Gizmodo: We tried to break Natal....and here is our conclusion


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http://gizmodo.com/5277954/testing-project...-the-intangible

So I floor it, growing confident as I wave through traffic and slowly build speed. I reach maximum velocity, throw my foot back to break, cut the wheel and toss the car into a spin. Yes. This feels right. Just right.

Holy ****.

But Natal can't work this well. It just CAN'T. I need to break it, teach this Microsoft prototype a little humility. What if I stand on my tip toes and steer eight feet in the air?

The car handles fine.

What if I kneel on the ground and steer?

Yup, it still works, save for a moment when my knee shifted and I tricked the machine?a fair mistake, even by my highly ridiculous dork standards.

Closing Thoughts

Matt: Project Natal is the vision of gaming that's danced through people's heads for decades?gaming without the abstraction of controllers, using your body and natural movements?which came more sharply into focus when Nintendo announced the Wii a few years ago. I haven't been quite this blown away by a tech demo in a long time. It looked neat onstage at Microsoft's keynote. Seeing it, feeling it in person, makes me want to believe that this what the future of gaming looks like?no buttons, no joysticks, no wands. The only thing left to get rid of is the screen, and even that'll happen soon enough.

Mark: 2010...or maybe even 2011...is just too long to wait. I want Natal now.

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Has there been a demo where the hand acts as a lightgun for shooters? I guess moving around would be the hard part there.

I think you're confusing Natal with Sony's demonstration.

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I actually liked that Gizmodo article, not usually a fan of their writing.

I would say the same. I enjoy the fact that MS is letting people really get after Natal. They just as easily could have shown the video demo and said no testing at E3 because it "wasn't ready" or something like that.

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Driving games like Burnout would suit this tech well, but how would it work with something like COD4?

it would really be fun throwing grenades, but i do not know how you would aim and shoot

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it would really be fun throwing grenades, but i do not know how you would aim and shoot

the only way i could make it work in my head is if 1 hand was hip fire the other hand was shouldering your weapon and both if you have a scope

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After reading that, man I am getting more excited about Natal.

Looks like Microsoft has really pushed the limits. Beating up Sony and the mighty Nintendo.

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I think you're confusing Natal with Sony's demonstration.

I haven't seen any of the demo's except for part of Natal (where the family plays some racing game).

I guess it won't work so well with shooters.

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After reading that, man I am getting more excited about Natal.

Looks like Microsoft has really pushed the limits. Beating up Sony and the mighty Nintendo.

Why do people keep saying this. Nintendo can do the same thing. All they have to do is license gestureteks patents. This company has the same exact tech. Its the DEPTH sensor that what really does everything (makes sure that it only tracks you and nothing else).

Yes this is cool tech but lets see if microsoft can release it soon and have the software to back it up. Remember nintendos biggest asset is its software not its hardware.

PS I own everything microsoft except a 360 ,(not a first person shooter fan) even a microsoft made router.

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how do you go forward/backward/turn sides in FPS without any buttons?? i dont want to yell FORWARD, TURN LEFT, JUMP all the time...... might feel awkward without any physical contact with controller...

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I still think it has nothing on the Vitality Monitor, c'mon guys is this full body control going to prevent a heart attack? I don't think so!

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Perhaps Nintendo can do the same thing, but it doesn't mean they will, and it doesn't seem like they have any plans to do so. Microsoft did work with the Xbox franchise and beat out one of their two competitors already, now they're going to do work and beat out the other. You're underestimating them. Not to mention I'd be willing to bet Natal will work better than anything Ninty can license. Microsoft has limitless resources and a ton of smart minds.

-Spenser

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Okay so 5 hours of sitting with your arms in the air like a steering wheel, thats known as punishment in the army.

you could say the same thing with Mario Kart racer on Wii

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how do you go forward/backward/turn sides in FPS without any buttons?? i dont want to yell FORWARD, TURN LEFT, JUMP all the time...... might feel awkward without any physical contact with controller...
You could do it in a few different ways, you could use hand gestures with your off hand to do gross movements (walking/running/crouching) and use your main hand to control shooting within a bounded box, and turning outside that box (you could easily have a quick calibration where you point at the top left and lower right corner of the television, then when you point inside the screen you're controlling the shooting cursor and outside the screen would change the view camera direction).

The games that succeed won't be mapping real actions over controller actions, they'll be mapping real actions to game actions. I think I would generally prefer the controller option, but Metroid Prime III proved that it can work with a pointing device as well. Time will tell.

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Okay so 5 hours of sitting with your arms in the air like a steering wheel, thats known as punishment in the army.

I'm pretty sure the game manual's say you should take a certain length break every so often.

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I still think it has nothing on the Vitality Monitor, c'mon guys is this full body control going to prevent a heart attack? I don't think so!

:pinch: :rofl:

I'm pretty sure the game manual's say you should take a certain length break every so often.

Pffft! Nobody reads the manual, bro. Come on now.

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Perhaps Nintendo can do the same thing, but it doesn't mean they will, and it doesn't seem like they have any plans to do so. Microsoft did work with the Xbox franchise and beat out one of their two competitors already, now they're going to do work and beat out the other. You're underestimating them. Not to mention I'd be willing to bet Natal will work better than anything Ninty can license. Microsoft has limitless resources and a ton of smart minds.

-Spenser

Wow your talking about nintendo here. The one who has been making TONS of money , who has been outselling both microsoft and sony. A company that helped bring back gaming in the 80's.

Have you even been to gestureteks website? They have the tech that does exactly what microsofts does. When I mean exact I mean exact. Microsofts camera for the 360 (the other one) was licensed from this company. I wouldnt doubt that the NATAL tech was licensed from this company also.

Nintendos strongest asset is their software development. Wii sports made it big because of its simplicity . Your underestimating nitnendo.

Also if microsoft was doing so well they wouldnt be having trouble in japan.

Just go look at all the research nintendo did on the wii motion plus. Go read the newest iawata asks. they even did research on what would happen to the sensors if water got onto it. This natal thing shows microsoft rushed it or they would have had a real ready to release product to show off at e3.

Microsoft said themselves they have no software for it yet.

People are getting way ahead of themselves.

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I actually liked that Gizmodo article, not usually a fan of their writing.

I understand what your saying since Giz is often biased and many times shown hate towards Microsoft. But, reading this affirms why Project Natal is legit and not just some vaporware. While I have a Wii, I will consider buying an xbox360 when this comes out.

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