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Why Natal Is a Big Deal
Kikizo has an editorial piece evaluating the Xbox 360's upcoming motion-control scheme, Project Natal, and discussing why it's a bigger step forward for interactive gaming than many people think. Quoting: "[Natal] accurately perceives players in 3D space, simultaneously tracking over 48 joints on your body, enabling it to accurately redraw your skeleton in real time as you move about. On a separate 'debug screen' in the closed-doors session, we could witness for ourselves the 'mind's eye' of Natal, visually showing how it completely understands where we are, how we're moving, where we are in 3D space, how far in front of my face my hand is, whatever. It can supposedly even track individual hand and finger movement when it switches into this more finely-tuned mode. ... There is a surprising feeling of tactility and iPhone-like fluidity and precision to the way Natal works." Another interesting bit of news about Natal is that Wii-hacker Johnny Chung Lee is part of the development team. We've discussed some of his creations in the past.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/6/5/
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They could release an adult version of Project Natal that tracks 49 joints. That would make for a VERY interactive experience.
Haha, yeah, with multiplayer you can get punched out on screen AND in real life.
Prepare to not getting a lot of visitors, then
Project Natal adds a new dimension for your cat to bother you while playing games.
I think the issue is that game developers have had a few decades of hand-only input.
That explains how we got DOA beach volleyball...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
"iPhone-like fluidity"
gimmie a break. How and why did you manage to fit a reference to the iphone into the summary.
No, no, that made up adjective was very informative. I now know that Project Natal will have the same viscosity as the iPhone.
My work here is dung.
Or even better, they could convert it to take tactile feedback from the movement of one's thumbs and fingers. You could use a small controller. Oh, wait.
Yep... I have real trouble typing in this cardboard box sized house I live in. Keep banging my elbows on opposing walls. And my head sticks out the roof.
When you Americans come to visit on vacation, its a bit like Gulliver's Travels. With one misplaced Nike you can wipe out entire villages of tiny houses. One carelessly discarded Big Mac wrapper can block an entire river.
What if you jump on your friend's shoulders to form Mecha-Shiva?
Nintendo pioneered the miniature joystick as well. The n64 had analog sticks more than a year before the dual shock debuted. Nintendo always innovates, while everyone else takes.
I still remember when Nintendo first started using optical media and everyone else had to stick with those dusty cartridges...