Project Natal

For those of you who have lives/jobs and weren't watching the Microsoft keynote address at E3, you missed the announcement of Project Natal, a motion sensor gaming apparatus that XBox 360 hopes will make controllers obsolete, beat the Wii, and give them some of that sweet, sweet casual gamer money. Unlike the Wii, Project Natal allows you to control the 360 with your entire body. You can navigate the menu by waving your hand around, and play games by moving your body, legs, and head too. This could be a game changer, but I have a few questions.

Question 1: Does it work?

This kind of goes without saying, but this is all meaningless if it doesn't work. I'm not at E3 and thus have not tried it, but the thing they used in the demo worked pretty effectively. But can it work that well in your living room? Can it improve upon the Wii's motion sensor (which I'd give about a B-)? I guess what this really depends on is the difference between trying to detect a controller and trying to detect a body.

Question 2: Is this an effective mode for gaming?

Another Wii-inspired question, but one that needs asking. There was a time when the Wiimote was going to revolutionize gameplay, but today all its good for lame gimmicks and mini-game collections. Outside of a few of the Nintendo regulars (specifically Galaxy and Zelda), there's really been no games that have found an interesting way to use the Wiimote and still functioned on a creative, artistic level. There's been 0 third party success, and very little success outside of the minigames or the youth-oriented games. And many games (especially third-party ports) feel like they've shoe-horned in motion sensitivity and it becomes a burden instead of a perk.

So is that the path that awaits Natal? Not necessarily. For one thing, the Wii has been hamstrung by its weak graphics engine. And the problem with most of the Wiimote controls is the boil down to wiggling or wanking (for lack of a better term) the controller, which feels pretty silly and asinine. Natal's 3D motion sensor could allow for more natural movement and a much larger range of options. But, then again, a lot of the Wii's games are just too simple-minded because they're made by hardcore gamers aimed at casual ones, resulting in gameplay that feels condescendingly straightforward. But this is a developer problem and Microsoft's developer outreach is still second-to-none. There's nothing inherently wrong with pursuing casual gamers, but the game still has to fun to play.

Question #3: Are we ready to move past the word "game" in "gaming console"?

I'm still not convinced that, even if Natal takes off, we'll be seeing Resident Evil 6 or Bioshock 3 played without a controller. And as Molyneux's presentation (as well as the paint thing) showed, the implications of Project Natal stretch far beyond playing games. Molyneux seemed to be interested in creating a crude, proto-Skynet with that vaguely creepy kid who will be your friend. There's also the simple way that a lack of a controller would change the way you navigate the 360. The microphone and camera could provide a new, Horizonsesque way of interacting with your friends. Add this to the fact that the 360 can now stream live TV (in the UK), play 1080p movies and TV on demand instantly, and will soon have Facebook and Twitter, we're heading towards a world where the gaming console is the media and social hub of your living room. However, since they said that the number of console owners is still under 50% (if my memory serves). Is pitching the XBox as some sort of family entertainment center the ay to get boxes in the rest of those houses? Can it beat the PS3 on that front (or, to ask that another way, does Minority Report-style menu control trump a BluRay)?

So, in conclusion, Project Natal is an interesting new development. However, for Microsoft to pull off what they want to pull off, they're going to need to pay close attention to where the Wii went wrong and make sure that Natal is an innovation, not a gimmick, that is supported by a broad cross-section of talented designers.

P.S. They also announced the first ten songs on Rock Band: The Beatles. No "Helter Skelter" or "Drive My Car" yet, but the picks are solid and the idea of being able to use up to three microphones to sing harmony is really cool. Here's the trailer.