Posts Tagged ‘project natal’
Michael Pachter predicts Project Natal to cost 50 bucks
Now I’ve never been one to put much stock into the speculations of industry analysts but Michael Pachter has a good track record and his latest analysis is one I like, so I shall tell you about it — Pachter predicts that the motion sensing technology from Microsoft currently entitled Project Natal will cost no more than $50.
He elaborates by saying that Natal is just a single camera and when compared to the PlayStation Motion Controller it will most likely cost a great deal less as Sony’s offering is both a controller and a camera.
Whatever the case, Microsoft is going to have to price Project Natal very competitively as it is essentially an add on for the Xbox 360 and they will have to do so to keep up with both Sony and Nintendo.
via industrygamers
Future Epic titles to have “some Natal support”
More proof that Project Natal will be adopted by well rounded game developers? In a recent interview with OXM,VP of Epic Games, Mark Rein, spoke about the future of Epic in terms of Project Natal.
Below he comments:
“I think any future Xbox games we make will have some Natal support. We always want to have something that exploits the unique capabilities of a platform.”
So, ever though he said it will have Natal support, the key word there is some; that means it could be anything from just a mini game to full game control.
MS’s Phil Spencer: motion control ’should become a part of gaming’
Kotaku recently sat down with Microsoft’s Phil Spencer to have a bit of a chat about the forthcoming motion controllers and what consumers can expect from them. Spencer, for one, is very optimistic about motion controllers’ future saying we will most likely seeing them accompany consoles in living rooms everywhere.
Below is a quote from Spencer regarding his stance on the subject:
“Much like with multiplayer, I think it will become the norm. If you are a racing game without multiplayer the game just didn’t sell. We think that motion control, we think voice recognition, should become a part of gaming as well.”
While I agree, motion control is definitely the future (showcased by the Wii’s success) I don’t know how fast the generation of gamers who grew up with a normal control will move on. For instance, playing Halo with Project Natal? Sounds like a nightmare to me.
Project Natal’s implementation into older titles doable, but too tedious
If you were hoping to hop on some Call of Duty 4 or Halo 3 and utilize Project Natal, your hopes and dreams may have just been smashed. Microsoft’s Kudo Tsunoda let us in on the bad news and said that while Project Natal devs were able to implement the control into titles such as Space Invaders Extreme and Beautiful Katamari it required a large portion of code to be modified.
So, this means that while it technically is possible to have games such as CoD 4 and Halo 3 work with Project Natal it would not be something the game’s developers would be able to do with a simple downlodable patch. I guess we’ll just have to cross our fingers and hope Bungies puts Project Natal to use in Halo: Reach.
Read (Destructoid)
Square Enix’s Yoichi Wada: New Wii in 2011, motion controllers for Xbox/PS3 not a big deal
Square Enix’s President and CEO Yoichi Wada has recently went on record to say that he strongly believes Nintendo is gearing up to launch their next generation Wii sometime next year. He doesn’t go into much detain but does suggest that the console could possibly feature a completely redone controller in addition to high definition graphics, which would make sense.
Furthermore, Mr. Wada has also said that while the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 motion controllers are cool, they probably won’t make much of an impact. He elaborates by pointing to the fact that game consoles now have a wide array of uses from a network terminal to a Blu-ray player and that the list of things you can do with these new motion controllers is quite small.
Read (Financial Times)
Microsoft looking to hire 18 employees for Project Natal
If you’re looking to get in on what is sure to be one of the hottest game releases of 2010, you should check this out — Microsoft has recently put up a web page letting us know that they are looking to bring 18 new developers on board to develop exclusively for their forthcoming motion controller codenamed Project Natal.
Of course, the jobs are all based out of Redmond, Washington where Microsoft Game Studios is headquarter so those not willing to relocate need not apply.
via joystiq
Red Steel 2 developers wouldn’t mind the game on other consoles
Red Steel 2 is shaping up to be a great game but just how many people will get the chance to play it remains unknown considering it is being released on only one console; the Wii. Sure, the Wii has sold ridiculous amounts of consoles but it’s generally hypothesized that the majority of those sales were to the casual players. Considering Red Steel 2 is what some would call a “hardcore” game, it would only make sense that Ubisoft would bring it to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 but that wasn’t a possibility up until both Microsoft and Sony announced their own motion controllers.
Well, it seems that Joystiq recently sat down with the creative director of Red Steel 2, Jason VanderBerghe, and questioned him of the possibility of seeing the title appear on other consoles. He responded that he would love to see the Red Steel franchise appear on other consoles but ultimately the decision would be up to Ubisoft.
Red Steel 3 with Project Natal? Count me in.
7 min Playstation Motion Controller video walkthrough
What you see above is a recently released 7 minute video detailing the PlayStation Motion Controller. While we heard briefly about the technology at this year’s GamesCom, we haven’t heard anything too substantial since its E3 ‘09 announcement.
However, this video may fill the void as it gives us a look at the controllers history, technology and a brief look at some early software. The interesting tidbit included in the video, however, is the fact that the Playstation Motion Controller will include both rumble capabilities and an analog trigger.
Well, Natal, are you scared yet?
Natal demo games based on Unreal Engine 3
If you followed this year’s E3 you may remember the live demonstration of Microsoft’s Project Natal where two different game demos entitled Paint Party and Richocet, were showcased. If you’ve seen said demos you were sure to have noticed that they featured some rather impressive physics.
Those impressive physics could be attributed to none other than Unreal Engine 3. This realization was made known during an OXM interview with Epic’s Mark Rein.
Sure, it proves that Unreal Engine 3’s capabilites are still prevalent years after it was released but the real gem here is that current game engines could in fact support the new motion control technology. This inevitably means that game developers will be able to create immersive Project Natal games without much difficulty.
Videos of the Paint Party and Richochet demonstration from E3 ‘09 included after the break.
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PaRappa creator speaks of Natal’s musical potential
There’s a seemingly endless list of possibilites that Microsoft’s Project Natal could be used for but it seems that the developer behind PaRappa the Rapper, Masaya Matsuura, sees immense potential in one such possibility: music.
Mr. Matsurra was recently quoted to have said, “We are thinking about ideas, I think any kind of interaction will be good for music games, but the important thing will be how can we find the new breed of gameplay.”
Don’t go thinking this will be just another Guitar Hero/Rock Band rip off as Matsurra feels that genre of gameplay is covered quite well, “There is other attractive music, so pleas try to find another style, another interation, another gameplay with another type of music.”
What could Matsuura and NanoOn-Sha be cookin’ up? Only time will tell. Then again, it looks like PaRappa and Chop Chop Master Onion are playing a motion-controlled game in the above screen shot. Could there be a connectoin?
Project Natal coming to PC as well?
If a recent interview with Bill Gates is anything to go by, the PC may be getting support for the Xbox 360’s Project Natal at some point in the future.
While he didn’t actually confirm that the technology would be used for the PC he said that it is not just for game buts “media consumption as a whole”. Furthermore, he talked about the possibility of using Project Natal in the the office which adds kindle to the fire because (besides pro-gamers and others) who uses Xbox 360 for their work machine?
Anyways, Project Natal is still a ways off which means that a PC adaptation is probably even farther off.
Read (CNET)
EA’s FIFA 11 to incorporate motion-sensing?
When the first Project Natal promotional video hit the scene it featured a clip where two people were playing a soccer game using the technology’s motion-sensing. At that point, it was just a vision but now it seems it may be closer to reality.
When asked if motion-sensing would be incorporated into EA’s FIFA 11, the series’ producer said that it is possible. On the flip side, David Rutter, exec over at EA, was quoted to have said that no, the technology won’t be incorporated. So, which one is it?
Don’t get this confused with the soon-to-be-released FIFA 10 as that title has been confirmed to not utilize either Project Natal or the Playstation Motion Controller.
FIFA 10 will be out for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3 and Wii, among others, on October 2nd, 2009.
Read (VideoGamer)
Epic Games Not Dropping Controllers
With every console manufacturer to soon have their own motion sensing peripheral the question remains as to where the classic controller will be after the dust settles. Some say it’s not going anywhere, while others are more hopeful about the possibilities of motion controlled gaming. While both the Wii and Sony’s offerings involve specific controllers, Microsoft’s Project Natal takes the controllers out of the equation altogether, using cameras to monitor players movement.
As both Bungie and Epic games had been given then chance to play around with the features of Natal well before its announcement, the question has been posed as to whether or not Natal controls will feature into their future titles with both Halo: Reach and Gears of War III on the horizon. Epic’s Cliff Bleszinksi says that though they’re keeping an open mind, he thinks it’s unlikely: ”Y’know, we’ll take a look at Natal–no promises–but it’s likely that the classic control interface is what Epic will be working on in the foreseeable future.”
He did admit as many have that in some ways Natal could be used in conjunction with the existing controller: “ I think there’s ways that you could merge the two interfaces and supplement a classic game with Natal controls to make something compelling.” Thus far the camps seem divided along more or less predictable lines with casual game focused companies more interested in motion devices and the rest looking at them with either mild interest or utter disdain.
Halo: Reach May Use Natal
While discussing the gameplay differences between the upcoming Halo3: ODST and the original trilogy Bungie Studio president Harold Ryan says the studio got an early look at Microsoft’s Project Natal and that he says it could be used for the next Halo title: ”I absolutely think ‘Reach‘ could be enabled with it.” Of course this is far from any confirmation that the camera-based motion sensing device is going to be part of the Halo prequel, but it’s certainly an interesting possibility.
The device could be used in cooperation with a controller or on its own for certain portions, though to play the game entirely through gestures isn’t likely. To bank the potential success of an upcoming Halo game on the install base of an as-yet unreleased peripheral would be a huge risk, though the potential for interesting control scheme combinations does make this possibility quite interesting. Imagine controlling a vehicle by leaning side to side while controlling the turrets and assorted weaponry using the controller.
Microsoft CEO apologizes for misleading Natal statement
Earlier this month Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was caught stating that a new Xbox 360 console will be released in 2010 sporting a built-in camera and a new interface. Shortly after, Microsoft proceeded to say that the executive was mistaken and that there will be no new console in 2010.
Well, it looks like Ballmer is back this time apologizing for his “misleading” statement saying, “I confused the issue with my poorly chosen words. There is no news in my comments. Things are as reported after E3. Sorry”.
Natal hopefuls need not be discouraged as the motion-sensing camera is still (presumably) slated for a release sometime in 2010. As for a new Xbox console? Probably not.
Read (Joystiq)