Microsoft is controlling the early buzz at the massive E3 video game convention with its Project Natal technology, which allows gamers to interact with their Xbox 360s without the need for handheld controllers.
Along with the publicity, though, the company is creating a lot of questions regarding its ability to deliver on the innovation and promise demonstrated on a Los Angeles Convention Center stage Monday.
It made sense for Microsoft to invite Steven Spielberg to help introduce Natal to the throng of media and industry insiders in the audience. Natal uses a full-body motion capture camera along with voice and facial recognition technology to let users do their best impressions of Tom Cruise's character from Spielberg's 2002 science fiction opus "Minority Report." Like Cruise, Natal players will use their movements and their voices to interact with games and, as Spielberg hinted, possibly other forms of entertainment.
Demo Is One Thing, but What About the Living Room?
Natal looked great in the E3 demonstration and on the video presentations, Rosoff acknowledged, "but of course, we're going to have to see how it works in the real-world environment. They are camera-based sensors, so light and the amount of light in your room might be an issue. It's just one of those products that until you start to see some hands-on reviews, it's going to be hard to know whether it works as advertised."
Natal is a good answer to the Wii-mote, which has helped Nintendo vault back to the top of the video game industry, said Rosoff. However, Xbox has come a long way from the 2001 introduction of its original console, and now its 360 version has reached a solid No. 2 position in terms of sales, ahead of former leader Sony and its PlayStation 3.
Source : ECT News Network
