Popular Science explains the making of Project Natal

natal lovers in 3...2.
nah who am I kidding

Old school Calabos, nice!

Same to you.

You shouldn't be talking about yourself like that. :(

New system release? What a fricking joke.

If Microsoft's plan is to alienate their hardcore fanbase they've been cultivating since '01, they're sure doing a good job.

@spydertaco

thank you sir. thank you.

And when these casuals move on to the next fad, that leaves Microsoft with a very pissed off hardcore fanbase.

Saying Natal is bad =/= trolling.

Spydertaco, if anyone is a fanboy, it's you.

Did I bring up the PS3 or the PMC? No. You did.

I can't be for or against the PMC because Sony isn't showing anything.

Natal? They've showed scripted and/or mediocre tech demos, and they've targeted Natal at the casuals. That's plenty of reason to hate it.

How do you hate something they haven't shown since E3, apart from mentions at TGS?

Meanwhile, Microsoft's been shoving Natal down everyone's throat lately.

Until Microsoft proves to me they're serious about making Natal useable, with serious games, I have no reason to like it. At the moment, it represents the MiiToo approach, just like the Avatars.

Show me some real games, Microsoft, and we'll talk.

Yeah, I forgot that asking for evidence this thing is worth my time is being a dick.

And I don't give a shit about my post count. I couldn't even tell you what it is without looking.

Bradwart I think you need to take a break from posting on the 'Stiq.

A long, long break.

if you want to stop hearing about natal, you're gonna have to stop talking about natal too.
I also shuddered when i saw "the 'stiq".

Bradwart, you remind me to those whinny indie rockers that start hating X band the second it becomes remotely mainstream, thinking that they are the only people with "rights" of being fans just because they were fans from the start.

Looks like Bradwart wants all his posts to be instantly downvoted again.

I come to this site every day and read the articles and the comments afterwards. And I just wonder do you actually have time to play video games? I see on a daily basis immediately posting to topics, then commenting 100 times in that one post alone. I almost feel sorry for you if this is what you do all day everyday, instead of enjoying all these great video games that we talk about on here.

Sorry that was to Bradwart

he's like a deadbeat dad, spreading his seed without concern or discretion. and the world gets to see dozens of that picture in every topic.

Bradwart unlocked an achievement. Every one of his post being downvoted.

Bravo

Bradworst needs to shut the fuck up, and stop posting. He is really ruining Joystiq with his constant spam which is usually off-topic anyways.

GTFO

From the comments on here, you'd think so...

This.

to 3 bones? I meant just to bones (in the virtual sense). Just 3 would be pretty useless technology :P

it depends on WHICH bones. right premature ejaculation man? lol

classic Az! ha!

One can only think of the achievements for this piece of software...

Achievement Unlocked: Lasted longer than 30 seconds
(that was for premature ejaculation man)

Achievement Unlocked: Dirty Sanchez LOL!!!

Agree with you on this but while MS may have wonderful visions, the game publishers are the ones I don't trust. Look what they did with the mini-game phenom on the Wii.

It's mind boggling to see the sheer amount of games that come out on a weekly basis for the Wii and over 1/2 of them aren't even worth clicking on to read up on them. As a result, I'm sure we've missed some good ones. (I don't have enough time/money to go through all the PC/360/PS3/Wii games out there and nevermind the PSP/DSi/iPhone game market too - way too much to play)

Ahem... back on track.. Hopefully Microsoft's implementation goes well as it will bring in a new style of game for sure. I'm a fan of the controller myself but if new types of games emerge that are fun, I may just "jump in" (ouch). Personally, I wish Sony had continued with more games for the PS Eye - I enjoy the one they did for the PS2 and wish they had pushed forward with the Eye as I think they were on the right track 5 years ago.

Agreed, Natal has the possibility of really taking things to a new level.

I just don't want to see games such as FPS's try to adapt too much. I don't want to run in place or hold a fake gun. Or the idea of "looking around" with a fixed screen seems like it would be more of an annoyance after the coolness factor goes away. While these ideas may seem neat on paper, when implemented, I think the novelty will wear off quickly.

Where I see Natal really being nice:

-It'd be nice to browse through menus with waving my hand side to side or up and down. I enjoy being lazy and when I'm watching netflix, listening to music, etc. I don't always have the remote or a controller with me. This also goes into the "talking" feature of Natal, being able to say "play (artist, movie, etc)" and have it start would be a very cool feature I'd use just about every day.

-I think racing games could use Natal fairly successfully. A fake steering wheel and, if possible, fake gas/brake peddles could make those games fun. Of course I don't know if it will be responsive enough to use in a game, but time will tell.

-Wii-esque games. I've enjoyed certain games on the Wii when going over to friends for a party. Bowling, tennis, etc. They are a blast when you have a good group of friends.

I'd go on, but it's early in the morning for me and I need coffee.

" I don't want to run in place or hold a fake gun. Or the idea of "looking around" with a fixed screen seems like it would be more of an annoyance "

Speak for yourself there buddy. I WANT to do those things, not necessarily all day every day, though.

You just contradicted yourself. It will HAVE to replace a controller! Unless a break apart controller is made, how useful would this tech be with something in your hands? It wouldn't be useful at all. You could possibly dodge things by using your body, but your hands will be tied. I would think your hands would have to be empty most of the time. As far as the applications you thought of, I doubt anyone is willing to pay for this tech just to have a sketchy facial recognition. This maps bones anyways, I doubt it would do a bang up job on facial recognition. The natal is a replacement for a controller, and from the applications you thought of, it is a gimmick as well.