Day zero of E3 was both a rather odd and exciting experience, but the same can be said for many past E3's. We saw John Cameron talk for 14 hours about a game we never actually got to see, Microsoft acheived yet another one-up on Sony by unveiling Metal Gear Solid: Rising and of course we got to say hello to Project Natal. While this new Microsoft camera had been discussed in some detail for sometime before E3, no one truly knew what they were going to do with such technology. Though I had a slight idea what to expect from this camera, I was still very eager to see it in action. Microsoft offered us a couple of demos which showed the Natal camera working and while it did indeed feel very 'EyeToy' like, the possibilities do seem quite varied.

That's potentially where problems with such a camera lie, it's all about the possibilites. We've seen past motion-sensing cameras fail to truly impress, though the new Natal Camera already looks to build greatly upon the features of any ordinary game-related camera. While the demos were indeed interesting, they honestly didn't win me over and the only thing that truly came across was Microsoft's need to tap into a Nintendo dominated market. It's worth mentioning that Microsoft's terrible advert for the camera didn't exactly help my general opinion, something about their adverts always sends a shiver down my spine. While I was questioning the general point of this new camera, it was what developer Peter Molyneux us showed that eventually picked up my interest. 

He introduced us all to Milo, a very pleasant British boy who would be perfect to play a part in the latest Harry Potter movie. Milo is technically an interactive figure who uses the Natal camera to interact with anyone who appears in front of it. Only a video from Lionhead Studios was shown, and I couldn't help but think that some of it was scripted. But it was also rather fascinating, while the idea of creating a virtual boy to talk to might seem a little on the creepy side to some. The technology 'could' be a big advance in the way we view videogames and potentially the types of genres we see in the industry. But it's best to be wary on what we were shown, Peter Molyneux did state that a number of special people would get to meet Milo themselves behind close doors. 

While watching the interaction between Lionhead's Claire and Milo, I couldn't remove the thought of how great a subject this would make for a horror film. It almost feels like the slight beginnings of artificial intelligence, this pleasant young English lad Milo. Will one day become so advanced that he starts questioning his existance and starts blowing up electrical appliances, eventually destroying the World. Ok, maybe I'm thinking about this horror film to much. But it honestly could make for an interesting new subject for Horror directors. As for Milo and of course the Natal Camera in general, we'll have to wait until we see it in greater detail to see if it is capable of such interaction and new methods of entertainment. You clearly get the feeling that this is early days for the Natal camera, and there is no chance of a 2009 release. 

Most gamers will still be sceptcal and I can't blame them. We've learnt that new technology rarely performs as it seems, take the whole issue of Red Steel and the Wii Motion controller. But it's an interesting technical development that we should be seeing more of in the coming months. A debate will rage on I'm sure of that, and I still can't remove the concept of this being a slightly better version of the EyeToy just yet. Hopefully I will be proven wrong and I'm sure the Natal camera as limitations we have yet to see. There is clearly great potential here, it just needs Microsoft to come up with more interesting concepts for it. Splashing water about isn't exactly a gaming revolution and we've seen it before. But it was Peter Molyneux's Milo Project that appeared to be the most interesting tech demo of this new camera and it's possibilities. Hopefully I'll been discussing the Natal Camera in future blogs.

Thanks for Reading, 

Joseph Bayliss (TrueEnglishGent)
(Twitter: JosephBayliss)