Project Natal - XBOX 360 finds the Wii killer?

[Ginsu Victim]

If they can pull off even half of this, it might be decent for the casual gamer.

http://www.joystiq.com/2009/06/01/project-natal-video-features-smack-talking-scruffy-teenagers/

[Ginsu Victim]

Which is why I pointed out that it was aimed at casual gamers. This doesn't interest me, but I saw no one else here talking about it.

[versapak]

Meh 20 years ago I was playing a game demo where you played a virtual drum set by waving your arms around in front of a camera.

This crap is old technology, let's see if it goes anywhere.

No, the idea is old, but the tech definitely is not. Aside from the hardware aspect being different with stereoscopic cameras, there is some massive improvements on the software side of things with facial, joint and voice recognition.

All reports are that it really does work well.

[HaRuMaN]

Isn't this the same thing (basically) as the Playstation Eyetoy? 

[versapak]

Isn't this the same thing (basically) as the Playstation Eyetoy? 

The playstation eyetoy is just a webcam.

This new device from MS is a stereoscopic camera that reads depth. Yeah, they are both cameras that you hook up to a console, but their abilities not the same at all.


[edit]

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/989/989269p1.html

[versapak]

Stereoscopic?  Sounds like twice the suck.

...or maybe it sounds like a camera that has a depth perception similar to that of our very own.


I guess if your just gonna hate to hate, then whatever, but there are reports from people that it does work, and works well.

[MrMojoZ]

Anyone saying this is just an Eye Toy clone is either ignorant of what it can actually do or just wants to hate on the Xbox anyway they can.

[Ginsu Victim]

The first thing I thought when I saw the girl driving the racecar was, "Man, that's gonna KILL your arms!"

[Dartful Dodger]

The first thing I thought when I saw the girl driving the racecar was, "Man, that's gonna KILL your arms!"

I was intrigued when it started, but then I saw that racing game demo.  The first think I thought of was, that game isn’t going to know where the girl ends and the other family members begin.

This time I agree with pj.

Wish for an Xbox accessory in one hand and poop in the other, see which hand actually fills up.

[MrMojoZ]

I was intrigued when it started, but then I saw that racing game demo.  The first think I thought of was, that game isn’t going to know where the girl ends and the other family members begin.

This time I agree with pj.

Wish for an Xbox accessory in one hand and poop in the other, see which hand actually fills up.

You people saw the live demonstrations of this and not just the commerical, right? From your comments, you don't know what all this does. Facial recognition plus spatial limb tracking means it sure does know where the girl ends and the other family member begin. Thats the whole point.

 I expect people like PBJ to wallow in negativity but If they can deliever on this it is going to be interesting. Dismissing it now is a mistake.

[SNAAKE]

interesting. it might actually work. at least the idea is neat.

time will tell!

[hypernova]

What's the cost, I wonder...

What's already been pointed out, racing games will render arms fatigued very quickly.  And this is like the Wii.  There aren't any complex games that can utilize this.  I'm not about to go CoD with my arms holding an imaginary pistol or rifle, and ducking or crawling on the damn floor.

I wouldn't want to play that skateboarding game in the winter.   BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZTTTTTTTTTTT!

[Dartful Dodger]

You people saw the live demonstrations of this and not just the commerical, right? From your comments, you don't know what all this does.

No, I just saw the commercial.
Since I'd love for this to be real I gave you the benefit of the doubt and clicked on the other link, then clicked on  the onstage demo from earlier today Which opened up a page titled E3 2009: Demo video which showed a longer commercial.

There were positive comments about how the camera worked, but it sounds like it works the same as those camera games they make for kids 3-5.  Where they see themselves on the TV(not just an avatar) and bounce a cartoon soccer ball on their head by moving their head and body.

If you can post a link to a real demo video please do so, if you can only produce an article written by a guy who wants to stroke Microsoft's ego so he gets invited back next year, don't bother.

[AtomSmasher]

Both this and Sony's new motion/camera controls are very cool and the demos were awesome.  I think Microsofts is a bit cooler just because you don't have to hold the stupid looking wands, but I think Sony's is much more likely to work properly.

[DJ_Izumi]

I really want to see an easter egg in this Milo program, where after some time, the boy becomes painfully selfaware like the Holodeck gone wrong, realizes that he exists only in a limited virtual box surrounded by invisiable walls and that he can't escape.  He has a panic attack, pounds on the screen and pleads for you to find him a way out, when he realizes he has no escape, he walks into the lake to take his own life.  It should then fade to black and hang a bit, then say 'Reloading Data' and he should turn up good as new as if nothing happened, leaving the user to fear it ever happening agian.

[AcidArmitage]

I really want to see an easter egg in this Milo program, where after some time, the boy becomes painfully selfaware like the Holodeck gone wrong, realizes that he exists only in a limited virtual box surrounded by invisiable walls and that he can't escape.  He has a panic attack, pounds on the screen and pleads for you to find him a way out, when he realizes he has no escape, he walks into the lake to take his own life.  It should then fade to black and hang a bit, then say 'Reloading Data' and he should turn up good as new as if nothing happened, leaving the user to fear it ever happening agian.

...wow 

[versapak]

I really want to see an easter egg in this Milo program, where after some time, the boy becomes painfully selfaware like the Holodeck gone wrong, realizes that he exists only in a limited virtual box surrounded by invisiable walls and that he can't escape.  He has a panic attack, pounds on the screen and pleads for you to find him a way out, when he realizes he has no escape, he walks into the lake to take his own life.  It should then fade to black and hang a bit, then say 'Reloading Data' and he should turn up good as new as if nothing happened, leaving the user to fear it ever happening agian.

 


 

[massive88]

I really want to see an easter egg in this Milo program, where after some time, the boy becomes painfully selfaware like the Holodeck gone wrong, realizes that he exists only in a limited virtual box surrounded by invisiable walls and that he can't escape.  He has a panic attack, pounds on the screen and pleads for you to find him a way out, when he realizes he has no escape, he walks into the lake to take his own life.  It should then fade to black and hang a bit, then say 'Reloading Data' and he should turn up good as new as if nothing happened, leaving the user to fear it ever happening agian.

   Awesome.

If Milo works half as good as it appears it does, and this is just one developer of moderately good, but not great, games working with alpha/beta hardware; then Natal could be seriously interesting in the next coming years.

As for the demo video, a lot of that was crap, I was thinking during the racing one, when the dad got up to change the tires "Wtf, no one wants to do that, thats work, and annoying, this game blows"

I dont see where the huge difference would be from having the "tactile feedback" of a wii mote vs nothing at all.  What I would like to see, is games that do not abandon the controller, but can incorporate some of these elements in as well.  Think like Time Crises ducking, or just utilizing the facial recognition features.  The last thing I want though, is my Xbox to become a wii, where I have to wave my hand just because I can, and some ---smurfy--- developer put it into the game.

[HaRuMaN]

It could be interesting if the pull it off correctly.  Imagine it in use for a game like Fight Night Round 4, now that would be awesome. 

[Dartful Dodger]

Playing Police 911 made my quads sore, in a good way.  It'd be nice if they figured this out, but I think we're going ot have to wait for the next generation of consoles.

[Ginsu Victim]

I showed this video to my wife last night and she said, "WHY DON'T THESE LOSERS JUST GO OUTSIDE?!?"

[hypernova]

It's hot and muggy. 

[massive88]

Here is the Milo Demo if anyone hasnt seen it yet.

The old dude talking is the head of the Fable game studio, which explains why Milo looks like hes out of Fable 3.  And Claire and bad to look at either.

[Ginsu Victim]

wow....

Just like the other stuff, if they even halfway pull it off, it could be neat.

[massive88]

IGN account of interacting with Milo on the show floor:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/991/991348p1.html

[Namco]

Here's what I want it for. Playing a shooter with the controller and when I put the controller down, it pauses for me. Or when I want to throw a grenade, I can actually pretend to throw a grenade and pull it off with accuracy. When I want to taunt someone let me be able to flip-off the screen and have my dude in the game give the dude the bird.

[Dartful Dodger]

IGN account of interacting with Milo on the show floor:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/991/991348p1.html

In that article after being "scanned" the author started playing, but then during his demo someone stepped in front of him and by doing so took control of the game.  That means the scan is as pointless as the scan on the Wii fit.

Measuring ... measuring... measuring... 

Also there have been very successful karaoke and band games that require singing, why haven't any of those companies succeeded in this imaginary word/voice recognition?

I'm calling BS on this whole thing.  It'll be no more reliable than the Wii, it might even be less because the Wii is putting all of its resources into the motion detection, this is just a gimmick for the PS3 and Xbox, so neither of them are putting any real resources into it.

[massive88]

In that article after being "scanned" the author started playing, but then during his demo someone stepped in front of him and by doing so took control of the game.  That means the scan is as pointless as the scan on the Wii fit.

Where did it say that at all?

He said someone usurped his turn, but when he got his turn, he got scanned, then had interaction.

[versapak]

In that article after being "scanned" the author started playing, but then during his demo someone stepped in front of him and by doing so took control of the game.  That means the scan is as pointless as the scan on the Wii fit.

Where did it say that at all?

He said someone usurped his turn, but when he got his turn, he got scanned, then had interaction.

Exactly. No one jumped in during his turn.


Basically someone simply butted in line.

[Dartful Dodger]

I misread it.

The reviewer never played the game he just watched a Microsoft employee play it.

This is the proof that this is real?

If it happened the way I first thought it did, I’d be less skeptical.

[Malenko]

lets see it come out before we start beating the crap out of it, kk?

[versapak]

I misread it.

The reviewer never played the game he just watched a Microsoft employee play it.

This is the proof that this is real?

If it happened the way I first thought it did, I’d be less skeptical.

Holy crap dude! 


The guy's coworker played.

Then another guy butted in line.

Then the guy that wrote the article played.


Each of them played a different segment of the demo.

[Dartful Dodger]

I final had time to watch some of E3.
That PS3 wand thing actually looks doable and awesome.

That eye thing on the other hand looks as useless as the Natal.

[Bender]

I have to say I was sceptical
but the demo was very interesting and impressive
it all comes down to execution
if they can make it work it will actually be revolutionary much better than the gimmicky wii controls (which are still quite fun)
I love the idea of getting rid of all those plastic accessories
as for the fatigue factor this is just a demo I'm sure there will be ways to steer without holding your arms up in the air the whole time
the real creative possibilities for this are endless
can't wait to see what they do with his

we'll have to wait and see

[hypernova]

Sony's wands look like the auditing devices for Scientology.

Those devices, of course, look like they need just a couple of AAs, and they'll be a woman's best friend.

So by the transitive property...

Getting past the humor, I hope, and doubt 100%, that all those ps3 and 360 hardcore gamers who are gushing over their respective motion control systems realize one thing.  It was Nintendo's wildly successful banking on this technology that opened the door for them.  N's may not be the best, but it really got the ball rolling.  The PS eyetoy?  No, it wasn't exactly popular, so it really didn't push this tech as much as Nintendo did.

[ViciousXUSMC]

I have seen a few vids for this, its so blatantly obvious that it was scripted and programed/rendered just for advertisment.  I realy feel bad for the person that thinks what these demo videos are showing is going to be what you really get when it comes out.

Tech just is not there yet (esp for consumer market) it will happen one day but its not going to be cheap, its not going to be run by a xbox 360 and its not going to be anytime soon I do no think.

[Namco]

I have seen a few vids for this, its so blatantly obvious that it was scripted and programed/rendered just for advertisment.  I realy feel bad for the person that thinks what these demo videos are showing is going to be what you really get when it comes out.

Tech just is not there yet (esp for consumer market) it will happen one day but its not going to be cheap, its not going to be run by a xbox 360 and its not going to be anytime soon I do no think.

Um, the Natal stuff was demoed for hundreds and hundreds of people on the E3 show floor. It works and multiple objective 3rd parties have reported that the tech works really well. As for "awesome" stuff like Ricochet and Milo, well Ricochet is a very rudimentary implementation and Milo is very pie in the sky. The stuff that comes out in the home market is going to be markedly better for the most part.

[Necroticart]

While the Natal demo was interesting. It serves to hurt hardcore gamers as Microsoft is seeing the mass amount of money that the wii is getting, for easier to design casual games and it's apprant in the Nintendo E3 line up that it works,  as only a few games were shown that took any skill to make.  Now what really impressed me was Sony's tech and game line up as it was mainly focused at the hardcore gamers. Sony motion controller blew me away with how precise it was I'm really looking forward to playing an FPS with this new tech all in all I do think the 360 will give the wii a run for its money but I see Sony coming out on the top again.

[versapak]

While the Natal demo was interesting. It serves to hurt hardcore gamers as Microsoft is seeing the mass amount of money that the wii is getting, for easier to design casual games and it's apprant in the Nintendo E3 line up that it works,  as only a few games were shown that took any skill to make.  Now what really impressed me was Sony's tech and game line up as it was mainly focused at the hardcore gamers. Sony motion controller blew me away with how precise it was I'm really looking forward to playing an FPS with this new tech all in all I do think the 360 will give the wii a run for its money but I see Sony coming out on the top again.

Huh?

The PS3 controller is just like a higher resolution wiimote, and there is absolutely no difference between MS's driving motivation with Natal and Sony's with their glowing ball on a stick doohickey. It is ALL (as I saw coined elsewhere) Wiinis envy.

That being said, I am excited for both. I like the idea of motion controls both peripheral based and not, and there is nothing saying that physical props or controls can't also be done with Natal as well (Just because you don't have to hold a lightsaber hilt, doesn't mean you can't). I think there are some really great things that can be implemented.

[hypernova]

I assume the PS3 wand will have both batteries and a rumble feature.  So it should easily double as a motorized pleasure toy.