# saw a demo of a future xbox yesterday - project natal



## Pingu (Sep 10, 2009)

was at microsoft yesterday and as pasrt of the tour we got we saw a brief demo of some stuff they are working on

one of which was a next gen xbox.

had a camera just like you would get with something like "in the movies" (except it worked)

so imagine a wii... but without the need for controllers. you stand in front of the camera and it scans you. Then it can mimic your moves. 

the demo we got was a driving game in which you could change gear and "use" a steering wheel without the need for actually having them. The motion thingy recognised your movements and did the apropriate actions. There is also a combat type game but it crashed out just as that was loading.


aslo got shown something that was straight out of minority report (that thingy where they move things about by pointing at them and moving their hands.

i was like a kid in a sweetshop


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## tendril (Sep 10, 2009)

If only you hadn't started the story with 'micro$oft' 

Hopefully they won't have the monopoly on this sort of new technology


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## Crispy (Sep 10, 2009)

It's called project natal (nat-AHL) and it's very cool


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## Kanda (Sep 10, 2009)

Few videos of it in use been around for a while:


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## Private Storm (Sep 10, 2009)

So just like the Eyetoy for the PS2


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## revol68 (Sep 10, 2009)

Am I the only person that thinks all this Wii like control shite is gimmicky bollox, give me a mouse & keyboard or controller over such bollox any day.


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## skyscraper101 (Sep 10, 2009)

Give me a real guitar or drum kit anyday over this Guitar Hero shite as well.


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Sep 10, 2009)




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## Vintage Paw (Sep 10, 2009)

So, it's going to be pretty game-specific, isn't it? Plus, just how long will most fat gamers be able to run on the spot/round-house kick/flail their arms around before they plug a controller in?


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## revol68 (Sep 10, 2009)

Fuck the Wii and it's bringing gaming to the whole family shite, fucking party game crap. Games are meant to be played in the dark by yourself or perhaps a group of mates, they aren't meant for your mum and your sisters mates to stick on in the living room and make dicks of themselves after one too many Bacardi Breezers and Lambrinis, that's what karaoke was made for.


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## Crispy (Sep 10, 2009)

Private Storm said:


> So just like the Eyetoy for the PS2



No, it reads your complete body position and maps it onto the ingame character. It's way more sophisticated than eyetoy. It scans the whole room in 3d. It can recognise faces - much more accurately than a camera-based system because it can read the 3d contours of your face.

Gesture motion on the wii is the biggest innovation this generation. Simplifying videogames for the masses. And revol thinks I'm silly


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## Callum91 (Sep 10, 2009)

revol68 said:


> Fuck the Wii and it's bringing gaming to the whole family shite, fucking party game crap. Games are meant to be played in the dark by yourself or perhaps a group of mates, they aren't meant for your mum and your sisters mates to stick on in the living room and make dicks of themselves after one too many Bacardi Breezers and Lambrinis, that's what karaoke was made for.



I love you.


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## Corax (Sep 10, 2009)

revol68 said:


> Fuck the Wii and it's bringing gaming to the whole family shite, fucking party game crap. Games are meant to be played in the dark by yourself or perhaps a group of mates, they aren't meant for your mum and your sisters mates to stick on in the living room and make dicks of themselves after one too many Bacardi Breezers and Lambrinis, that's what karaoke was made for.



My Spectrum 48k+ approves this message


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## Pingu (Sep 10, 2009)

Kanda said:


> Few videos of it in use been around for a while:





that was the driving game I did yesterday except it was on a 40 ft screen.

the fighting one binned out and voice recog needed some work but it really was very very cool (in a geeky should be spelt with a K way)


there are also some big plans for Bing! (stupid fucking name) that sadly I am under an nda about but are really good.


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## revol68 (Sep 10, 2009)

Crispy said:


> No, it reads your complete body position and maps it onto the ingame character. It's way more sophisticated than eyetoy. It scans the whole room in 3d. It can recognise faces - much more accurately than a camera-based system because it can read the 3d contours of your face.
> 
> *Gesture motion on the wii is the biggest innovation this generation. Simplifying videogames for the masses. And revol thinks I'm silly*



Video games are already embraced by the masses, just like football is, what the Wii wants to do is to gaming is the equivalent of removing the offside rule and bringing in half goals for hitting the post or 2 goals for a goal that is particularly good, that is try to win over flaky people who don't really care for gaming beyond maybe having it out on boxing day with the aunts and cousins.

And don't get me started on that Wii Mario Kart advert, once upon a time that was a respectable game, nay one of the best games ever, now Nintendo want to turn it into some retard party game you play to stay in touch with your family, horrible.


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## Pingu (Sep 10, 2009)

*eagerly awaits the natal release of WoW*

geeks will never be so fit


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## ATOMIC SUPLEX (Sep 10, 2009)

I bet it doesn't really work properly.


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## Pingu (Sep 10, 2009)

the driving one worked really well for something that isnt finished. cant say about the others in that vid though as didnt see them.

i wouldnt say that they will be hitting the streets by christmas though as there is still a fair bit to do.

the rest of the visit (i.e. what i was really tehre to see them about - work shit) was a bit of an anticlimax after that though tbh


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## jæd (Sep 10, 2009)

Pingu said:


> There is also a combat type game but it crashed out just as that was loading.



Really...?


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## Pingu (Sep 10, 2009)

ya rly


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 19, 2010)

*bump*

I can't believe the misery guts on this thread. It's going to be cool as fuck 

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/

I can't wait. It opens up a million possiblities.


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## kyser_soze (Feb 19, 2010)

revols only jealous cos he can't muster up 4 mates in the same real-world space to play a Wii game


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 19, 2010)

kyser_soze said:


> revols only jealous cos he can't muster up 4 mates in the same real-world space to play a Wii game



I'm sure he'll change his mind when the first wank-based game comes along.


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## kained&able (Feb 19, 2010)

Innit i can't see how it won't be cool. Expands on the conecept of the wii a bit but with genuine current gen graphics and processor power.

Can't see it being a bad thing.


dave


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## kyser_soze (Feb 19, 2010)

It'll be fucking exhausting is what it'll be. I've played a couple of these whole body-motion sensor things in the arcades and it's fucking knackering.


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## Diamond (Feb 19, 2010)

If you make the virtual world of your game more linked to your own body, won't that necessarily make the characters and games you play more - like your own body - clumsy, inflexible, and generally lacking in any kind of physical imagination or talent?

I thought games were supposed to be about escapism rather than reminding you how bad you are, for example, at kicking a football.


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 19, 2010)

Diamond said:


> If you make the virtual world of your game more linked to your own body, won't that necessarily make the characters and games you play more - like your own body - clumsy, inflexible, and generally lacking in any kind of physical imagination or talent?
> 
> I thought games were supposed to be about escapism rather than reminding you how bad you are, for example, at kicking a football.



It's linked to your own body with control pads anyway.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 19, 2010)

*saw a demo of a future xbox yetserday - project natal*

I remain to be convinced this will be worth bothering with. My impression is this is really just an attempt to grab some Wii players...


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## kained&able (Feb 19, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I remain to be convinced this will be worth bothering with. My impression is this is really just an attempt to grab some Wii players...




Oh obviously, BUT with a decent ammount of power and decent graphics behind it.

if they release a star wars light sabre duelling game im blates going to have to get it.


dave(watches star wars kid for inspiration)


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 19, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> I remain to be convinced this will be worth bothering with. My impression is this is really just an attempt to grab some Wii players...



Really? Really? It's scope is far beyond that of the Wii.

People don't see to get just how advanced this tech is.


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## kyser_soze (Feb 19, 2010)

kained&able said:


> Oh obviously, BUT with a decent ammount of power and decent graphics behind it.
> 
> if they release a star wars light sabre duelling game im blates going to have to get it.
> 
> ...



Will they be proper lightsabres?

No.

Worthless.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 19, 2010)

*saw a demo of a future xbox yetserday - project natal*




			
				ChrisFilter said:
			
		

> Really? Really? It's scope is far beyond that of the Wii.
> 
> People don't see to get just how advanced this tech is.



And that's the point, to play Ninty at their own game they have to leap frog them with the tech otherwise it won't draw interest.

I think KS has a pertinent point about the level of physical energy needed for this too...

But you know I'm not writing this off just expressing some skeptisism.


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## kained&able (Feb 19, 2010)

kyser_soze said:


> Will they be proper lightsabres?
> 
> No.
> 
> Worthless.



i have a sword i can use! It will be all good.

dave


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## dlx1 (Feb 19, 2010)

what this silverlight shit I have to install *Xbox site*.


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## Crispy (Feb 19, 2010)

It's like Flash, but microsoft


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## XR75 (Feb 22, 2010)

Crispy said:


> No, it reads your complete body position and maps it onto the ingame character. It's way more sophisticated than eyetoy. It scans the whole room in 3d. It can recognise faces - much more accurately than a camera-based system because it can read the 3d contours of your face.
> 
> Gesture motion on the wii is the biggest innovation this generation. Simplifying videogames for the masses. And revol thinks I'm silly



The Wii while good in theory didn't turn out as great as promised which is what I think will happen with Natal however at least steps are being made while the PC stagnates further as a gaming platform.

As for simplifying for the masses why would you want that,it's the gaming equivalent of going into a bookstore and getting rid of any books that look too highbrow and replacing them with childrens comics and colouring in books.


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## Ranbay (Feb 22, 2010)

playing tony hawk ridesknackers me out enough !!!


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 22, 2010)

*saw a demo of a future xbox yetserday - project natal*




			
				XR75 said:
			
		

> The Wii while good in theory didn't turn out as great as promised which is what I think will happen with Natal however at least steps are being made while the PC stagnates further as a gaming platform.
> 
> As for simplifying for the masses why would you want that,it's the gaming equivalent of going into a bookstore and getting rid of any books that look too highbrow and replacing them with childrens comics and colouring in books.



And books by Dan Brown.


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## Grandma Death (Feb 22, 2010)

revol68 said:


> Fuck the Wii and it's bringing gaming to the whole family shite, fucking party game crap. Games are meant to be played in the dark by yourself or perhaps a group of mates, they aren't meant for your mum and your sisters mates to stick on in the living room and make dicks of themselves after one too many Bacardi Breezers and Lambrinis, that's what karaoke was made for.



I know..how stupid are console manufacturers to want to make more money and broaden the appeal of gaming beyond angry little spunk monkeys like you who'd rather sit in a darkened room on your own or with your nerdy mates. Not very forward thinking are they....


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## Citizen66 (Feb 22, 2010)

Pingu said:


> was at microsoft yesterday and as pasrt of the tour we got we saw a brief demo of some stuff they are working on
> 
> one of which was a next gen xbox.
> 
> ...




See, being in a car simulator without a steering wheel is _less_ realistic than having a steering wheel controller.

The wii has never appealed to me on the basis that I want to use a console to unwind and not have a cardiac arrest with. I hope the option to flail around your sofa like a jibbering idiot isn't compulsory with next gen consoles.


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## Citizen66 (Feb 22, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Few videos of it in use been around for a while:




It looks a perfectly horrible experience.


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## ruffneck23 (Feb 23, 2010)

I was watching an episode of a certain crap us superhero show earlier 

They had someone playing an xbox with natal on it. From what i saw , il be giving it a miss


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## Boycey (Feb 23, 2010)

the times i get most into games i'm generally completely drugfucked and unable to move anywhere... this will not be of interest to me. it's a clever innovation but i'm not too sure how successful it'll be- there will always be a core of gamers who want control pad/joystick(fuck!haven't used one of them in a while unless you count thumbsticks)/keyboard+mouse and for the most part they (or rather we ) seem to be louder when it comes to actual games. i don't get the party gaming thing- i'll have a night playing MW2 special ops with a mate but when i have a few people round turning the computer on is not high on the agenda.


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 23, 2010)

It's just an add on for the 360. It's a not a console in it's own right. And I imagine it will be massively successful.


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## Kid_Eternity (Feb 23, 2010)

Boycey said:


> the times i get most into games i'm generally completely drugfucked and unable to move anywhere... this will not be of interest to me. it's a clever innovation but i'm not too sure how successful it'll be- there will always be a core of gamers who want control pad/joystick(fuck!haven't used one of them in a while unless you count thumbsticks)/keyboard+mouse and for the most part they (or rather we ) seem to be louder when it comes to actual games. i don't get the party gaming thing- i'll have a night playing MW2 special ops with a mate but when i have a few people round turning the computer on is not high on the agenda.



I suspect ChrisF may be right, the 'social' gamer is a huge number of people...


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## kained&able (Feb 23, 2010)

I just want to fight people on it that will be the fun part. Although it could be awesome for rpg' and fps as well i guess. Genuinely wondering  around the place could get quite immersive. Doom 3 used to shit me up quite nicely anyway but in a completely dark room with me actually controlling the on screen character it could be epic.

Of course it could also be really shit with a clunky interface no decent games support and a complete waste of money. I'm certainly not ruling that out.

Also while i agree with c66 that for driving games you  need a steering wheel, in theory there will be nothing stopping you going to a local scrap yard and buying a genuine car steering wheel for fuck all and using that. Which is kinda cool.


dave


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 23, 2010)

kained&able said:


> I just want to fight people on it that will be the fun part. Although it could be awesome for rpg' and fps as well i guess. Genuinely wondering  around the place could get quite immersive. Doom 3 used to shit me up quite nicely anyway but in a completely dark room with me actually controlling the on screen character it could be epic.
> 
> Of course it could also be really shit with a clunky interface no decent games support and a complete waste of money. I'm certainly not ruling that out.
> 
> ...



MS are pouring an enormous load of cash into this. Much like with the Xbox, they won't let it fail.


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## kained&able (Feb 23, 2010)

This is microsoft we are talking about though chris i'm sure they poured loads of money into internet explorer, silverlight and windows me.

Anyway its not really up to them its up to the games producers in the most part. 

Although i think they produce forza, gears of war, halo and a few other don't they? So there should be a few decent titles for it i guess.


dave


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## Boycey (Feb 23, 2010)

kained&able said:


> Anyway its not really up to them its up to the games producers in the most part.
> 
> Although i think they produce forza, gears of war, halo and a few other don't they? So there should be a few decent titles for it i guess.
> 
> ...



i think they technically own a few games producers- i think m$ buying bungie was about the point that apple gave up on games.


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## AverageJoe (Feb 23, 2010)

One things for certain.

You're gonna need a bigger front room.


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## Crispy (Feb 23, 2010)

One thing - head tracking


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## Citizen66 (Feb 23, 2010)

kained&able said:


> I just want to fight people on it that will be the fun part. Although it could be awesome for rpg' and fps as well i guess. Genuinely wondering  around the place could get quite immersive. Doom 3 used to shit me up quite nicely anyway but in a completely dark room with me actually controlling the on screen character it could be epic.
> 
> Of course it could also be really shit with a clunky interface no decent games support and a complete waste of money. I'm certainly not ruling that out.
> 
> ...



nae force feedback though like.


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## ChrisFilter (Feb 23, 2010)

Citizen66 said:


> nae force feedback though like.



You'd bemoan the lack of force feedback over full 3D object tracking?


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## Strumpet (Feb 23, 2010)

Kanda said:


> Few videos of it in use been around for a while:





That looks fukn fun!!


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## Citizen66 (Feb 23, 2010)

ChrisFilter said:


> You'd bemoan the lack of force feedback over full 3D object tracking?



On a car racing game? No time for object tracking at the speeds I travel I'm afraid sunshine.


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## audiotech (Feb 23, 2010)

revol68 said:


> Fuck the Wii and it's bringing gaming to the whole family shite, fucking party game crap. Games are meant to be played in the dark by yourself or perhaps a group of mates, they aren't meant for your mum and your sisters mates to stick on in the living room and make dicks of themselves after one too many Bacardi Breezers and Lambrinis, that's what karaoke was made for.


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## cybershot (May 24, 2010)

I'm off to test some Project Natal titles out tonight at a MS Game Studio, will let you know what I think. So far Ive been underwhelmed by the videos of it online but that was all last years E3 stuff so I'm hoping it's come on a bit.


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## Kid_Eternity (May 25, 2010)

How was it?


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## cybershot (May 25, 2010)

Kid_Eternity said:


> How was it?



Obviously I got embargoed so can't type up too much about what was played on the net for fear of my own life!! 

However it actually works quite well with how it detects you and your body movement so lots of potential, but again I feel only in the sense of casual/family gaming. 

It's pretty much Wii, but it's very impressive watching your avatar move as you do. Ie. if you stand slouching, then so will your character, you have to make a bit more effort then you do with the Wii and it feels much more natural.

Worked well for some of the stuff we played and not so well for others. I can't imagine too many A+ titles and FPS type stuff really. It's going to be very party based software I think, which is all well and good as long as the camera itself isn't too pricey. If it's any more than £50 it would be silly. Also better than the Wii in the fact once you've bought the camera, that's it. Unlike the Wii where if you want to play 4 player you need to spend another £90 on controllers. So IMO they need to price it less than this to cut out the Wii market, especially as Xbox's tend to be cheaper than Wii's anyway now. (Well Arcade systems anyway!) It does work multiplayer so you can have more than one person infront of the camera and it latches onto you very well.

Once some stuff has been officially announced @ E3 I'll go into more detail with some of the titles we played.


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## Kid_Eternity (May 25, 2010)

Send a PM!


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## bmd (May 27, 2010)

It's gonna be about £100. That's me not bothering then. I never use the Wii, never mind a new improved one.


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## TitanSound (May 27, 2010)

Guys come on.

This is a plan by the lizards to get people super fit for the upcoming war to establish the new world order. First it's driving games, tennis...blah blah and then it will all be "Full body combat" and "Military training simulators".

Before you know it every user will be a brainwashed, bloodthirsty killer.


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## cybershot (May 27, 2010)

Defo missed a trick with the pricing, should be half that at least. Still cheaper to buy 3 more wiimotes and nunchucks!


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## mwgdrwg (May 28, 2010)

I hope they release a 360 "slim" with Natal built in.


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## ChrisFilter (May 28, 2010)

cybershot said:


> Defo missed a trick with the pricing, should be half that at least. Still cheaper to buy 3 more wiimotes and nunchucks!



But it's so much more! I think a ton is fair enough.


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## Kid_Eternity (May 28, 2010)

If it's just a better Wii I'm not sure it being 30 quid would even tempt me...


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## Sunray (May 29, 2010)

Its cost is minor although at nearly the price of the console total it is expensive. There is only one reason I am going to buy it and that is if a compelling game comes out to support it.


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## Ranbay (Jun 14, 2010)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/10284289.stm


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## debaser (Jun 14, 2010)

One shit name for another. I'm a little annoyed as I was very much prepared to make a "post natal" joke once it flopped. Which it of course, it still will.


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