Gaming for the Future: Project Natal

Project Natal Videos

Project Natal, which is the working name for Microsoft’s latest technological advancement, has already set the gaming industry abuzz with excitement and anticipation that is palpable.

This year, Microsoft revealed the exciting new addition to the Xbox 360, a motion-sensory system that promises to be more impressive than Nintendo’s Wii. This is hard to believe, considering Wii is the world’s best selling console, something it achieved relatively quickly. Nevertheless, participants of the Tokyo Game Show and E3, claim that the graphics, gameplay, response and fun of playing XBox 360 Natal is sure to knock Nintendo’s socks off.

Project Natal, which will be re-named before its launch, has already impressed industry professionals at the Tokyo Game Show and E3 in Los Angeles this year. So far, working demonstrations of the system have included a ball bouncing game in which players must deflect red balls off any part of their body and a Natal version of Burnout Paradise, which is played without the use of a controller.

Unsurprisingly, there has been a great deal of interest in the system from game developers, many of whom have been announced as collaborators by Microsoft, such as Sega, Konami, EA, Disney and Capcom to name but a few.

Moreover, well-respected figures of the gaming world, such as Hideo Kojima, have voiced their support and enthusiasm for XBox 360 Natal. Kojima, creator of the innovative Metal Gear Solid franchise, claims that Natal will revolutionize the way games are perceived, and it will provide players with new experiences and different ways of viewing gaming.

Additionally, it is believed that Project Natal will attract a completely new fan base to gaming, because the controller is made conspicuous by its absence. Steven Spielberg, a public supporter of Natal XBox 360, explains that technophobes will be attracted to the system for its ease and lack of complex controls. Again, this is an exciting opportunity for developers to create games that would not perhaps appeal to the usual gamer. What’s more, they can pitch their software to a whole new audience. Exciting times are afoot in the world of gaming!

One thing is for sure, Project Natal has already altered the way that developers approach creating games and when it is eventually released (sometime between the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011) it will advance gamers expectations too.