1
Quote
Microsoft shows off motion-sensing game control, Project Natal
Dean Takahashi | June 1st, 2009
Trying to one-up Nintendo, Microsoft showed off a game control scheme where you use your body to control what happens in a game.
Dubbed Project Natal, the new game control system uses a 3-D depth camera to capture your movements in front of the TV and translate them into control actions for a game.
Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft’s game business, took the stage at the Microsoft press conference at the E3 game show to show off the system. Director Steven Spielberg came out on stage to praise Microsoft for showing off something that he had been dreaming about for many years.
“Before, there was a barrier separating video game players from everyone else,” Mattrick said.
Microsoft showed a video that showed how the game system could be used to control games such as fighting or skateboarding games. You can scan your own skateboard into a game and then use it to ride on in a skateboarding game. The aim is to get more people to play games who would otherwise be intimidated by a traditional game controller with tons of buttons. The idea is to make people feel more connected to a game, said Peter Molyneux, head of Microsoft’s Lionhead game division. Molyneux showed a game above, dubbed Milo, where you can interact with a little boy, a virtual character, and explore a world with your own body movements.
You can use the system to control your Xbox Live avatar, or virtual character, on the TV screen. Hence, you can navigate through the Xbox 360’s dashboard using gestures captured by the camera. Microsoft showed off some demo games where you can paint pictures on the TV using swipes of your hands. Another game showed how you can also kick balls back and forth in a soccer-like simulation. You can also swoosh your hand through water and make it splash. Microsoft pointed out that you can’t do these things with similar accuracy with the Nintendo Wii.
We’ve reported that Microsoft acquired 3D depth camera maker 3DV Systems and is also working with Prime Sense, another 3D depth camera company. Microsoft is shipping game design tools for Project Natal today. As we reported, that means games with the system won’t be ready until late 2010.
Dean Takahashi | June 1st, 2009
Trying to one-up Nintendo, Microsoft showed off a game control scheme where you use your body to control what happens in a game.
Dubbed Project Natal, the new game control system uses a 3-D depth camera to capture your movements in front of the TV and translate them into control actions for a game.
Don Mattrick, head of Microsoft’s game business, took the stage at the Microsoft press conference at the E3 game show to show off the system. Director Steven Spielberg came out on stage to praise Microsoft for showing off something that he had been dreaming about for many years.
“Before, there was a barrier separating video game players from everyone else,” Mattrick said.
Microsoft showed a video that showed how the game system could be used to control games such as fighting or skateboarding games. You can scan your own skateboard into a game and then use it to ride on in a skateboarding game. The aim is to get more people to play games who would otherwise be intimidated by a traditional game controller with tons of buttons. The idea is to make people feel more connected to a game, said Peter Molyneux, head of Microsoft’s Lionhead game division. Molyneux showed a game above, dubbed Milo, where you can interact with a little boy, a virtual character, and explore a world with your own body movements.
You can use the system to control your Xbox Live avatar, or virtual character, on the TV screen. Hence, you can navigate through the Xbox 360’s dashboard using gestures captured by the camera. Microsoft showed off some demo games where you can paint pictures on the TV using swipes of your hands. Another game showed how you can also kick balls back and forth in a soccer-like simulation. You can also swoosh your hand through water and make it splash. Microsoft pointed out that you can’t do these things with similar accuracy with the Nintendo Wii.
We’ve reported that Microsoft acquired 3D depth camera maker 3DV Systems and is also working with Prime Sense, another 3D depth camera company. Microsoft is shipping game design tools for Project Natal today. As we reported, that means games with the system won’t be ready until late 2010.
http://venturebeat.c...-project-natal/
Edited by AirRaid, 01 June 2009 - 07:23 PM.
Mo-capped moves in Killer Instinct 3 
