Project Natal vs PS3 Motion Controller

Couchmercenaries.com - With both the PS3 Motion Controller (rumoured to be called "Arc") and the Xbox 360 Project Natal having probable release dates for Holiday 2010, it is only natural to ask which one will be better. Since that neither of these technologies are out on the market, it is only fair to ask "Which one will have more potential?"

[PtRoLLFacE]

in other words failure vs dildo

[rekonizakilla]

I don't think either ms or sony is gonna change the world with their new toys. But this guy is obviously more informed cos he's probably played them both right?

[FaSeCeX]

but on topic...potential for what?
if its which will be more fun, then i'd probly side with natal for obvious reasons.
if its which will have more potential for better games then i'd side with the wand for obvious reasons

if u were to take any fps game..which would be more sensible to use if u're goin to be running, aiming, throwing grenades, switching weapons, reloading, crouch, prone, and so on (picked fps 'cause its more popular, but rpg's could be a split if u like running for hours in place, sports could be a split between sports, i dont see natal working for football do i have to be hitstick'd in real life to be tackle by my buddy? lmao)

and one more thing i'd like to add on is..gaming at night
most of my nights are spent gaming..and i would assume most people game in the dark like i do (when gaming after hours)..im not sure if natal would work if ur light is off but i know the wand would work just fine since the camera is just detecting the light..not u urself

now blah blah blah about turn ur light on...haha right, my light bill is already ridiculous..not that everyone is in my position but still get my point? probly not lol, kudos if so

[Rockox]

Who Gives a Crap vs I Don't Give a Crap

[Immortal321]

if this motion stuff becomes a hit then next gen is not for me

[Saaking]

Neither interests me, but it's obvious the PS wand has more potential. Why? One word: buttons.

[Imalwaysright]

What Rockox said. If i wanted a console with motion sensor controllers i would have bought a wii when it launched.

[davekaos]

Watch this video @2.20 the guy starts to drive the car with no control what so ever its smashing all over the place... so much for being accurate natal, then whats even worse is that the guys hands turn in a left motion and the car turns right?????????

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

Watch it all

[Bigpappy]

There are talking about playing in the dark as though this is a problem for Natal. Natal does not need a bulb because it has "infrared". Look it up if you don't know what it is. This is stuff everyone should know about.

[Hanif-876]

This article fails....who approved this?

[Guido]

I know what infrared is. And I also know that when I turn my TV remote to the side a whisker, it won't send the signal to the TV to change the channel. In other words, it is inferior and since Natal uses it, it is inferior. It's so typical of MS to use old tech in their products rather than using new tech. It's the same argument we had years ago when we all found out the 360 was going to use DVD...

[mrv321]

The looser is...
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Gaming and Gamers because ALL of US have no problems with a controller otherwise we wouldn't be gamers. I mean no one goes to the movies if they don't like moving picturr and as such no one plays games if they dislike buttons. So why change it just to look good to your investors but in the end recieve a low intake of gamers who will go back to the buttons. Remember the MANY past failed attempts at motion control? They failed... these WILL fail and the Wii only suceeded because it didn't go after gamers it went after non-gamers who dislike buttons.

[Omega4]

You shouldnt look at it that way. If both Natal and the wand succeed and both the 360/PS3 manage to sell like the Wii Sony and MS will make tons of cash. And if the games sell crazy like Wii Fit/Play to the casuals thats means money for publishers. And with that money Sony/MS will be able to make next gen consoles increase in power because publishers will be able to afford the increase in development costs which come with making high quality hardcore games.

So unless you want next gen to have consoles with the same specs as they do now you should hope that these motion controllers succeed.

[mrv321]

Hope for motion controls to succeed or next generation will have tech like this generetion. Your example is the Wii who has last generation specs, let's be fair it does, it doesn't make it worse by any means.

If someone wants to buy a gaming console they'll buy it for the games and not the motion controller. If someone wants a motion controlled console they'll go for the Wii... they won't go for the £250 ones they'll go for one they know has the most motion controller support.

Last I checked Sony's PS3 was the second fastest selling console in Britain, Last I check the 360 is passing 39 million, these AREN'T SMALL NUMBERS. Sony and Microsoft are doing fine as they are.

[Omega4]

I think casuals will go to the console which is advertised best and has the most appealing games. If MS/Sony can create incredible ad campaigns the casuals will come in herds. And another thing, casuals dont know which console has the most motion control games its all down to advertising, if MS/Sony advertise loads of games the casuals will believe it has loads of motion controlled games like the Wii.

"Last I checked Sony's PS3 was the second fastest selling console in Britain, Last I check the 360 is passing 39 million, these AREN'T SMALL NUMBERS. Sony and Microsoft are doing fine as they are."

If Ubisoft is right and devs costs increase to $60ml for all AAA games from $30ml the xbox720/ps4 will need to have double the selling speed for hardware and software. Or you can expect either low quality games or very very few games released every year.

[RealityCheck]

another reason mrv321 why traditional gamers like us are at the loosing end of this trend is that unlike what people denied early on, we know now that they are indeed diverting resources away from other games to put on these new motion games and they will divert marketing time and $$$ away from advertising traditional games in favor of motion games

[4Sh0w]

Personaly as a Gamer I'm excited about the potential if offers but the Realist in me say's not to judge until I see a few games.

I happen to know it will fail or succeed based on whether or not Gamers both hardcore and casual like it= If its good they will buy it, if its not it will fail quickly enough that those who always were against it will only remember it as a small annoyance that recieved too much hype, and laugh about it.

We all want things that we personaly prefer to succeed and we either don't care or hope things we don't like to fail, however I like the fact that the success of a product or service is not in the hands of a select few; the elite of n4g, but instead will be determined by the mass public opinion. Democracy is a great system.

Therefore I disagree with you; The loser is(one o)...Gaming and Gamers WHO DO NOT LIKE CHANGE because ALL of US have HAD no problems with controllerS WHEN THEY HAD ONE BUTTON, NO TRIGGERS, NO ANALOGUE STICK, WIRED, ETC. BUT NOW WE APPRECIATE HOW CONTROLLERS HAVE EVOLVED TO ENHANCE OUR GAMEPLAY otherwise we wouldn't be gamers. I can't believe that waaay back in the day it never occurred to me that controllers needed to evolve when I was playing Frogger on Atari.

MOTION CONTROLLS IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE INDUSTRY CONTINUING TO EVOLVE. *Is this next evolution=motion control the right direction for gaming?, thats not really a question you or I can answer, we can only voice our praise or dissent, ultimately HISTORY will tell us who was right, of course history is written by the victor lol, but you get the point. Motion Control has clearly found an audience with people who find today's standard controller "too complicated" but whether or not motion control will be a welcomed enhancement for more hardcore experiences remains to be seen, fortunately the merits of the potential of Motion Control won't be decided by what you or I or the minority here at n4g think, the mass public is alot more diverse and open-minded so as I said motion controls will succeed or fail based on its gaming quality, Thankfully.

[ubiquitious]

PS3-mote against next gen MS technology?

I'm not even going to read the article. We already know who is going to win this war.

[Troll_Police]

I'm with you pal. Sony will win this by a mile.

[mrv321]

Considering Microsoft though

DVD
HD-DVD
No HDMi
No Wireless

Was next gen my money is on Sony's currect gen

Built in hard drive
HDMi
3D
Blu-ray

So yeah...

[Godmars290]

That's...actually a good name.

[ThePostalDudeX]

It will be the same as the Wii, Motion control has no real benefit if your a hardcore gamer. But now that Sony is making it it's all hands on dicck!

[Troll_Police]

Natal's lack of buttons and extreme LAG will be it's downfall. Not to mention that you can only play Natal in a well lit room and it has trouble detecting people of color. Natal can't be played a night with the lights off. We all know how much you guys love your shooters so good luck playing a shooter with no button and all of that LAG.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Lack of buttons? Man, just a perfect example of a sony fan that doesn't know anything about Microsoft's products. A controller can be used with Natal.

Another fail dude. But I can see why somebody like yourself is excited about Sony's motion tech. The odd design of it probably made you squirm for joy.

[Wrathman]

he has seen the end product y'know.

[PirateThom]

"a controller can be used with Natal"... completely eliminating the marketing spiel of "controller free gaming".

Microsoft better take it back to the drawing board if "controller free gaming" will require the use of a controller.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

And I'm sure their will be games that don't need a controller. Games like Fable 3 or a Mass Effect type game would be perfect for Natal with a controller. The choices are there. With or without controller. Natal is going to be freaking sweet.

[Aquarius]

Use your EYES and READ.
http://www.siliconera.com/2...

Can't wait to the 360 gets discontinued :D
just a waste of space

"Natal is going to be freaking sweet"
Haven't you ever played any eyetoy games. Don't your hands ever tire of holding them out in thin air?
Are you not human?
The wands will tire your arms as well but its of a much lesser extent.
Haven't played Wii Fit so I don't know how much action/movement the wii remote needs( I do know you put the remote in your pocket for jogging, so it can calculate )
Your going to be seeing a proper Wii Fit on NATAL.
It's going to be following the exact same procedure as the Wii/DS; lifestyle games.

[Troll_Police]

I thought Natal was advertised as "controller free" and "YOU are the controller"? Also, I noticed that none of the Xbox fanboys defended the extreme LAG of Natal.

[reintype]

"Project Natal is works via a special type of camera called a “time-of-flight camera.” It essentially shoots out signals, have them bounce back, and then reads them. Then with sophisticated algorithms, develops an image of whatever is in front of it.

This means that you could possibly hold any stick (like a wood stick, plastic gun, baseball bat, the PS3 wand, Wii remote etc.) and it could possibly be able to detect it, in 1:1 motion and at what angle you are at."

Great read and very factual too! He must be a "game journalist". Those guys really research their stuff in depth.

And here I thought that NATAL was only a 30fps camera with an infrared, I didn't know it was that "SPECIAL". I guess MS just forgot about it during their recent CES announcement, I'm glad this article cleared that up.

The fact that it can do what the Wiimote and Sony's Arc does with 1:1 motion tracking to boot, really impresses me. Those leaked vids, must have come from another camera peripheral altogether, there's no way they're from NATAL.

And now it can also use ordinary items too! I must congratulate MS, for coming up with that idea, nothing but innovation from them.

http://www.ps3attitude.com/...

[DaTruth]

/Sarc

[maniacmayhem]

Project Natal vs PS3 Motion Controller vs. Capcom

[ForROME]

Heres whats funny, I didnt even have to read the story to know what product he would pick, just look at the picture used for the story

WOW, nice non bias start to an article

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

What are you talking about. Their is a picture of the ps3 also in the original site. Didn't read the article, huh?

Nice fail dude.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

This one is simple. Who is excited about Sony's "Arc?" Nobody is. Nobody is talking about it. It's already said that Sony is releasing lil mini games for it. Probably just downloadable games. Boring stuff.

Microsoft on the other hand has a lot of big developer support for Natal. Everybody is talking about Natal. Lots of excitement is picking up for Natal. All you need is a lot of support and you get a high probability of success.

[thehitman]

When you can buy a wii? The audience that natal is targeting that MS wants to get is out of their grasp.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

They gave it a name, showed off tech demos that they haven't even achieved yet, and people believed it.

That's the way America works.

People listen to the media.

By this time next year...Natal will be nothing.

Camera - Good
Controller - Good
Camera + Controller - Kinda makes having just one of them lame...

[GarandShooter]

I agree it's all going to come down to the games.

Now could you please provide links proving that Sony is only going to be releasing mini games, and nothing else?

If not, stop spreading the FUD.

[Aquarius]

Ape Escape(working title)
Echochrome 2(working title)
Eccentric Slider(working title)
Sing and Draw(working title)
Champions of Time(working title)
Motion Party(working title)
The Shoot(working title)
Tower(working title)
Under Siege

Following games will receive a SW update:
LittleBigPlanet
Pain
Flower
Hustle Kings
High Velocity Bowling
EyePet
Resident Evil 5: Alternative Edition

----------announced at TGS from wikipedia----------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wik...

Leon hit the nail on the head!
ZERO GAMES ANNOUNCED FOR NATAL
...and its already confirmed NATAL is going to further increase the pathetic limitations of the 360 by 54.2%...I mean 30%.

[Hanilugtehul]

Bill is it you, its john from high school, you know the guy who inspired you to make windows, please Bill can i get vista for free, it must be you Bill? i've found this old picture if its you then please S... T.. F..k UP! natal and arc are going to be great, its always the same with you Bill yada yada yada blah blah blah always the same!

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Thank you for providing me a list Aquarius and proving my original statement that most of the games are going to be small boring mini games.

[W831SOLIDSNAKE]

Natal Sucks

[Shaka2K6]

.

[King81]

I think they both suck. If i wanted this crap i would've just got a Wii

[keysy420]

sony is supposed to give you what the wii didnt. eventually everyone will flock to the wand.

[King81]

what your saying. But I doubt i will eventually get the wand. Idk though i guess it's a possibility one day

[Wrathman]

i bet u drooled a little when u said that.

[W831SOLIDSNAKE]

You know now that u mention it I did lol i aslo spit fire and it "accidentaly" landed on my roomates XBOX360....oops LOL

[chrisulloa]

Was that supposed to be funny?

[Dylantalon1]

action speaks louder than words and i do remember seeing both natal and ps3 motion control being demoed at e3 and i remember seeing lag, delay with natal and should i mention the "BAMMMM" incident where the system failed to show the bottom of the dudes feet. im quite sure that improvements will be made but first impression says a lot. im quite sure that people have been working on natal for quite a while before e3. ps3 motion control is like a wiimote but more accurate and the showing was great without incident .

[pippoppow]

Meant to sway Wii fans for the most part. Next all consoles will most likley launch with full motion controls. This is when it will really take off and be used at least sparingly (uncharted 1) or integrally (Folklore/HS/Flower/Wii sports or not be used at all.

[Shadow Man]

Thank You and good night.

[digger18]

Sony will have, since they have over 20 1st party studios + outside Dev's.

[Godmars290]

This is the nth approved article that brings or shows nothing new on either Natal or the Wand.

Enough already!

[PandemicPrawn0]

I don't own a PS3 so I cannot comment on the Wand/Gem/Arc.

But as for Natal I will be getting one.

I see Rare are doing a fitness game. I can tell my wife is going to want that.

simple casual games or mini games? my young kid will probably be able to play those with mum in a couple of years, so I can see us getting a few of those as well.

And I will pick and choose any hardcore game that interests me. so a few more games to add to the pile.

The point I'm trying to make is this.

I don't know if it's going to be a success or not. But I have shown my wife and friends some video of Natal in action and they all want it.

and these are people who have no other interest in gaming at all.

Natal will be under our tree for christmas 2010.

[W831SOLIDSNAKE]

It's not funny to u because ur a dumb BOT!! and I'll say it again. NATAL SUCKS!!

It's made from all the left over HD DVD Failware!!

@ ShadowMan No Im being serious

[Shadow Man]

Was that supposed to be funny?

[Aquarius]

no BOT he's being genuine

plus 360 is composed of scrap metal found on the streets

[Blaster_Master]

Wii motion plus > PS motion > Natal

@LeonSKennedy4life

The reason why I say Wii > PS motion is cause it actually has a dongle that serves as a left analog stick with trigger buttons. The ps motion requires you to use your DS3 instead of a dongle. Ive tried to hold the DS3 in every imaginable position and it just doesn't feel right unless your sitting down while you use your leg to help with balance.

Also, the ps3 motion doesn't have an analog stick. So how am I gonna move forward and backwards, left or right without feeling awkward? And lets not even get into the Natal. Its a camera. What the hell are you gonna do besides flop your arms around, or using a banana as a sword? So ya, The Wii motion with motion plus is a tried and proven peripheral. Anyone play Wii Resort yet? Its actually quite amazing and I dont see why people aren't talking more about it. I cannot wait to play Red Steel 2 and the new Zelda, my most anticipated goty. Now only if they can make a good dragon quest game that supports 1:1 motion on the Wii. I would drop tears of joy.

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

Not sure you know how this whole thing works.

Sony's motion controller does everything the Wii-mote does...but it also uses a glowing ball at the end of it for better tracking. That ball changes color also.

Wii motion plus is limited by the hardware it's on too.

Arc has a camera AND a controller. : )

[kneon]

The "arc" is likely going to be far more accurate that the Wiimote even with motion plus but if they don't add an analog stick then it will not be as capable. We haven't seen any sign of the latest iteration of the "arc" so for all we know they have already solved the issue. If not then it won't be as successful as it could be.

[ThePostalDudeX]

Glowing ball in the middle of the controller that changes colors? first day buy! I always wanted a controller that had a huge ball in the middle that changes colors, reminds me of my old mouse, Thanks sony!

[LeonSKennedy4Life]

It will ultimately be decided by two things.

- The American Media

- Games

If the media is backing Natal (which it will be doing), it has the advantage as far as publicity goes.

As far as games go, I see all third-party developers supporting both Natal and Arc.

It comes down to first-party...which nobody can compete with Sony on...so good luck.

[Blaster_Master]

Sony does have the best devs in the industry, but you cannot deny that the Wii has an awesome first party line up this year. Its a win win situation for everyone.

[Jdash24]

Personally I won't be getting either unless they have standout games that I really want. In terms of possibilities I believe the "Arc" has it simply because it will be utilized with the PS eye, Sony will be the only to have both a motion controller and motion camera so will have more possibilities.

[KILLERAPP]

The Wii is king of motion control and that is not going to change, MS and Sony are just playing catch up with Nintendo and all the people that have bought the Wii will not buy another console to do something that they can already do better on their consoles and for less money.

[kewlkat007]

Meh...

[baodeus]

I think we should rephrase it. At this stage, when no one know anything about PS wand or MS natal (except developers), we should ask which one seem more ambitious?

Now, PS wand seem so similar to the wii wand so there isn't much anticipation for it really. It looks the same (although it does really look like a dildo, who the hell came up with this design. Might be the same guy that came up with the boomerang control for the PS3). Furthermore, the selling point of the wii is that it is cheaper and are geared toward casual gamers. Regardless of what wii hater out there are saying, the wii no doubt has changed the way we play game. On the other hand, PS3 is much more expansive, not to include buying the eyetoy and the wand, and labeled as a console for hard core gamers. If Sony can't distinguish it self from the wii wand, I personnelly don't see how people going to cough out more cash to get the wii wand experience with the PS3. The only thing that might help is the software(we will see, but remember that casual gamers don't really care too much about the graphics. There are more people playing flash type of games online than actual games on console).

Natal on the other hand seem to be more ambitious. It distinguish itself, or rather advertise as different then let say the wii wand or PS wand (although the Eye Toy might seem similar but not as "techy". It still use the same tech from the PS2 era). Another thing going for Natal is that, it could be cheaper now since they remove the chip. With the arcade as cheap as the wii, there are certain incentive for casual gamers to go with the x360 for something DIFFERENT (as advertise to have minority report interaction......we'll see how that turn out). I don't know if it has more potential (still waiting for MS to prove it), but at least it differentiates it self from the other two consoles in motion gaming. As a result, u can see that Natal does seem to get more attention from developers and gamers.

Just my two cent on potential:

It seems like Natal can really bring the feel of PC gaming to the console. Games like diablo, starcraft, etc..... These games are point and click so Natal seem perfect for them. Instead of using keyboard and mouse, u can just use your palm or finger to select unit, build multiple structures at the same time (each finger has a different function for example), or scroll through the map. It has the potential to really change how RTS games are played. Given, u may feel tired after some time, but hey, it is no where near 2 to 3 hours work out with Tibo.

[CobraKai]

I wonder how lewd or obscene body language will be censored on Natal if it would? What if your playing a multiplayer game and one of the characters starts to jack off?

[BeastModeYMOB]

WOW! Just watch the full video and listen to what is said. When you guys can show me a REAL video of natal doing something better than what "Arc" can do PLEASE POST IT. Don't be shy, let me kno.

PSN: BeastModeYMOB

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

[Spag1091]

Just like the Wii has. But, nothing is telling me it wont have the same horrible response time the Wii's infrared technology causes. Therefore, I'll stick with the "Arc" which is supposedly 1:1. If the "Arc" has any bit of lag, like the others, I wont be getting either. Please don't try to argue the Wii response time is 1:1...

[keysy420]

can teven name a game that would be fun on natal for more than 5 mins. lol thats the funny part MS aint selling this to add voice control to there system although eventually thats all it will be.

[NotSoSilentBob]

My first thought about Natal vers wand/arc, is now that MS has admitted to taking the Processor out of Natal what can we really expect from that camera? All the videos that are online are of the prototype that has the processor in the unit from E3. The wand has only changed the physical case that the unit will be in. The same Technology is still there but the plastic shell is what might be/is different.

[baodeus]

Again, people disagree but never reply why they disagree. I like argument, but it would be better to know why u guys disagree. I do like to know your opinion. At least give me a decent counter argument or something. Isn't the point of N4G is to give opinion and to argue?

C'mon, there gotta be someone with at least a decent counter argument out there right?

[hakis86]

- could possibly NOT hold any stick (like a wood stick, plastic gun, baseball bat, the PS3 wand, Wii remote etc.)
- could possibly NOT be able to detect it, in 1:1 motion and at what angle you are at
- may NOT be able to do anything the PS3 or Wii can do and so much more.

So this article hold no facts. We'll have to wait and see.

[Tapioca Cold]

If anybody thinks Natal will be a success get ready for epic failure. I'm glad too. I thinks this motion control stuff is crap. And all you guys that say you will buy it, won't! Cause your hardcore gamers. You don't want to dance around your rooms by yourself.

Natal needs tons of room and can't be used in the dark. Some of you say it can, but prove it! If you can't see something than how will you track it? Right?!

It already has lag issues. Price tag? Removing internal components. And obsolutely no prrof that anything can be achieved with it! Nothing! Oh, i forgot. Milo and that bat-a-ball game. We all saw the lag!!!

More hype means more fail!

Sony's motion controller won't fail as hard because it has way less hype.

[xx SgtP3pp3r xx]

So basically what your saying is your a Sony fanboy. Thanks for clearing that up.

[strickers]

I think Natal will be more successful because people are mugs.Look at the Wii.It's the worst console I've ever owned by far and the fastest selling ever.MS already have a large chunk of media in their pocket and the US think it's all new ideas because SCEA didn't like SCEEs Eyetoy on PS2 and it didn't make any impact there.It sold over 1.5 million in EU.
Sony have again done a terrible job so far in terms of hype for Arc,whereas MS have created hype despite really poor tech demos and no real game idea.
I don't like motion games but I will say that Arc has the best potential for games.PS3 has a CPU suited to multi tasking(running an add on)and Arc has the response times(seen live on video).1:1 tracking,buttons and the camera,Mic array(for voice control with it already available in Singstar.It's not very exciting).It does most of the useful stuff both the others do and will enable easy HD ports of Wii games.They will be the only thing that could win it for Sony,lots of Wii ports meaning loads of software.