A.J. Jacobs of Parade -- along with his children -- recently got a chance to try out Project Natal. Here's the thing though, it's kind of hard to remember anything in the article once you've seen the accompanying video -- especially with Jacobs admitting he accidentally "smacked" one of his children during one of the mini-games. Still, Jacobs has some nice things to say about Natal, noting that it isn't "the invention of flight" that the Wii was, but rather "the invention of the jet engine."
After watching the video -- see it yourself after the break -- we hope he's right, because it certainly doesn't look like a jet engine. If anything, it looks like the people playing are standing behind a jet engine. We've had a few hands-on (or is it body-on?) experiences with Natal so far, and look forward to seeing how it's evolved in the past year once we step in front of its sensor at E3.
In related news, one of the games in the video appears to be River Rush, which was rumored back in April. The game has players riding in a raft and avoiding obstacles. Jacobs points out, however, that the demos he played may not actually be released as games.
Reader Comments (121)
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:03PM (Unverified) said
cant wait to do this with my family,
than have a good excuse in why my wife have a black eye.
Reply
than have a good excuse in why my wife have a black eye.
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:13PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
"Make me my dinner, woman."
"No, make it yourself."
"Don't make me get the Natal unit out......"
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"No, make it yourself."
"Don't make me get the Natal unit out......"
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:14PM DarrylKensley said
You have made my night. Im going to bed with a smile on my face.
Reply
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:15PM (Unverified) said
oops sorry babe you just got me pissed off,
I meant you just got in my way. didnt wanted to get your tooth loose.
Reply
I meant you just got in my way. didnt wanted to get your tooth loose.
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 11:19PM Crayola Q Pants ESQ said
F!@#$ = FIAHS, FLAHS? FIATS?
I can't quite work it out
Reply
I can't quite work it out
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 11:47PM Morisato13 said
He meant F!@$# as in flash. The main reason of getting a wife is to show her your junk at random times of the day, Every woman loves an exhibitionist.
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Posted: Jun 5th 2010 12:52AM (Unverified) said
Posted: Jun 5th 2010 1:59PM Extinction said
"Still, Jacobs has some nice things to say about Natal, noting that it isn't "the invention of flight" that the Wii"
We've had motion sensing before the Wii, dumbass
Reply
We've had motion sensing before the Wii, dumbass
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:06PM SliPaladin said
This is the most hilarious thing that I have seen in a while. Quick someone make a gif. of that woman waving her arms and legs around!
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Posted: Jun 4th 2010 11:14PM McDuckScrooged said
My sides are splitting after that, both the youtube vid and the animated gif are awesome. Didnt the guy think it might be a good idea to put the notepad down while having the seizure ?
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Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:08PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
I wonder if he owns a launch 360, and that's how he came up with the jet engine analogy.......
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Posted: Jun 4th 2010 10:45PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said
Oh it will for the first 10 mins until you say "fu** it" and grab a controller and play real games.
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Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:12PM Pure Black World Tendency said
Epileptic seizure joy for the whole family.
Reply
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 10:23PM Cap Morgan said
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. . . . . . . .. . . . . .,.-”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .“-.,
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Posted: Jun 5th 2010 2:46AM Special Agent Bob said
this calls for the highest level of fail
http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/c/ce/Quadfpalm.jpg
Reply
http://images.encyclopediadramatica.com/images/c/ce/Quadfpalm.jpg
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:19PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
Also, at least this shows off one of the main advantages of Natal over Move.
You can play with your entire family/group of friends without having to drop the cash for 4-8 move controllers and/or subcontrollers.
Reply
You can play with your entire family/group of friends without having to drop the cash for 4-8 move controllers and/or subcontrollers.
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:26PM Wiizer said
What I just saw was the exact opposite...
The thing could barely keep track of one person's joints, let alone a whole family. It's not even close to 1:1 in movement, and if there are hardcore games actually being released for this thing, they'll be completely unplayable...
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:35PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said
Well, in theory that's how it should work, anyway...
However, if it's janky...
Reply
However, if it's janky...
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:38PM Cypher FDP said
Yeah, I would LOVE to play games and shit with my friends and loved ones using the power of NATAL.
Flail little Jimmy with my fists, smack Grandma on the head, slap my wife across the room, kick young Sarah into a wall, punch Grandpa in the face...
I would LOVE to do that. THE FUTURE OF GAMING!
Reply
Flail little Jimmy with my fists, smack Grandma on the head, slap my wife across the room, kick young Sarah into a wall, punch Grandpa in the face...
I would LOVE to do that. THE FUTURE OF GAMING!
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 10:28PM Cap Morgan said
Wait Wiizer, how in the hell could you even tell about the tracking? If the flailing didn't distract you then the fact that the screen was maybe a 100 pixels big might make it a little hard to tell.
I'm not big on looking like an idiot but it seems like someones suffering from Natal envy
Reply
I'm not big on looking like an idiot but it seems like someones suffering from Natal envy
Posted: Jun 5th 2010 12:17AM Cap Morgan said
Ahh yes the 15 seconds at the end where the kid was standing in front of the TV and dad was off to the side (probably not being tracked right) so you could see part of the TV?
Maybe I'm just alone but sounds a lot like you guys are wanting to prove a point about your chosen console to me.
I'm not trying to argue that Natal is 1:1 but seriously though the two guys with PSN in their tags going off about Natal seems weak and transparent about your feelings before even watching the video.
Natal sucks but so does motion controls in general. I'm still getting used to using a controller instead of ASWD for some games so yeah I'm jaded but while it's fun for a change of pace, in general I want to use my hands.
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Maybe I'm just alone but sounds a lot like you guys are wanting to prove a point about your chosen console to me.
I'm not trying to argue that Natal is 1:1 but seriously though the two guys with PSN in their tags going off about Natal seems weak and transparent about your feelings before even watching the video.
Natal sucks but so does motion controls in general. I'm still getting used to using a controller instead of ASWD for some games so yeah I'm jaded but while it's fun for a change of pace, in general I want to use my hands.
Posted: Jun 5th 2010 3:06AM killer rin said
The Cameras Moving... How can you tell... I sure as hell Couldn't... if the camera is moving while having a TV show something it seem to show a delay, even-though it isn't
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Posted: Jun 5th 2010 4:00AM MrXBob said
@Wiizer - You clearly werent actually paying attention. If you stopped boiling with fanboy envy, trying to come up with something to hate, you'd have seen just how well it tracked them all.
Not to mention it's been shown in plenty of demos before with 4 people on screen all being tracked almost perfectly.
I'm amazed how many people think this is just another EyeToy. The technology in Natal if effing mindblowing, but most people would rather just hate on it because of these first few "games". Ridiculous fanboy nonsense.
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Not to mention it's been shown in plenty of demos before with 4 people on screen all being tracked almost perfectly.
I'm amazed how many people think this is just another EyeToy. The technology in Natal if effing mindblowing, but most people would rather just hate on it because of these first few "games". Ridiculous fanboy nonsense.
Posted: Jun 5th 2010 4:17AM WolfForager said
Mind blowing my balls, the Large Hadron Collider is mind blowing, the Hubble Telescope is amazing, the new nano machines that can harvest energy from the glucose inside a person's body are mind blowing. To me this is as mind blowing as the PSeye was back when it first came out, which wasn't very.
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Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:21PM Cerpin Taxt said
Oh. My. God. This is NOT the press Microsoft wants.
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Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:39PM Cypher FDP said
But I've always wanted to play as an epileptic victim!
NATAL seems like the perfect platform for such a game.
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NATAL seems like the perfect platform for such a game.
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 9:23PM SurlyDuff said
The reason this isn't being "reviewed" by games journalists is what exactly? Parade magazine? Seriously MS, are you going to forsake gamers the way Nintendo did? After we put up with your multiple RRoDs, price gouging, and DRM?
Its like dating a girl for five years, with her "saving" it for marriage, and then dumping your ass and drunkenly giving it up to the first d-bag she sees at a bar. Sure, MS will come crawling back at the start of the next generation, all apologetic, saying "I've changed." But by then I'll have moved on, along with my wallet.
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Its like dating a girl for five years, with her "saving" it for marriage, and then dumping your ass and drunkenly giving it up to the first d-bag she sees at a bar. Sure, MS will come crawling back at the start of the next generation, all apologetic, saying "I've changed." But by then I'll have moved on, along with my wallet.
Posted: Jun 4th 2010 10:35PM The angry pro consumer gaming ga said
"Seriously MS, are you going to forsake gamers the way Nintendo did? After we put up with your multiple RRoDs, price gouging, and DRM?"
Then don't buy their stuff, also by the time next gen comes around they already gouged you enough and you still happily handed your money over. I have only bought 1 and I mean 1 360 game new in over a year since I've gotten my PS3, and I've bought plenty for that system. 3 Xbox's is enough and the prices for accessories is the reason I switched over, I rent or buy used 360 exclusives and everything else gets bought new on the PS3.
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Then don't buy their stuff, also by the time next gen comes around they already gouged you enough and you still happily handed your money over. I have only bought 1 and I mean 1 360 game new in over a year since I've gotten my PS3, and I've bought plenty for that system. 3 Xbox's is enough and the prices for accessories is the reason I switched over, I rent or buy used 360 exclusives and everything else gets bought new on the PS3.
Posted: Jun 5th 2010 6:41PM incredibilistic said
I couldn't agree more. Parade getting first dibs is an insult to the gaming community. Makes Sony's decision to show Move at the GDC (instead of waiting 'till E3) that much smarter by getting the tech in front of game developers.
Even if there are games that require less ridiculous movement THIS is probably what the average person's experience will be like. And outside of exercise games for overweight soccer-moms hardcore gamers won't give Natal (or Wave if the rumors are true) a second look.
I smell an epic fail.
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Even if there are games that require less ridiculous movement THIS is probably what the average person's experience will be like. And outside of exercise games for overweight soccer-moms hardcore gamers won't give Natal (or Wave if the rumors are true) a second look.
I smell an epic fail.
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