sly @ Jun 29th 2009 1:47PM

me too.

Maverick Saturn @ Jun 29th 2009 2:18PM

Somewhere, yet another kitten died

PedoJokerBear (aka Deeznuts) @ Jun 29th 2009 2:39PM

why in the hell is this voted down?

Storm Eagle @ Jun 29th 2009 2:41PM

Yeah, I was wondering that. If only for the better half of a split second....

Captain Planet @ Jun 29th 2009 1:43PM

I'm pretty sure they wouldn't make Reach use Natal 100% of the time. If anything they would make use of it in addition to the standard 360 controller. Controlling, HUDS, terminals, AI interaction controls, etc as opposed to driving Warthogs and firing lasers.

Rollins @ Jun 29th 2009 1:50PM

It'd be pretty damned cool to order around squad mates with it.

Crimson Major @ Jun 29th 2009 1:51PM

I agree with this, I think this is the only way core games, and the core gamers that come with them will ever really use Natal effectively. Keep the standard controller, but use Natal as well.

Something like holding a hand up to tell your team mates to stop, 'pushing' buttons or control pads ect.

Also, if Natal can track head motion, why not use it to say, allow the player to look around by turning their head slightly? But I would doubt, especially on a halo title that these things would be mandatory. Controller plus OPTIONAL natal stuff is the way forward!

+++volume+++ @ Jun 29th 2009 2:08PM

HOLY SHIT ITS CAPTAIN PLANET

Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jun 29th 2009 4:33PM

He is our hero,he is gonna take pollution down to zero.

maveric101 @ Jun 29th 2009 9:47PM

yeah, using it for hand signals to order your squad would add realism and be pretty cool.

WINterfang @ Jun 29th 2009 1:46PM

This sounds cool.

Christian @ Jun 29th 2009 1:49PM

Only possible uses I could see

-Head tracking with conjunction of the controller.

-Voice recognition sequences

-Video chat during game play, like in starfox. Someone can hit the up button on the D-pad and then talk to their squad that would be cool.

I could see those as possible ways NATAL could be applied. I think the last one could be cool to.