ARTB

" 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. "