| Immersive tech from Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo: Project Natal, PS3 Motion, Wii Vitality Sensor |
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| Written by Alexis M. (Rivithed) | ||||
| Wednesday, 03 June 2009 | ||||
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Toss that archaic D-pad controller aside. One thing that all of the big three (Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony) have up their sleeves is immersive interactive experiences. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all have their ideas on how they will reach a bigger gaming audience. To them that means no complicated controllers. Or no controllers at all. See what Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony are proposing with their newly announced immersive tech out of E3 2009.
Microsoft Xbox 360: Project Natal What it is: Camera with depth sensor and microphone From Microsoft: Compatible with any Xbox 360 system, the “Project Natal” sensor is the world’s first to combine an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi-array microphone and custom processor running proprietary software all in one device. Unlike 2-D cameras and controllers, “Project Natal” tracks your full body movement in 3-D, while responding to commands, directions and even a shift of emotion in your voice. In addition, unlike other devices, the “Project Natal” sensor is not light-dependent. It can recognize you just by looking at your face, and it doesn’t just react to key words but understands what you’re saying. Call a play in a football game, and players will actually respond. Want to log onto Xbox LIVE? Simply step in front of the sensor. “The next step in interactive entertainment is to make the controller disappear,” said Steven Spielberg, visionary director and producer. “With ‘Project Natal,’ we’ll see games that bring everyone together through technology that actually recognizes us.”
From Sony:
What it is: Wii Remote add-on heart/pulse monitor Nintendo's presentation of the Wii Vitality Sensor seemed more like a "what-if" presentation. What if you could monitor the gameplayer's pulse? What if you could tell is someone was really nervous? There was no demonstration of it applied to any game or tech demo. Maybe this is something that would tie into the Wii Fit exercises? Or an RPG? Nintendo's Wii system has been about motion controls and immersion from the start, but it's once again leading into a whole other zone of the game player: the mind and emotion. Who knows where Nintendo, or its developers, will go with this one. Much more remains to be unveiled.
Will this technology succeed? Remember Xbox LIVE Vision? You're in the Movies? PlayStation Eye? EyeToy? These should all be lessons learned for the big three. None of them had major breakthroughs in the mass market, even though they did away with the controller. It all comes back to the basics on what makes gaming technology successful. How can, and will, game developers support the technology and prove their mass appeal? If it doesn't have games to back it up, then it's bound to be short-lived. Microsoft and Sony had interesting presentations, but no major game titles applied to it. Look at what MarioKart Wii did for Nintendo. It proved a recognizable game property can be applied to an immersive motion-controlled experience of driving. Maybe we'd be more convinced if Microsoft could prove Project Natal could work on a Halo game or Sony could show the PS3 Motion Controller in a God of War game. If the technology can't apply itself there, how can it convince the masses? Share your thoughts about Project Natal, the PS3 Motion Controller and the Wii Vitality Sensor with your comment below! We'd love to hear what you think about them, so share your thoughts!
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