Microsoft Debuts Full-Body Controller-less Gaming At E3 242
quintin3265 writes "At today's Electronic Entertainment Expo press briefing, Microsoft unveiled Project Natal, a technology that eliminates the controller from gaming on the Xbox 360. In one demo, a player used her arms and legs to hit balls in an attempt to destroy a brick wall, and in another game, an employee threw virtual "paint" on a canvas to create a painting, even drawing an elephant using a silhouette feature. An accompanying video also demonstrated automatic login using facial recognition, videoconferencing with other Xbox Live members, and participating in a gameshow against another family through the Internet using speech recognition."
Activator (Score:5, Interesting)
Does anyone else remember the "Activator" controller for the Genesis/SNES? This sounds like an echo of that concept, but with updated technology that might actualy, you know... work.
Everything old is new again. Around and around we go...
Interactive Dance! (Score:1, Interesting)
In the late 1990's we'd always go to experimental installations and do the "interactive dance" where we'd jump and wave our arms around and look ape-shit crazy.... so I'm just waiting for the youtube videos shot from the perspective of the X-Box aimed at the players who look, well, like rather foolish jumping around and leaning and such...
Re:too much work (Score:5, Interesting)
I think the bigger announcement... (Score:2, Interesting)
...was that MS got Konami to make a 360 exclusive Metal Gear Solid franchise.
http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/988/988687p1.html [ign.com]
If /. is going to report anything about MS at E3 this was probably the biggest news at the conference.
Re:too much work (Score:5, Interesting)
Back when DDR first came out, one of my friends from high school bought it, and started playing it for 30-60 minutes every day.
In about 4 months, he went from a 220-lb pudgy kid, to a 170-lb lean, muscular guy. It was hugely impressive!
Be prepared for lawsuits (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:how? (Score:5, Interesting)
Well, the rumour was that they were going to use 3DV's cameras. Which essentially measure depth for each pixel, making it much easier to determine pose.
Re:too much work (Score:3, Interesting)
Back on my old Nintendo mat we used to run miles on that thing doing the track meets and other olympic stuff.
Forgot the name of that game, but you gotta hand it to Nintendo for the stuff they put out from the mat to the duck hunter gun to the bazooka in SNES to Wii.
Re:Not impressed... yet. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Targeted at Wii Users (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Activator (Score:4, Interesting)
I really doubt it'll get used on FPSes, just doesn't look like it'd work for that. How would you even move? You can't just walk around, the game world is most likely larger than the area in front of your TV. All the tons of extra actions will also require pretty unnatural gestures to be recognizable (e.g. cycling through the weapons)
Re:Not impressed... yet. (Score:2, Interesting)
Yeah, that video was just a mockup of what they think it might do some day (or pretend...), the live demonstration did have visible lag though.
Re:Targeted at Wii Users (Score:2, Interesting)