I like video games!!!!! does anybody else?

I think the thing has promise but the question I have is who has the room to play this thing?  Last time I checked, most people have a coffee table in front of the couch and not a huge open space.  I usually play the active wii stuff behind my couch out of the camera's  direct view.  Will be interesting to see if anyone makes anything that I'd want to play with the thing.

Yeah. I agree. Sounds like more video games for people who don't like to play video games. 

The technology is great but it dosnt belong on the Xbox; it should be the wii

I think this has potential. I wouldn't want to play any serious games like this, but I can see the fun and usefulness in it. And I don't think the eyetoy compares to this, it seems to be considerably more advanced and capable than that thing ever was.

I was checking some mainstream press and they're already picking up on the new Motion Controller, "Project Natal." So in Beatles fashion let's go "All you need is buzz. Buzz is all you need."

To people saying that the Milo trailer was way too scripted and fake, didn't they say they were having a closed doors demo with select people at E3? Or was that just for Natal in general?

What's funnier is people getting annoyed about it. The day MS replaces their controller with this device is the day I join the whine patrol.

Keep in mind how early in development this thing is. They still have hella bugs to work out.

I agree that this natal stuff (btw that name lame) won't improve games in the short run any time soon.  Maybe I'm not familiar with the technical capabilities of this stuff but I don't see how it can match the precision of classic controllers.

That being said, maybe in the future we will see games with very little need for precision control.

This may sound gross but I can see a lot of people getting addicted to versions of  "Milo" that look to be 23, hot, and will do anything you tell them on screen.  And of course, your hands are free...

I would tend to agree with what someone else said, I didn't HATE the Eyetoy, I think with enough thought the next step in eyetoy technology could be something interesting(though no, not for traditional games like FPS').  They may be overselling this as the future, but it seems like your only issue is that they didn't mention you COULD hold your controller while playing this, if you wanted to.

@Sunjammer

Like it or not, tactile response is diminishing. With Touch technology there is little 'feedback' given to the user that is not visual, therefore the next natural step would be something you didn't have to touch at all going by this trend. It stems from the exact same trend that makes everyone want a thinner phone or MP3 player.

I for one am for this project. It is ambitious, sure, and probably will struggle to deliver on the same level as shown but to all the people saying that this technology is too much for the machine, what are you basing this on? That the 360 can't possibly process the information of an input device like Natal (which is effectively a camera, sensor and mic) as well as some visual effects on the screen? You are aware we're in a whole new generation of consoles beyond the PS2, right?

It's not something which is going to change the 360's focus away from 'real hXc gamez' and this is totally evident in the fact that the show itself opened with a showcase of upcoming 'traditional' new titles. If anything this will work, in my opinion, as a nice counter balance hand in hand with the core games and delivering an experience which looks like some casual, party fun. Hell, I feel like painting an elephant now.

Anyone else remember a time when games were about having fun and enjoying new technology as it arrived? Hell I've been playing video games with a controller, keyboard and/or mouse since I was 3, I'm excited at the fact that there is an entire method of playing that I have yet to experience. Go for it, I say.

And to those of you that don't like it - stop acting like you'll have to buy it and that it's the end of your world. It's been less than 6 hours and I'm already getting bored.

This thread is bad, and you should feel bad.

I think some of you who are getting annoyed at those of us who are opposed to this thing think it's because we're being picky, or are stuck in the past or some crap. That's both untrue and unfair. Natal was presented in Microsoft's briefing as the be all and end all. They trotted people out in droves to tell us it was the most amazing thing ever and changes the world. There are multiple things wrong with this. First, the entire gimmick is a clone of existing solutions, with newer technology. Hardly a paradigm shift.

Second, all they have shown is clearly carefully controlled demonstrations (Some of which failed anyway). There is no proof that this crap will work properly in a real world environment yet. Third, and this is crucial, they're pitching it at entirely the wrong crowd. They're doing what Nintendo got dissed for at the last E3 (Pitching hard to the casuals). But Nintendo has an excuse: THAT IS THEIR MARKET AND HAS BEEN THIS WHOLE TIME. Microsoft have spent years courting core gamers, making them care about Xbox, telling them even in the same briefing that the Xbox 360 is their home for life, the best place for all their favourites. Naturally, those are the people paying attention to Microsoft's E3 Press Briefing then. Microsoft not only pitched the wrong product at them, they did it in a flagrantly insulting way.

"Insulting, WTF?" is a response I've gotten to that sentiment. Maybe some of you didn't mind, but to me (And some others) it was insulting. Partly because it presumed we all agreed with the MS position. As if their conclusion was obvious and the only rational one. It is neither the only conclusion, nor even the obvious one. Peter Molyneux, for example, stood and told us we hadn't really been enjoyng interactive entertainment. They dedicated time in the presentation to telling us the controller they themselves made and had used in that same presentation, was flawed, "a barrier". Having spent years telling us their hardware was the shit, that's insulting to our intelligence and to our tastes.

The games and apps Natal was demonstrated with (Excepting that Dashboard crap) were some relatively impressive eyeToy-esque Waggle Games (Yes, waggle Kudo. I'm not sure what planet you're on, but in my world, waving your arms in the air to naviagate a menu on a screen some 5 feet from your hand is Waggle). But that is it. They are nothing new or particularly impressive, and as Sunjammer has noted, the concept detracts significantly from the expereince of the game. These full-body games have never been good, because they're just so damn inconvenient. We use controllers for oter reasons than technical restrictions guys, games are fantasies. With controllers (Even those like Wii) we can do things our physical bodies can't feasibly do for real, or we can't safely do or whatever.

But probably the most offensive part was Peter Molyneux in general. I already highlighed his "fuck you" to the audience, but Milo is also a disgrace. Not only was it flagrantly mis-represented (Everyone knows it was a render Peter, we're not thick), even if it's real, it's not a good thing. There does not need to be a person simulator. It is a harbinger of the end of society if we are building digital people. Are real friends not good enough? Are you too lazy to go see them? No? Then stop playing with the creepy ten year old and go and see real people. I don't know what Molyneux thinks he's playing at, but it is not cool.

Yes, I am perfectly aware that they are not forcing us to use all this stuff, but if you cannot work out from the above why it makes me mad, I give up.

Step 1:
Add gloves that give you physical touch feedback for touching objects on screen.

Step 2:
Add 3D glasses so touching objects in the game seems more natural (as they would popout of the screen).

Step 3:
Add perspective to the games based on where your head is in relation to the TV (this could be done with infrared tracking technology, but only for one player per TV).

Step 4:
Market these ideas

Step 5:
Profit?

just go to this site for plenty more ideas:
http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/

I think they're relying on the technology itself too much. Having all this stuff is fine and dandy, what really matters is having a decent game to play with it. And given past experience, I don't see that happening with the breakout game.

To address the right/wrong audience issue, Microsoft is absolutely putting this tech up for the right audience when it's the biggest piece of E3 news that hits CNN. When they pair that with Facebook and Twitter integration, Netflix already in place, on a box that's 50 bucks less than a Wii, Microsoft is gunning for the broad audience that Nintendo enjoys. If they put some decent games behind this, those people will buy it. They've already shown that people will buy crazy hardware (Rock band, Guitar Hero, Wii Fit) if it comes with a cool game that uses the hardware well. If those games come, I'll probably buy one too. No diss to anyone here, but Microsoft isn't focused only on the Giant Bomb crowd, they want everyone at their party.

While I will say that Project Natal isn't exciting to me I will say that I applaud them for trying something new and somewhat different. If it works out it can be a pretty neat thing. I do like the controllerless menu nav and the voice control over the system.

the forum title made me laugh pretty hard

They clearly showed its going to be hell of alot more than an Eye toy, I don't care what you say Natal is a great way to implement motion controls for the 360 I mean hell all it is, is a little bar and it dose everything the whole wii system does and Lion Head shows what can be done with it later...you may not like it and thats fine...but you cant ignore what it means for the video game indestry.

In other words... there's always going to be competition.

Natal sounds like a pregnancy product o_o

When I saw the trailer, I thought I was blind or something for seeing nothing of value in it.
Everybody seemed to be saying how amazing it looked, which it certainly looks innovative.  Just tell me how the hell I'm supposed to get any lasting amusment out of it.
I certainly hope nobody gets the impression that this is the way of the future.  That would be a sad future indeed.

i think your response to it is funnier than the demo itself. this is entertainment, not life or death world issues bro. try and keep it in perspective.