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Project Natal is the code name given to a new feature created by Microsoft for the Xbox 360 that allows users to interact with games using their whole bodies rather than a controller. The system uses an approximately nine inch wide horizontal bar that captures the motion of a players body and is also capable of detecting different voices and other real world objects (such as a piece of paper). Project Natal was first announced on June 1st during the Microsoft Press Conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Some of Microsoft's biggest first party developers are already working with Natal including Bungie, Epic and Lionhead.
It was also announced at the Tokyo Game Show '09 that the majority of third party developers are currently working with Natal including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ, and Ubisoft. Project head, Kudo Tsunoda stated to Destructoid that it is unlikely we will see many older games being compatible with Natal. For any completed title to be compatible would require significant recoding and wouldn't work by a simple title update.
as three live demos. In the demos, the player played a game called Ricochet where they use their body to hit balls in order to smash a brick wall. The next demo was Paint Party, where the player uses hand motions to paint a picture on a large piece of canvas. Finally, the last demo involved Milo, an
artificial intelligence that players can fully interact with on the television screen. It was created by Lionhead Studios and was presented by Peter Molyneux. As well as creating completely new, controller-less experiences for players, Microsoft has talked about using Natal along with a traditional controller to enhance the experience of games like first-person shooters or RPGs.
Project Natal is an upcoming peripheral for the Xbox 360 that allows users to interact with and play games using their whole bodies.
The camera used for Project Natal
It was also announced at the Tokyo Game Show '09 that the majority of third party developers are currently working with Natal including Activision Blizzard, Bethesda Softworks, Capcom, Disney Interactive, Electronic Arts, Konami, MTV Games, Namco Bandai, Sega, Square Enix, THQ, and Ubisoft. Project head, Kudo Tsunoda stated to Destructoid that it is unlikely we will see many older games being compatible with Natal. For any completed title to be compatible would require significant recoding and wouldn't work by a simple title update.
Applications
During the E3 2009 Microsoft Press Conference, a trailer was shown as well
Ricochet
The "Milo & Kate" demonstration
The Technology
The 3D motion sensing camera used by Project Natal is based upon what was orginaly known as the "ZCam" being developed by 3DV Systems. It is made up of a standard RGB color camera and a special infrared sensitive camera which is used to sense depth. When in use, the device emits pulses of infrared light into the room and senses the reflections created by objects or people in it which it can use to form a 3D map of the room. Natal then uses some complex human detection algorithms to sucessfully determine people from background objects. Thanks to these algorithms, the camera is able to detect even the smallest movements of a persons fingers and translate it into usable data for the Xbox 360.Project Natal games
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| Concept Name: | Project Natal |
| Appears in: | 1 games |
| First appearance: | |
| Aliases |
