Sitting on Time Magazine's 50 Best Inventions of 2009 amongst notables like the world's first AIDS vaccine (still in trials) and meat farms seems like an awkward place for Microsoft's Project Natal. But that's exactly where it resides, paired with glowing praise for its boundary-breaking implications.
"Since time immemorial ... one barrier that has stood between gamers and total Tron-like immersion in their video games has been the controller," the piece posits, going on to say that Natal will break that barrier by allowing the player one-to-one access between the game and the game's controls. "You move your hand, and the Master Chief (or whoever) moves his hand. It's that simple. And that cool." Though we're excited for the many prospects Project Natal seems to offer, we're a bit more intrigued by teleportation.
And yes, that's seriously on the list.
Reader Comments (119)
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:50PM Edge of Blade said
First, there is no Microsoft conspiracy, any more so than there is an Apple conspiracy.
Second... if an AIDS vaccine or test-tube chicken fingers is on there and we can agree that it's significant, it's not out yet either. Where does that leave us?
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Second... if an AIDS vaccine or test-tube chicken fingers is on there and we can agree that it's significant, it's not out yet either. Where does that leave us?
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 3:32PM incendious said
It should actually be the best 2009 acquisition of a company who invented the tech years before. ZCam has been around for a long time.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 5:15PM Brysonial the Bison said
If microsoft pulls this off it could be revolutionary! oh wait.....
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 5:17PM Brysonial the Bison said
If microsoft pulls this off it could be revolutionary! oh wait.......
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 6:23PM DeepFriedSushi said
man if this thing is getting this much hype in 2009, i cant even imagine how 2010 is going to be when it actually releases, ms is definitely going to make a huge marketing push for this thing.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 5:20PM usualyksint said
Subliminal advertising - you won't manipulate my brain thoughts joystiq!!!!
must....buy.....splinter cell
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must....buy.....splinter cell
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:07PM (Unverified) said
i agree. we don't even know how well this will be yet.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:09PM Haggard said
Yeah, might have been better to see whether any games are going to integrate it well before this. Although I'm sure the waggle controls were getting the same treatment before the Wii came out.
Also, doesn't natal not work for black people? We've finally uncovered Time's secret white supremacist agenda!
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Also, doesn't natal not work for black people? We've finally uncovered Time's secret white supremacist agenda!
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:12PM iamnotafish said
HEY! this is the same magazine that awarded me man of year 2 years ago! show some respect!
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:23PM MystileArmor said
Playing devils advocate here, but the AIDS vaccine hasn't proven itself yet either...
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:26PM quiggy said
@pika2000: Time's Person of the Year isn't necessarily for people who are doing good. Rather, it's the person who has influenced the world the most in the past year for better or for worse. Among the winners: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Ayatollah Khomeini.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:31PM Gulpo said
Um... you do realize half of the list are things that have been tested but not in general release or use right? You just can't buy it... it does exist, media were allowed to test it out at various events, and was invented in 2009. So thus it made it on the Best Inventions of 2009. How is that bad journalism?
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:37PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said
Relax guys. Just because it's not to market yet doesn't mean it can't be included on the list. A lot of 'inventions' on that list are more ideas than actual products.
But I do agree it doesn't really belong on the list given what we don't know about it. They should have just added the Sega Activator instead.
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But I do agree it doesn't really belong on the list given what we don't know about it. They should have just added the Sega Activator instead.
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:54PM Edge of Blade said
Like I said above, the AIDS vaccine isn't out either. Are we doing to handicap Microsoft because... well... we just don't like them *pouty face*?
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:05PM (Unverified) said
Its not even out... It might be the worst thing ever.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:32PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
Hopefully thats a rhetorical question.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:09PM Sho Minamimoto said
So the natal beat a possible aids vaccine for invention of the year?? I got to say, I think the media is giving the natal a little too much hype.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 2:31PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
rumor has it pedophiles anxious to get a test run at their very own Milo stuffed the ballot box.
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Posted: Nov 12th 2009 3:09PM Mr Khan said
Microsoft is a master of hype. I mean, this was delivered as part of an overall excellent E3 presentation (but then all of theirs have been excellent that i can remember, except 2007s), and they managed to come away from E3 with more of the hype, even though Sony i think had an overall better lineup of games, and Nintendo had their true-motion control solution that was really real, and shipping in a few weeks
Point is, Microsoft plays this game well.
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Point is, Microsoft plays this game well.
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 5:01PM Digiboi said
Jimmy Falon jumping around like an idiot wanting to hit balls - then putting on a bright orange vest (because it can't see dark colors) and jumping around like an idiot pretending to hit balls.
Fun for like 5 minutes then what are you left with. Its the Wii 2.0. In 2011, everyone will be using Natal as a punchline.
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Fun for like 5 minutes then what are you left with. Its the Wii 2.0. In 2011, everyone will be using Natal as a punchline.
Posted: Nov 12th 2009 3:53PM (Unverified) said
A large number of Halo fans don't like Natal...
Bungie has pretty well written it off, like Epic.
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Bungie has pretty well written it off, like Epic.
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