CNET: You can believe in Microsoft's Project Natal

CNET:

"About halfway through a closed-door demo I was in this afternoon of Microsoft's just-announced full-body motion-sensitive control system, Project Natal, another reporter told our host that he was skeptical of what he was seeing.

A minute later, after taking the virtual controls himself of the game "Burnout Paradise" and giving Natal a test, the reporter walked back over to where I was standing and when I asked him if he was still skeptical, he gave me a chastened look and said, "It's interesting."

[Mu5afir]

How can you have a title like "You can believe in Microsoft's Project Natal" and start your first sentence with "If that's true". Basically your telling us to believe in something, that you yourself aren't sure about. CNET stick to what your good at.. a dropping user base.

[Pennywise]

Cant believe in CNET.

[ChozenWoan]

but only in an all white room with nothing to distract it. Could just be me, but I'm noticing a lack of furnature, plants, and real world objects that could remotely through the system off... like fans to keep you cool while your up flailing your arms.

[NMC2007]

Allow me to finish that sentence for you.

"Can't believe in CNET, unless they are talking up a Sony product."

There we go, that looks much better doesn't it?

Wow @ the disagrees!

So if CNET says something good about the PS3 motion controller or anything else Sony has, then I am sure you all will be saying exactly what you're saying in here correct?

You PSFans are just the worst of the bunch, it's just weird how you all are, it's like you're from a distant planet or something.

[menoyou]

Lots of publications are saying that the Milo game (which was the the impressive part of the technology) isn't working as well as the video and that the person behind the laptop might be influencing the program.

I hope Natal comes out working great, but CNET is retarded and this just shows that they're fanboys.

[ultimolu]

"You can believe in Microsoft's Project Natal..." [CNET] emphasizes.

Nothing to see here folks, just another site praising a piece of technology that has yet to proven further.

Dread: Natal has potential but seriously, these articles need to stop making it sound as if Jesus himself made the damn thing.

[Xi]

http://www.n4g.com/events_e...

what about the lights being turned on and off?

Wow, talk about the sony parade coming in to try and lambast CNET for supporting a microsoft product. Didn't hear the complaints when they said sony had the best conference show...

[Dread]

wow

you sony fanboys cannot let a single article praising 360 alone without attempting to trash the credibility of the author.

it is getting out of hand. Cant u just accept that nadal has some potential, without acting like a fox news anchor and/or talking head.

i mean how can it possibly be that every single news outlet is just lying about this. do you think MS really pays everyone. Do you think Sony is a poor victim of bad press.

stop being such babies for a second. If you do not like Nadal fine, but stop crying every time some one says something positive about the damn thing.

peace

[Natsu89]

wiimote + natal = ps3mote(with eyetoy)

well let's face it! Natal is a copy of Eyetoy
and the Ps3 motion controler is a copy of the wiimote(s) combined with eyetoy

[Genesis5]

I think I'll sit on the fence with this one for a bit. I can really praise or citicize it until more is known. Though I do think the real product is further off than they are saying.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

To everyone that says that Natal is just an EyeToy copy, you should really read that article. This system has complex algorithms to figure out human motion and a 3D space mapping system.

EyeToy was 2D and there were plenty of things prior to EyeToy that did similar things as EyeToy. This is a significant step up, it is like comparing black and white tube TV with an HDTV.

All the reports so far is that this system works. I haven't heard anything else yet other than from the haters with no first hand experience.

[SaberEdge]

It really is ridiculous the way PS3 fanboys are responding to this.

Hands on time with Natal has journalists mostly praising it and saying it works. And obviously it is going to see improvements as the development process progresses.

One of the most pathetically dishonest tactics many PS3 fans are resorting to is to claim that Natal is just a repackaged Eye Toy. This is an insult to the intelligence of everyone in the gaming press, as well as every gamer that has seen and understands what it is about. Natal does a whole bunch of things that Eye Toy is not capable of at all. Not to mention that among the functions where there is some overlap Natal is more advanced. Moreover it is the software logic that brings all these capabilities together that makes it most impressive. Equating the two is dishonest and would be like comparing a Ford Model T to a Lamborghini and saying they are the same thing, just because they are both 'cars'. It really is a pathetic argument.

[ChozenWoan]

I ask because the system works mostly with infrared. In a hot room, your body temperature would begin to blend into the background. This would greatly affect the accuracy of the system if not kill it all together.

Regular lighting would have little effect on it, but a peice of paper flying in front of it could. Also, the PSeye solved this problem that used to plague the PSeyetoy.

[eagle21]

They think if they pay CNET money to write hype that everyone will just go crazy over this. WRONG. The 360 isn't selling like Wii at $50 less ($199). What makes them believe that people will pay for what is obviously costly for a company like Microsoft to even make? :)

[Xi]

why does it have no problem with having multiple people standing next to one another, or people passing in front of the play?

[GWAVE]

People were too easily wooed by Project Natal. Just go and watch the EyePet demonstration and you'll see that it does everything Natal boasted about...except that it's coming THIS year and it uses the CURRENT Eye camera.

I'm not saying Natal sucks or anything, but praising the thing based on these gameplay demonstrations is ignorant to the fact that this sort of stuff can be done (and is already being done) on the CURRENT Eye camera for PS3. I guess this is yet another example of something being "casual" or "pointless" if it's on the PS3, but once Microsoft grabs it and dresses it up, suddenly it becomes AMAZING!!!

[JokesOnYou]

If you're sick of hearing all this positive NEWS ABOUT NATAL you could simply avoid those particular news threads and I suspect sony extremists like you would sleep better at night too.

JOY

[All Time Greatness]

haha Sony fanboys think their extremist opinions on N4G matter...or anyone even reads/believes it. It's pure desperation.

It's hilarious. No one cares what you think and all the good articles after E3 speak for themselves.

[rockleex]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Well BAM! There it is!

Seriously though, Natal maps out a virtual skeleton of your body into the game.

The problem with skeletal mapping is when you turn sideways, Natal will NOT be able to detect the other side of your body. Therefore it will misinterpret which of your limbs is which. Hence the Avatar's body getting so messed up after the guy spun around quickly.

[SaberEdge]

You're full of it, GWAVE. The current PS Eye cannot do a great many things that the Natal technology can do. Have you even read the article? Or any article on the topic? If you have, I don't know how you can sit there and try to pass off this nonsense that the two technologies do the same thing.

I'm not going to waste my time listing all the things Natal does that PS Eye cannot do at all, because it is all there for anybody to read for themselves.

Let me just ask you one thing. If this Natal technology is really not much different than Eye Toy or PS Eye, why in the world would a company like 3DV Systems spend huge sums of money in research and development to create such a technology? I'll tell you why. Because it was truly something new.

[Buttons]

More like 'Can't believe in journalism'.

Scratch that, more like 'humanity'.

[Delive]

My thoughts on your comment.
If they said something positive about Sony's motion control, I would believe it more because from what I saw, Sony demonstrated their product in a more tangible way. Their demo looked real and like it would be used in fun, diverse ways.

MS showed concepts and ideas brought to life by pre-created videos. The actual demo showed was the breakout and the bottom of the Avitar's foot.

[evrfighter]

"Nothing to see here folks, just another site praising a piece of technology that has yet to proven further."

LoL it must get pretty tiring having to do major damage control here @ n4g like everyday...

Or is it that you've grown so accustomed to it that you don't even know you're doing it anymore =\

Do you even play games?

[cherrypie]

"Lots of publications are saying that the Milo game (which was the the impressive part of the technology) isn't working as well as the video and that the person behind the laptop might be influencing the program. "

+8 Agree? What planet does N4G exist on?

I defy anyone to provide a link that actually says that. Not even "LOTS" but **ANY** who would say such a thing. Basically, you're saying that they are committing FRAUD. They're committing a fracking hoax? Is this what you are saying? +8 Agrees? Get stuffed.

Every preview -- Eurogamer, BBC, Time, Joystiq, Wired -- has said that Milo was a "killer app", worked as shown and/or suprised them.

Eurogamer's people told Milo a joke (a bad one mind you) and it *knew* it was a joke and laughed FFS.

Eurogamer: OK. Milo?
Milo: [Looks up, smiles and nods]
Eurogamer: Bloody hell. Er, OK. A Times New Roman walks into a bar. The barman says, 'We don't serve your type.'
Milo: [Giggles]
Eurogamer: Bloody hell.

Peter Molyneux: Now, he didn't really understand every word you said, but from the tone of your voice he guessed you were telling a joke.

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

I mean **REALLY** you people just come in here and make shiat up, and then because it fits the SDF-fantasy-worldview it gets all these agrees? *WTF* planet are you people on?

@1.3
"wiimote + natal = ps3mote(with eyetoy)"
Natal is a 3D audio/body tracking (cameras). Eyetoy is none of these.

"Natal is a copy of Eyetoy"
No. Eyetoy is a "copy" of the very same thing available on PCs for **YEARS** before Sony "copied" it for PS. Further, Xbox LIVE Vision == Eyetoy. They are totally unlike Natal in any way worth discussing.

Do you know what *Z-Axis* is?

"PS3 motion controler is a copy of the wiimote(s) combined with eyetoy"
Not realy, no. PS3mote (Gyro/Accelerometers) + eyetoy (camera). Wiimote+ (Gyro/Accelerometers/Camera) + SensorBar (IR emitter). Same. They have the same exact parts, except in different places.

So, **STOP** pretending you dont know. Stop spreading obvious nonsense. Ok? Or, get INFORMED before you post bullshait so people dont have to correct your obvious ignorance.

[KingKionic]

That was a contradiction title and sentence but i think as in (refering to article) there ether in disbelief or a little skeptical.

[Homicide]

Project Natal is the future. This is awesome tech!

[MajesticBeast]

is this is the future give me the past pls.

[beardpapa]

oh wth this went to the wrong place.

[Neo604]

natal tech have been around since the arcade day but couldn't be perfected.

[Dread]

sony fan boys say this about every single news outlet that says anything positive about ms.

so this makes u a...

[ActionBastard]

That's a two-way street Dread.

[STONEY4]

Microsoft owns CNET

[beardpapa]

Oh come on, if you see news article from playstation.com praising the PS3 wouldn't you go accuse the site of bias? Anyway, I don't know if Microsoft owns Cnet, but I do believe CBS partially owns Cnet. If anyone knows that Microsoft and CBS has relations then there you have it. What I have come across however is that alot of times Cnet is particularly pro-MS and anti-Apple.

[SaberEdge]

That's the thing, you don't see 360 fans do it nearly as much. Not even a fraction as much as the PS3 fanboys do it.

PS3 fanboys are leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of many in the gaming press and among the game development community. It seems PS3 fans are constantly deriding any publication or gaming news outlet that ever says anything remotely negative about the PS3, or worse yet if they say something good about the 360. PS3 fanboys are also always talking down to developers when a multiplat ends up looking worse on the PS3 or a game doesn't live up to the graphical standard of a well-done PS3 exclusive like Killzone 2.

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. And yet most don't realize the damage they are doing.

[ActionBastard]

Sorry, but Burnout did not look fun playing on Natal AT ALL. More novelty than anything. Look at how long it has taken people to accept motion control (the Wii wasn't the first folks). Now you expect, after 3yrs of mainstream NINTENDO appeal, people are going to want to flail around like the young woman in the demo?

[GiantEnemyCrab]

You make it sound like they are abandoning the controller.

[ActionBastard]

No, I make it sound like controlling games in the way THEY SHOWED looked like garbage. That's all.

[NegativeCreep427]

The fact that CNET is about as impartial as a Neo Nazi at a Jackson 5 appreciation ceremony!

[Montreafart]

They all claim its all real and the greatest thing. How Milo changed gaming forever.

But, you know whats funny.

STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH, MOLYNEUX: MILO IS FAKE.

What do these so called "objective and non partisan" journalist got to say now huh.

Fking idiots. How come what they claim differs from the man himself?

ROFL massive FAILURE.

[lonz358]

So true

[Snatcher]

I can't believe people are actually liking this. What has happened to gaming?

[Gun_Senshi]

both natal and sony motion will fail. Why?

They are EXTRA not standard like WiiMote.

[Random404]

Right on. The wii fit was a huge flop too.

[Light Yagami]

LOL! Pathetic sony fanboys. all you got is a dildo controller.

[NegativeCreep427]

Whats more F'n pathetic is the fact you little d*ck-heads choose to ignore the fact that the "dildo" controller was a simple prototype. What's also pathetic (and kind of gay) is that you little idiots can't stop thinking about dildos!

[ultimolu]

Heh, and your dildo must be the size of a pe...whoooooooa! Lemme stop myself.

[ChozenWoan]

Bam!!! There it is!

[Camper]

NO HARDCORE GAMERS WILL BE USING THAT CRAP
VERY FEW GAMES WILL WORK THATS ABOUT IT

[ActionBastard]

360 owners will buy anything man. I have a buddy who still has the HD DVD addon.

[eagle21]

Sorry to your friend and about 300,000 others in like 2 years. They actually had to sell it for $5.00 at K-Mart. lol :)

[Neo604]

ever long cylinder look like a dildo to you.
pretty sure you have imagin it up your ass.
try use your tooth brush.

[testerg35]

So after various sites that have ACTUALLY had time playing Natal and said it works, Sony fans still say it doesn't work. Typical isn't it. Of course you guys quote these say sites as soon as they say something good about the PS3 and its games.

[happyface]

go easy on them, ps3 damage control looks like hard work

[cherrypie]

And, the worst thing, N4G gets a constant parade of bottom-basement websites saying ridiculous things about the industry.

PS3 fans run articles from gameplayer.co.uk, blorge, wordpress, youtube and all manner of BS sources to the top of the charts on N4G.

Look at the current hot topics in Xbox 360 section;
10,000+ Against Left 4 Dead 2 - helldescent.com
Microsoft's Natal To Deliver 1:1 Teabagging on Xbox Live - hardcasual.net
Why Natal Might Fail Like the Vision Cam - kokugamer.com

And, what do we find in PS3 Section? The same exact BS;

Why Sony's E3 Conference Took Home The Crown This Year - psxextreme.com
Uncharted 2 Among Thieves 2009 Game of E3 - tqcast.com

Reading n4g makes you **LESS** informed because of the rabid SDF here.

[2FootYard]

All these stupid motion controllers are pieces of s***. I wish both Sony and Microsoft would've avoided this crap.

[testerg35]

Hehe.. atleast I can respect your opinion, unlike some PS3 fans who now all of sudden like motion controllers and think they're hardcore.

[Gladiz87]

i dnt understand the hype with motion controllers...

the wii has them... leave them alone MS and sony!!!!!!

[divideby0]

yep..just as I have been posting( over and over)...its NOT the 360 hardware doing this..its the 3dv hardware and that spells silly expensive..and = a fail at 200 bucks...

[Godmars290]

NOW WILL YOU SHUT UP ABOUT IT!!!

Enough with these stupid articles when there are no actual games for it. Games worth talking about.

[maniacmayhem]

SHUT UP ABOUT THE MILLION POSTS OF MGS AND HIDEO!

WE GET IT ALREADY! MGS IS THE GREATEST GAME EVER AND HIDEO IS THE NEW GOD!

[All Time Greatness]

We know, we know!!!!

How about you do the shutting up and stay in the PS3 threads!

All this Xbox 360 praise is killing you huh? We don't care. Go play your PS3.

[clintos59]

Seriously as a gamer can u really sit there and tell me that u are more excited about natal being used to play burnout over what was shown off of SCC or Forza 3 or Alan Wake or even Mass Effect 2? I cant believe how the media and ms are hyping this over quality AAA titles. Like I said until this tech is proven to be a success it is nuttin more den just HYPE.

[KingKionic]

hey ....im a little overwhelmed. i seriously trying to believe if all this stuff is real ...someone pinch me. lol

But seriously im hyped for all those games you listed. Just trying to not think about all them so my head wo--

*HEAD EXPLODES*

[tudors]

what a bunch of Sony nutthuggers, even when I get a PS3 which I will, noway will I be siding with some of you guys, complete sad cases, there is nothing not to like about Natal, you can't ruin this one because the internet is already buzzing positively about it.

[All Time Greatness]

I know its like, WTF do these morons not see how desperate/jealous they are?

Get over yourselves, PS3 just isn't whats big.

[kingme71]

The first task Sony and MS have is to convince 3rd parties to take the plunge and develop a game for their motion systems. Unless the devs provide a traditional control as backup, they have to take a leap of faith that enough people will purchase the motion controllers to justify sales of their game. This means both MS and Sony have to blaze the trail with their own titles and show significant sales of their controllers to convince them. Nintendo has a great advantage here because everyone has a Wiimote. It's the Wiimotion plus dongle that they have to sell which you do see some games using like Red Steel 2, (but it does package it in with the game), but how many Wii devs will require it if not enough people own it?

[cmrbe]

will compete with the wii with Natal are sorely mistaken.

This camera will have to be bundled with the x360 with games built specifically for it to even have a slight chance of competing with the wii.

People forget that the wii motion controllers didn't get mass appeal because it was "state of the art". No, it gain mass appeal because it was simple, accessiable and very easy to use/pickup.

MS didn't learn from Sony with the PS Eye at all and they are making the same mistake as Sony did with PS Eye last gen.

[mcgrawgamer]

msft is making the same mistake sony did last gen and sony is making the same mistake sony did last gen. Nintendo has the mind share. when people think motion controls they think nintendo. simple as that. no matter how advance msft's or sony's motion control offerings are the casual masses the ones they really want to go after with this is not going to bite. in the mainstream market Nintendo is synonymous with motion controls. The next system that has as much success with motion controls as the wii did is going to be the wii HD.

[cmrbe]

agree.

The problem with both Sony and MS from my perspective with both their controllers is both will be released as a add on later on the console lifecycle.

The impact for these devices would have been more substantial if they were bundled and launched with the systems in the beginning like Nin did with the wii mote.

To compound matters more for MS is that Natal is still ahead of its time like the PS Eye was last gen. The general masses can't relate to it unlike picking up a wii mote and hit a imaginary ball in Wii Tennis which is simple,effective,fun.

Sony on the otherhand with their motion controller looks like they are going for real common application in games like the wii mote. Very simple to use/pick up. However the problem is it is being launched late and is not standard which is the main reason why i think none can ever compete with the success of the wii mote.

I was never interested in the PS3 motion controller durning the Sony conference. I do realise its a nice addition but i was more interested in games. If however it would have been a different case if someone showed 3d gaming.

[JokesOnYou]

The point is this has the possibilty of actually being implemented successfully in more hardcore games that will allow you to intuitively control them in a new way. Sure nintendo owns the "motion control" arena this gen, but unlike casuals I'm not interested in nintendo's offerings much, what I want to see is what will it bring to the future of game franchises like Halo, Mass Effect, Forza, hell even MGS? If I could be giving voice commands as Commander Shepard, pound my fist into the palm of my hand to get a kill with a Halo's Gravity Hammer, just reach up and touch my chest to instantly change camouflage, tap my temple and see in thermal vision HUD, take a few laps around Mazda Racetrack while holding a virtual steering not out in front of me in a tiresome way but sitting comfortably with my forearms on my lap fists balled controlling my ride while sitting on my couch then why not explore that approach. It will obviously cost more and not sell like wii-fit because casuals don't care about complex games but it will definitely do well if it works.

Then surely we will see it change gaming for the next round of consoles.

JOY