I get the feeling that we have just participated in a dare — or the indulgence of a delusion. What else could explain the utterly insane spectacle that just took place in Galen Center here in LA? We were promised an experience. I experienced something, all right. Not something I’m in a hurry to experience again, I’m afraid. Those of you who weren’t present for this indecipherable boondoggle are probably wondering what the fuss is all about. The fact is there’s no fuss at all; the Project Natal Experience was a complete non-event — and I’d have said that even if the device, name, and launch titles didn’t all leak a couple hours before the show. But the fact also is that this was just too weird not to share. In detail. Do you like to read? Good. → Read More
This is interesting. Engadget’s live at D8 where Microsoft is showing off Project Natal. The funny thing is that the hardware looks surprisingly polished, a lot more so than the previous versions we’ve seen. Everything from the paint scheme to design cues scream production unit. But why spoil all the fun when E3 is just over a week away — unless Microsoft is showing off something a lot bigger than Natal. That’s our guess. → Read More
I sure hope for Microsoft‘s sake this isn’t true. Word on the street is that Project Natal (which won’t be the final name) will cost $150 and will launch in October. Considering Microsoft is aiming Natal at so-called casual gamers, what are the odds these people are going to shell out $150 to be able to play that paint-slinging game we’ve seen demoed over and over again? → Read More
In an interview with GamertagRadio, Microsoft Saudi marketing manager Syed Bilal Tariq reportedly spilled the beans on the launch date (well, month) of Project Natal, the Redmond company’s motion-sensing camera for the Xbox 360.
Not only did Tariq say that Project Natal would be hitting the market in October 2010, well in time for the holiday season, but he apparently also revealed that the launch would be global, or simultaneously in North-America and the EMEA region at the very least. → Read More
I’ve spent 4 full days here in Israel meeting tons of entrepreneurs and startup folks, but if I had to pick one company that made the biggest impression on me it would definitely be Omek Interactive.
The company, which unveiled itself to the public for the first time at the Techonomy 2010 conference held in Tel Aviv earlier this week, was co-founded by a couple over 3.5 years ago. Nevertheless, chances are you’ve never heard that name before.
Chances are you’ve heard of Microsoft’s Project Natal though, the fascinating controller-free gaming and entertainment product Microsoft showcased at E3 2009 in June 2009 and is reportedly set to launch at the end of this year.
Well, Omek is a tiny startup that aims to take the Redmond software giant on, their product is ready to debut starting today, and they’re only now starting to talk to press about their strategy and demoing their amazing technology. → Read More
If a notorious game industry news source is believed, Microsoft is announcing a redesigned Xbox 360 this year at E3. The systems will be physically smaller hence the slim name, but also sport a new predominantly black color scheme. The thought is a while Project Natal wouldn’t look so hot in front of a black TV and so the console is getting revamped ahead of Natal’s launch. → Read More
Looks like someone accidentally left Project Natal in a bar in Redwood City. An Italian site has what it claims to be photos of Microsoft’s motion-sensing controller thing “in the wild,” as these things go. → Read More
Pretty sure Crytek, of Crysis fame, is usually associated with blazing fast graphics cards and extreme edition processors, so color me surprised to see it embracing Microsoft’s Project Natal and Sony’s Move. Surprised and disappointed, to be exact—I shan’t be participating in this motion control business, that’s for sure. → Read More
It’s too early to say whether Natal will be a hit — too early to really even say if it works or not, really — but we know it’s captured the imaginations of gamers and developers alike. But apparently it didn’t impress Nintendo when they were (allegedly) pitched with an early version of the tech back in 2007. To be fair, it was in a rougher state than we have seen it, and of course Nintendo already had a working motion control technology and another in the works.
Still, it’s interesting to think what might have happened if the big N had snapped it up instead of the big M. → Read More
You knew this already, but Microsoft told the Guardian at CESlast week that there won’t be an Xbox 360 2 (“Xbox 720″) anytime soon. Microsoft would have told me this, too, but I wasn’t able to make my scheduled meeting. (My adidas meeting went much longer than I thought it would, if you want to know why. You probably don’t.) The point is, between software updates and Project Natal, we’re going to be stuck with the Xbox 360 for quite some time. → Read More
http://player.motionbox.com/VideoPlayer.swf? It’s not clear what level of approval this leaked video has from Microsoft, but my guess would be that there is plenty of testing like this going to to determine the feasibility of FPS games on Natal. If anything, it looks more awkward than playing with dual analog sticks, but given the right game design, it could work well. Something where precise movement is less important than intuitive interaction (the Penumbra series comes to mind) might just make this fly. → Read More
It’s too early to say whether Natal and the PS3 wand are going to be as fun as everyone hopes, but at least it’s not going to be a dry launch. In fact, it seems like developers are lining up around the block to take a crack at the new control methods.
I don’t know about you, but I find that refreshing. Just as long as it’s not Halo Natal. → Read More
There is a rumor swirling around the tubes this morning that Microsoft’s motion controller Project Natal will be $80 when it comes out next November. First off, there is no way that the Wii-killer be $80 based on precedents set by the current crop of Xbox add-ons. But more importantly, if the controller system is only $80, it will suck. → Read More
The Fable 3 announcement had creator Peter Molyneux saying he was throwing away the “foundation stone” of RPGs. Yeah, I thought, you’ve been saying that kind of thing for 20 years now buddy. Show me the money. And in a pleasant surprise, it looks like he may actually be doing that; he confirmed today that the game will use the Natal motion controller, which makes him probably the technology’s biggest on-the-record developer. He already hinted that this was the case, but now it seems that Microsoft is giving the go-ahead for making official announcements. → Read More
Maybe I’m speaking for the minority here, but I have to get this off my chest: Project Natal is sorta “meh,” no? I attended Popular Mechanics’ Breakthrough Awards for a few minutes last night, and they had on display Project Natal. It was that paint-throwing game. Now, I know that’s just a tech demo, but I left feeling a little concerned about its future. → Read More
When a company says they’d like to think they might make an announcement about some games four or five months from now, you know you’re in trouble. We were all hoping (against all rational thought) that we might at least get an idea of what’s coming for these new motion controllers by Christmas, but no. I guess that although Sega is one of the first to announce that they’ll be making an announcement, it doesn’t mean they’ll be the first with games out. So there’s still hope… → Read More
1up just had a little developer roundtable about the upcoming motion controllers (and, uh, the “leading brand” as well).While these guys are bound by diplomacy not to say stuff like “Sony is rubbish” or “Nintendo is going down,” they do make their feelings felt in slightly more polite terms.
The consensus seems to be that each has its own strengths (I know, boring) and that innovation is going to be slow in coming. → Read More
THQ, fresh off winning a whole bunch of dollars at the expense of toy maker Jakks Pacific re: WWE video games, said yesterday that Microsoft’s Project Natal will launch “late next year.” And if you believe that… → Read More
News from the East. It looks like Microsoft is all set to produce Project Natal-equipped Xbox 360s by the second half of 2010. Might as well circle your calendar. California-based Aptina will produce the 1.3-megapixel CMOS sensor required to get Project Natal up and running. (That’s it. Don’t click “Read More” because there isn’t more.) → Read More
I didn’t put it in quotes because he more endorsed it than straight up said it was happening, but I think we all know that if the big guy sees it happening, it’s probably happening sometime soon. Gates was talking about Natal in an broad and interesting interview over at CNET, and mentioned that Microsoft Research is deep into working on home and office implementations of the flashy stereo-camera setup. Great, because I’m planning on running Windows 7 for the next five years (or more, if it’s the next XP), and the touch and apparently motion controls being researched are making it a more and more versatile operating system than it already is. → Read More
