It doesn't come as a surprise that Sony and Microsoft are hard at work at motion controls for their respective consoles: Nintendo is eating their lunch. The Wii's incredible appeal with the average consumer -- due primarily to the accessibility and charm of its Wiimote motion controls -- has also created an annoying divide in the industry (real or perceived) between consumers who use embarrassing gestures to control meaningless mini-games, and those who memorize incredibly complex control schemes to control deeper and more "mature" experiences. There's been a small amount of crossover, of course, but since Sony and Microsoft have lacked most of the gestures option, a majority of it has taken place on the Wii -- the inclusion of an accelerometer in Sony's Sixaxis controller has had little impact on gameplay, and Sony's EyeToy 2 has had even less impact on the average gamer.
Of course, that's all about to change next year, with the emergence of the Microsoft's
Project Natal and Sony's
PlayStation motion controller. Typical thinking would suggest that Sony and Microsoft will be attempting to capture a slice of the casual gaming market that the Wii has so well dominated, while also expanding on the Wii's capabilities at serving the hardcore gamer -- some capabilities which Nintendo itself is attempting to add to the Wii with the even more imminent MotionPlus add-on. So, does anyone here have what it takes to serve up the next generation of gaming controls to everybody, or do cost considerations and the current state of the console wars dictate an ongoing rift in the market? Let's weigh our options...
Wii MotionPlus
Launch date: June 8th
Price: $20 add-on per controller
Current install base: 51 million
Console base price: $250
While Sony and Microsoft are getting all the press this week, it's actually Nintendo that's the closest chronologically to improving upon its existing motion control capabilities.
The new MotionPlus add-on adds gyroscope sensing on the X and Y axis to supplement the data the Wii already gleans from accelerometers and the sensor bar. It gives the Wiimote substantially more information about its placement in space, but it's not going to provide perfect 1:1 data -- developers will still need to decide the best way to use this extra info, and build software to simulate 1:1 as they choose. Nintendo, for instance, provides 1:1 motion in its Wii Sports Resort sword fighting game, but to perform blocks correctly, users still need to use the B button. In Ubisoft's Red Steel 2, gun implementation is the same as it was for the original, and while sword play is much improved, there's still a hint of slashes being "interpreted" into particular motions, instead of every motion being perfectly reflected on screen. EA has
also claimed it was necessary to "tone down" 1:1 responsiveness to amp up playability.
Our own feel from a brief time playing with MotionPlus was that we could certainly sense an improvement in accuracy and real-life motion, but the games we tried didn't really show it to be a killer feature, or substantially "immersive" enough to justify the upgrade.
Xbox 360 Project Natal
Launch date: TBD, rumored late 2010
Price: TBD, one needed per console
Current install base: 30 million
Console base price: $200
Microsoft said it loud and clear on stage at E3: "This isn't the kind of game you end up on the sofa using some kind of preset waggle commands." It's true, Project Natal really couldn't be further from the Wii when it comes to motion controls. Instead of representing potentially arbitrary controller motions and gestures, Microsoft has its sights set on capturing the motion of the entire body. The technology is certainly impressive, combining an infrared camera and traditional camera to capture motion and 3D location in with glorious resolution and responsiveness -- from furious full body flailing to the subtle motion of an imaginary steering wheel, gas pedal and gear shifter. Microsoft's demos with in-house games show an on-screen avatar that closely mimics your own motions, which seems just a little odd in practice: it's 1:1 movement being represented on screen, but it's still arbitrary in a sense, since the avatar is being moved in a virtual environment. It's more like controlling a really detailed puppet than "being there" -- though this is obviously based on the implementation, since the driving example is very immersive.
Our problems with the tech, however, are twofold. Microsoft was kind enough to point out that you won't "end up on the sofa" for a lot of this. While we're glad Microsoft is doing its part to fight childhood (and adulthood) obesity, we actually really appreciate the option with the Wii to play one game of bowling standing up in a mode of full-on simulation, and one bowling game sprawled out on the couch, making as little effort as possible. We're sure there will be plenty of low-impact games available, but just to get an idea of where we're coming from: the delicate arm waves Microsoft's demo couple demonstrated when shuffling through a Netflix queue did not look like a delightful way to spend an evening. The other problem is with the idea of arbitrary controls. Most of what we do in video games are precisely the things we
can't do in our living room. We're sure Microsoft is hard at work at this problem, but our fear is that we'll end up trading arbitrary Wiimote gestures when piloting a robo-mech tasked with eradicating laser-equipped dinosaurs from the moon, with arbitrary "body gestures" that will feel just as fake and a whole lot more tiring. Our biggest concern: how do you work a FPS? Of the options of either buying an extra gun-simulation accessory for Natal to interact with, using a regular 360 controller in a shooter stance, or making imaginary guns with our fingers, we can't decide which is the least desirable. Chatting with Milo, however,
sounds like a real treat.
Check out our hands-on look at Natal
here.
PlayStation motion controller
Launch date: Spring 2010
Price: TBD, needs PlayStation Eye ($40) and a new controller per person
Current install base: 23 million
Console base price: $400
Rarely a one for compromise, it's rather odd that Sony has ended up striking a bit of a balance between Nintendo and Microsoft in this space. Its new "PlayStation motion controller," which appeared fairly early along in the development process in comparison to the competition, though it will theoretically launch before Natal, combines a Wiimote-like peripheral with Sony's existing
PlayStation Eye camera. As far as we can tell, most of the tracking takes place between the camera and the magical glowing ball at the end of the controller (which changes colors for particular actions). There also might be some accelerometers and gyroscopes on the inside, along with buttons on the face of the controller and an analog trigger -- making this an odd amalgamation of a Wiimote, a Natal-style camera-based tracking system and a traditional controller.
The upshot is that the controller has some of the benefits of Natal's "perfect" 1:1 tracking in real space, along with a traditional controller's capabilities to map arbitrary actions to buttons. Sony mentioned, for instance, that there isn't much of a substitute for a trigger button when it comes to shooting a gun virtually. The downside, naturally, is that the system appears limited to basically tracking two points in space per person -- one controller in each hand -- while Project Natal is tracking 48 joint points on the body, from head to toe. With a camera-based controller, we also fear Sony might suffer slightly when it comes to more arbitrary motions. It's a whole different story when moving around in an epic video game as opposed to moving around in a virtually-represented living room. Again, we're sure this is something Sony is aware of and working on, but it's something that Nintendo's waggle has down pat -- for better or worse.
The elephant in the room here, of course, is that Sony already has an iPhone-style accelerometer in its existing PS3 controllers. Unfortunately, the lack of a Wii sensor bar-style frame of reference for the controller, along with horrible implementation in the majority of games that use it for anything more than a quick shake now and then, mean that it was hardly surprising that Sony completely failed to mention
Sixaxis during its presentation.
Other controllers
This isn't the main thrust of this article, but it's worth noting that the number of game-specific accessories has skyrocketed of late, with
Rock Band,
Guitar Hero,
DJ Hero,
Wii Fit and now even
Tony Hawk all involving a specific controller for game play. Many of the inputs they provide (like weight and precise button mashing) aren't accurately reproduced by any of these other methods, and they show some of the limitations involved in building any sort of catch-all motion control system.
Of the three, however, Project Natal seems best suited to working alongside and augmenting existing control schemes -- tracking your general body movements while a guitar controller tracks your fingers, for instance, or measuring your arm flails while the Tony Hawk controller picks up the subtleties of your virtual kickflips. Sony has the opportunity to do this to a lesser extent with the PlayStation Eye, and the Wiimote has already been implemented to some extent in conjunction with other controllers.
Hardware to back it all up
Developers will probably be looking at two main things when it comes developing their titles for motion controls: how many people have it, and what can they do with it. While Nintendo would argue that the only place where truly "next-gen" gameplay is happening right now is on the Wii, it's clear that expansive worlds, involved storylines, online multiplayer and (especially) high end graphics are much more traditionally associated with the PS3 and Xbox 360. Several games have even had "lite" editions built for the Wii, which really demonstrates the rift between the types of consoles.
The opportunity is certainly there for developers to build something
extra next-gen with the blend of modern hardware and advanced motion controls, but the higher development costs on the Xbox 360 and PS3 discourage experimentation. Mix in the fact that neither console is shipping with these new motion controls currently, and potentially slow adoption once they start, and there's very little incentive out of the gate for a developer to design a truly blockbuster title around these new peripherals. Nintendo has had good results in selling its Wii Fit controller, and it seems imperative that Nintendo and Sony build some amazing first party experiences to make these motion controllers must have items.
Our greatest hope for third parties out of the gate is that there will be some easy to implement "alternative controls" that developers will be able to tack on to traditional titles (Microsoft showed us some racing controls that give us great hope in this department, and Sony seems dead set on the FPS and RTS space), but it seems likely that we're a few years or perhaps even another console generation from a real fulfillment of all this technology in a truly great game. Our mini-game experience index, however, is likely to skyrocket in the near term.
Wrap-up
The scary thought, for Microsoft and Sony at least, is that like Sony's PlayStation Eye experiments in the past (Sony even goes so far as to call the PS2 EyeToy its "first" motion controller), this new functionality could be ignored by the general public and leave both manufacturers without a compelling presence in the casual market. It all comes down to games, and it'll be important for both technologies to sell at a reasonable price, come bundled with really compelling casual gameplay out of the box, and then to get strong third party developer support in the long run -- the last of which Nintendo is still struggling with in some ways.
As odd as it seems, it's hard to say anybody has a real edge right now. Nintendo is quite obviously winning financially, has the most units on the market, and also in some sense pioneered this space -- how many times did you and your parents pretend to play tennis against each other in the living room before the Wii came along? -- but as far as who will deliver the best and most immersive gaming experience this generation, it's still up in the air. In many ways you could claim the community and connectivity pioneered by Xbox Live has done more for progressing the industry than the Wii's waggle, but any way you slice this wild, cutthroat, three-pronged competition, we'd say the consumer is winning.
Further viewing
While words are great, the best way to get a sense for these various technologies is to see them in action, so we've embedded a few videos below to give you an idea of what we're talking about.
PlayStation motion controller
Project Natal
MotionPlus
Mysterious "glove" tech from unknown manufacturer
posted June 5th 2009 11:02AM
"Reason I don't like the Wii: boredom - the motion control hasn't done anything new except to improve some simulation like bowling and tennis. Most of the great games on the Wii work equally well or better with a classic controller."
Metroid Prime 3 wants to talk to you. It would not work as well playing with a classic controller. Otherwise I would agree with you.
Whichever console I own will definitely be way better. The console I didn't buy is gonna have a really crappy implementation. This makes me feel cool.
Well, Both Controllers have positive things and both have negative things..
The one thing I'm laughing at is that developers could use natal-device on the PS3 if they really wanted to as it's an USB device.. Hell, they could even use the wiimote if they really wanted to because it's a Bluetooth device.. So I still wonder why nobody has picked on on that, since Nintendo is making a big bundle of money on every sold wiimote they would even earn a lot of money on that (ok they even make a criminally amount of profit on every sold Wii so that would dumb down, but hee they could also sell their games on the PS3)..
Personally I don't have a xbox360, but I'm very confident that when natal is released a lot of homebrewpeople will start trying to figure natal out for the PC (or linux on the PS3) just like it happened with the Wiimote and the sixaxis..
I don't get people saying that you can't move your character around with Natal, or you would have to run in place.
How about just leaning forward? Or backward? Having Natal track your shoulders? Straight posture would mean stand still, leaning back mean you run backwards and so on. Turning your shoulders or torso would turn your character and leaning would strafe. Where did all this "It'll fail cause I don't want to run in place" crap come from? Use your heads. Just because it's 1:1 doesn't mean you have to use it like that.
That being said I still think the Playstation Controller might be better for actual gaming, I don't know yet, going to have to try them both out.
My neighbors have kept me from playing Rockband and most Wii games. Don't see how this will be any different. :(
I think motion control is about using it appropriately. I think it has a place in fps games, certain sports games, and melee weapon games (though sword swinging I really do think needs 1:1). Microsoft's technology is the most interesting, but so far seems the most gimmicky. I really think the lack of something tactile is a disadvantage in making a fun gaming experience. Sony's control really seems to have the 1:1 down for the melee weapons. Microsoft's seems to be great for sports in its movement tracking, but I still think you need to actually touch something to make for a good experience. And any fps really needs an accessory like the Wii Blaster to make that really fun in my opinion.
PS3's look the most enjoyable. Their tech demo was the best as well. I would much rather use 'Wands' than dance around in front of a camera on my 360.
I am putting my money on Sony's.
> I am putting my money on Sony's.
Considering that WiiMote Motion Plus starts shipping in Japan this month (of which Sony's wand is technological equivalent) it is only logical to put your money on Nintendo. They were first and their developers have more exposure to the technology. It is simple as that.
IMO it would be crucial for Sony to bundle the controller with consoles. Otherwise it would remain a gimmick. That would be also logical for them to do as Nintendo bundles WiiMote and already mentioned that next revision of WiiMote would have Motion Plus built-in.
2 Natal: good luck trying the camera to detect anything in incandescent light of living room.
Can The Eye-toy track it when that Sony dildo is in my butt?
umm have you guys not seen the eyepet? Its going to sell a shed load. Every kid is gonna want one. My eight year old cannot stop talking about it and my wife wants one for herself!
Next thing you know, they're going to want to leave it always-on and you'll be indirectly responsible for global warming! lol
Amazing. Even in a post about the 360, PS3 and wii, Engadget still somehow manages to find a way to mention the iPhone.
I usually just ignore all the noise about Engadget's supposedly non-existing bias, but come on....
I cant see PN and Wand stealing the casual audience's attention from nintendo. most casual players already have a wii and it good enough for them. they dont give a shit about technology. Also, MircoSony forgot 2 important features to the wii remote:
1. Buttons, analog stick
2, IR sensor.
its the combination of motion and the above two that makes it such a winner.
With all that said. I love the concept behind both PN and Wand. I just believe that it's a little to late in the game to see any big change unless someone does something really dramatic. Like a giant price drop
1) original controller. Try holding it in your hand and using the right half, it'll work well.
2) Natal has both standard and IR cameras built into it.
PS3 is without question the most powerful piece of hardware of the three, regardless of your opinion about game selection and controller style, the Playstation 3 just is and there has never been dispute about this. Hence from the perspective of a game designer (the entire reason we have consoles in the first place is to deliver the games, means to an end) the PS3, again without question, holds the most potential for having the best, most interactive, most realistic and most adaptive motion controller possible in the next generation market.
The innovations that made the Wii the best-selling unit will also be the reasons it dies. The motion-control 'secret' is out and if Wii thinks simply that adding a $30 attachment to their dated system will do it they need to seriously reconsider. With Sony seriously cutting into the handheld market and the Wii releasing bomb game after bomb game, Nintendo isn't innovating. Point and case the graphics on the Wii alone are enough to kill it this summer, they were dated less than 6 months after the initial release. Final point, when the most played and popular game on the Wii is STILL the $9.99 sports game that comes with the system...well..enough said..
you know what, since no one is saying it, I will.
Hey guys, especially Paul Miller, THANK YOU for this rather extensive comparison of the three systems, without all too clearly being biased towards one side. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT.
I'd like to add that I am anticipating all three new motion control systems, as they will hopefully immerse us even more in the games we love.
Anyone notice that the power glove in this picture and ad, looks nothing like the real one? I unfortunatley admit to having one...... "It's so rad"
"The downside, naturally, is that the system appears limited to basically tracking two points in space per person -- one controller in each hand -- while Project Natal is tracking 48 joint points on the body, from head to toe."
This isn't accurate, we know that the PS Eye by itself can do body tracking. At the very least, it can do head tracking (Engadget reported on this, you should know about it). More likely, it can do some degree of full body tracking, as there were games for the original Eyetoy based on body tracking. The demo video of the EyePet also shows that the PS Eye can do body tracking. One thing to note is that n the PS3 motion controller demo, he kneels and and the avatar kneels, which implies some body tracking. That said, Natal is going to be more accurate with the body tracking, since it has two cameras including an IR camera.
"With a camera-based controller, we also fear Sony might suffer slightly when it comes to more arbitrary motions. It's a whole different story when moving around in an epic video game as opposed to moving around in a virtually-represented living room."
I don't really get this comment. It's not just camera based, it's camera and controller based, and the controller is most certainly going to have buttons on it at the least. I'd be surprised if it doesn't also have an analog stick on it, but even without one, all you really need is one button in conjunction with the motion controls to navigate your character around.
Natal has more promise as it could eliminate the need for all the additional controllers for games such as Rock Band, Guitar Hero, Lips, DDR,etc. Like the Wii it will probably not be fully implemented into the FPS category but could easily be used in RTS (Ruse). In order to get it into as many homes as possible, I would guess it would be packaged with EA Active as a direct competitor to the Wii Fit Board and could be combined into Rock Band, GH, DDR as a replacement to the existing controllers. I don't think MS will look to force everyone off the couch but provide for a catch-all controller for the games that are physically active in nature.
For the PS3 Wand to fully work it will require the Eye as well as some form of secondary controller for the second hand. Also, it could not be seen as a replacement for the Wii Fit Board or any of the games listed above. MS could charge $250 for Natal and it still be cheaper than all the required accessories for the Wand and Wiimote to work in the same games. The PS3 Wand demo was impressive but I could easily see Natal replicating everything in the demo and more.
From what I am reading from these comments, it doesn't matter if you think the Sony Motion controls or Project Natal are better, not one person is talking about Wii or Wii Motion Plus. I think Nintendo may be in trouble if Sony or Microsoft and the third parties really start developing for either product.
The benefit of Wii over Natal and PS3 Wand is that it is versatile. Using the Wii Remote games can be all motion controls, all regular controls, or anything in between. Natal is pure motion and the PS3 Wand (at least from what was revealed so far) is, as many people have said, in between the other two - mostly motion with a few buttons. That is why Wii is the winner in my book.
How do you know the wand doesnt have as many buttons as the wiimote? Wiimote doesnt have very many either
The problem is not the buttons. How are you going to move a character on screen? There is no joystick or directional pad. The Wii remote has both.
hah! Man I remember when I first saw the power glove as a wee lad back in the day in that movie "The Wizard" with Fred Savage. I remember when that douchebag kid pulled it out and wooped that kids ass. I was like "COOL I NEED ONE OF THOSE!" My parents bought it for me... and maaaannn boy did it suck. It had those stupid codes you had to put in to use it, and it had that dumb sensor bar with the 3 sensors that always were falling apart and always sucked at keeping things calibrated. Argh I used it like 3 times. I just wore it around cuz it looked cool.
All kidding aside....
I'm officially starting the Natal fanboi club. For real....! You guys are flippin' crazy if you don't think Natal is the best "tech" out of the three. I mean really come on, a light tracking ball on a stick from sony. Really? Really Sony? Natal blows that out of the water. Come on. Natal already does this and could have the added functionality of a "button" if they paired it with a stick. Microsoft could throw a hand joystick in the box with some buttons a joystick on it and call it a day. I mean really. You think the Natal will only be used for all buttonless gaming. You're crazy it supplements the controlling experience. you could have a controller and natal. Seriosuly if this tech works as well as everyone is saying it does it is a game changer. Not only for vid games, but for controller interfaces in any application. You know that crap that we didn't believe when tom cruise was in minority report. Well guess what this IS that tech! This is perhaps one of most important controller interfaces since the mouse and keyboard. It's an add on, but microsoft could begin to put it in every 360 console sold from the release date. Throw some family oriented games in with it and you have a seller. And it's not just for that it could be used in hardcore games as well. When their next gen console comes out expect this to be front and center. The xbox will be the media center of the home right under your tv. Imagine downloading moves and everything by just walking up and asking for it. Or buying things on amazon by talking to your tv. Waving your hand as if looking through a rack of clothes or cds. Again it's not a replacement it's another way to interact with a computer.
Sorry guys, MS does a lot of messed up stuff, but they seem to be all on the ball lately. I'm with them on this one...
This is the dawning of the age of Aquariusssss...
Sony and MS motion controllers success will come down to their First/Second-Party Developers. Obviously they will have to offer some type of game package when they initially sell the controllers. Sony seems to be trying to ride the fence of catering to the hardcore crowd (see: Sword/shield, bow/arrow demo) while still being able to attract a casual crowd by creating Wii Sports like games with better graphics and better accuracy. MS on the other hand seem to be putting most of their eggs in the casual basket with "Natal". From the promo video they showed (that oddly looked like Wii ads) they are gonna have the Wii Sports type games that wont require much tactile feedback..ie sports, puzzle games.
They BOTH can end of successful in their own rights but what I'M most excited about are implementing it in REAL games in a compelling way that makes my experience BETTER. Sony seems like it will be able to do that because it has buttons as well as the 1:1 sensing. It seems to be better than Wii Remote Plus not only for accuracy but because it can read Z-AXIS (think stabbing motion) which the Wii cannot even with PLUS add-on.
MS has a more potential for more non gaming functions, like interface type situations but for games I don't wanna move my whole body...just because I can...I still want the game to be compelling and have depth.
My money is on Sony, plus they gave a date (Spring 2010)
Natal's presentation was pretty strong, but it's basically just a clone of the PS Eye. Integrating it into the console itself (so you can control NXE) is neat, but in all honesty, I'd rather use a controller to navigate the menus. In fact, one of my chief complaints was having to navigate menus with motion capture while using the Eye Toy. But as long as it's optional it's fine. But you guys are kidding yourselves if you think you'll be able to get the kind of precision that a handheld motion controller can give. That interactive game with the boy and that lady talking was really impressive though.
Nintendo's motion plus looks promising. It's basically what the Wiimote should have been like from the start! I love the idea of having precision added to the Wii sports games, instead of mostly just waggling at the right time as it is now. With the largest install base, and only a small investment for the add-on, the potential is huge for Nintendo. But given Nintendo's history of Wii titles, only time will tell.
And then there's Sony... Probably the only presentation that made me feel like a giddy 8-year-old version of myself. I really really really want to swing around a mace! And wield a light saber whip! Their tech has the most potential, combining the best aspects of camera recognition with a motion controller. However, given Sony's history of Eye Toy support, I think the fruits of this venture will be poor. Prove me wrong Sony.
In summary, what will I buy?
MS Natal: yes
Wii motion plus: yes
Sony wand: yes
Power Glove: already have it!
Yep... all will be mine!
Ok. Been reading alot of Sony fanboys touting how much better the Sony wiimote is over Project Natal. Seriously??? Face the facts, if MS can make good with Project Natal, they've got something very revolutionary going on there. I'll give it to Sony on making a much better version of the Wiimote. It takes Nintendo's idea to the next level and does so way better than even the Wiimotion Plus.
Unfortunately, as we all know, it will be probably 2 or 3 years before Sony actually gets this out, like most of the games have been so far on the PS3. By then we'll either be talking to some creepy ai or lining up for the next Wii. Milo creeps the hell out of me. Expecting it to say "You're all going to die down here." :P
Everything Natal can do, PSeye has been shown doing.
By the time MS and Sony finish with their new "motion" controllers, Nintendo would be selling "psychic" controllers.
Why were so many downsides of PS's wand given, but none of the advantages? Like how it was the only one with true 1:1, and lag free, unlike both MS and Nintendos
IMO the wand is very good and I can see a lot of potential in it's functionality but I can also see how additional peripherals would be needed to match the Natal's apparent functionality. Voice recognition is just one feature absent and by having only one wand the possibilities are somewhat limited. Someone mentioned they wanted to be able to swing a mace, but wouldn't you also want to raise your shield?
A game like Fight Night or Punch Out requires each hand to be active. The Wii has a nunchuk and the PS3 would need some equivalent.
Bottom line is Nintendo has already made a killing in this market. The other two product's (Natal and PS3 Wand) aren't even fully functional yet or even final. Natal has a really noticeable delay in motion capturing until it's 1:1 or pre-Motion Plus it will fail on top of this Project Natal is a better version of Sony's Eyetoy which failed and to add more poop to the pile the Motion Bar will at least have to be over $100 to own it since the hardware in it. Honestly can anyone see themselves playing 100 hours of gameplay buy doing gestures without a controller or buttons. Forget it it's a novelty. Sony's Wand has more promise than Natal. Gamers want to feel something in there hands don't be fooled by what you have seen at E3. Nintendo has done right in there games and not to the point that there overdoing it. There has to be a mix of movement and control perfect example Zelda or Mario Galaxy. If Sony can do that with there wands than it will be a success. Natal will in no way possible be able to get a game to play like that. Great idea by Microsoft but I think it should wait until the next X-Box and when they realize a controller needs to be part of the gimmick.
I have 2 words for Microsoft and Sony: POWER GLOVE
That thing was big o'pile of cr@p. The Wii controller is a little better. Same brutal control, but way better marketing. Nothing like playing a game like Jedi Knight Light Saber Battle on the Wii and finding out that the best way to win is to throw the controller in the air and let fate take care of the rest. Actually, I found a better way. If you take the Wii mote and physically bash your opponent over the head until they are unconscious, you win every time. I know what you're thinking, I didn't give the Wii a chance, maybe, but what sealed its fate was a Youtube video I saw of some fat kid playing Wii Golf while lying on his back. It looked like he was jerking off that wii mote, but sure enough, he hit it 300 yards every time and demolished the course record.
Microsoft , Sony, don't waste the money....believe me, you'll be glad you dodged that POS bullet. Here's an idea use the money that you would have wasted on motion control and start making the next gen console....fyi 10 years to support a console is ridiculous. It would be a relic, just like the PS2 is, oops sorry Sony, no offense....
Natal is a joke. A camera only system means that environments with lots of noise (dogs, cats, people walking around; fans blowing; curtains fluttering; space heater/radiator/air duct/ac blowing out hot/cold air; ...) will screw up gameplay. Also, Xbox 360 CPU will tax itself out trying to process real-time data streams from infrared and optical cameras while running a real game such as Halo 3, Gears of War 2, Forza, SF IV, ,,, instead of the simple demo games at E3. And forget about handling upcoming games such as FF XIII, MGS, Halo ODST, Halo Reach, Forza 2 using Natal. Dream on Microsoft. Natal ain't going to work in real life.
The MotionPlus is an expensive add-on considering a Wii-mote and nunchunk are required for a lot of games. Laying out $100+ total to assemble a controller combo really sucks and face it, most folks have 2 or more sets of controller combos in their homes. The controllers are like kind of like Nintendo's version of razor blades. Still, the MotionPlus will make playing golf (Tiger Woods 10) and tennis (Grand Slam Tennis) more realistic.
Sony should have spent some money and time to prototype a cooler looking motion wand for its E3 demo. Even if it offers a solution as good as Nintendo's Wii-mote/MotionPlus solution, folks will remember and talk about the ball on a wand demo in less than a favorable light.
I have a revolutionary way of controlling games!!!
A CONTROLLER!!!!
It's freaking amazing, I can use the thumb sticks to move about, the back buttons can shoot, accelerate, tab through menus, the d-pad can be used for switching through powers/menus/weapons, and the AX/Y/B/X/Square/Triangle/O buttons can be used for almost anything.
This wonderful innovation is available today, yes folks this is the future, today!!. And it will work with ALL your current games.
I bet you all Natal n PS Wand's will just be as good as the Power Glove n Eyetoy.
Casual gamers will have gone for the Wii already and most PS/360 gamers will want stuff like GT, COD, FPS', action, adventure RPG, which their current controllers work perfectly for.
Only available Natal game demo is the Burnout Paradise one, now imagine (or attempt) holding your arms out on an imaginary steering wheel for half an hour, maybe a full hour or two.
Both are Cool but I'm not gonna shell out $60/$100 for the Eye/Natal so I can waggle my hands about to watch movies.
I was blown away by the Project Natal demos of concept game and GUI manipulation. However, having just witnessed the PS3 demo, I give Sony the advantage.
A handheld controller(s) is an absolute must for the type of games that appeal to Xbox and PS3 owners. Microsoft will have to come up with handheld controllers to work in unison with Natal or it will simply be too limiting. Failure to do so means that they could attract some casual gamers as a new audience, but the reception in their core audience could be disappointing.
With the PS3 controllers, you could effectively run and gun. All you need is an analog stick on one of the controllers and you could control your direction and speed while maintaining control over both arms. The demo with the sword and shield, and the bow and arrow... I think that sold the entire audience.
I own an Xbox 360 so I hope Microsoft figures this out and releases complementary handheld controllers at the same time as the camera. I already have an elegant solution in mind that would solve the problem and take away Sony's advantage at very low cost. I'm thinking I should do a patent search first though... $, please!
I don't think MS or Sony think the controller will be replaced by Natal or Wand. I think the biggest problem with the Wii is the controller is incapable of handling the complexity of CoD, RE, and others. If Natal can replace the peripherals for Rock Band, Guitar Hero, DDR, EA Active, etc. then they will make it easier for everyone by bringing these games back to the $60 range and it can be a success. A lot of people seem to think you can have only Natal or a controller but I think they will both be needed.
Imagine Wii Fit without the Board, DDR without the wonky mat, Rock Band without the need for drums and guitars, Lips without the mic, Halo Wars with hand gestures and voice activation, Ruse on the Xbox360, etc. Controllers will probably always be needed for FPS and action games but for games that already require active participation it could be revolutionary. I don't know why everyone thinks that touchscreens for the IPOD are much better than a simple wheel but adding touchscreen to consoles is too much activity. If you like a controller, use the controller. If you like touchscreen type aps, this will be a must have.
sony and nintendo are gonna get on the next consoles because windows hadnt had their new years resolution made and xbox will fall its pretty preditable,
Without a doubt Natal looks very cool!
The Sony Wand looks great!
But the Problem is this stuff will be 4 years late at the earliest after the Wii. At the current sales rates the Wii will be at 60 million units by the time these things hit market. What people forget is that the dark horse for the Wii Motion Plus is going to be Wii Sports 2 or Resort or whatever they call it.
Wii Sports is the highest selling game of all time. Call it casual if you will but it is the system seller. All the motion controls in the world don't mean squat if they aren't paired with a truly good piece of supporting software. And that software made people want to play it period.
While I'd be the first to admit the new Wii Sports doesn't look as exciting as the first, it doesn't have to be. If it's even half as good and promises to give the original Wii buyers a reason to stick with Wii they will. If it it creates even a fraction of the buzz your talking millions of units sold!
This "race" could be over before it begins.
This doesn't even take into account all the "Golden Tee" fans who will here about Tiger Woods bundled with Wii motion (just in time for Father's day).
And unless I am mistaken all Nintendo has to do is release a camera (Ubisoft already has one coming) for Wii and in the mind of the consumer there will be little difference left.
I have all three systems, I love my Xbox (solo games) and Wii (when friends are over). My PS3 collects dust.
That picture of the Power Glove must have come out when it was a prototype or something because that's not what the retail version looked like. There is no D-Pad and the buttons are different. Just my observational skills, nothing more ;p
It's so bad!
Now here come the next generation of crazy people who want to act out killing people with GTA and whatever Krazy game. Ohhh, I though Columbine was enough')
who cares!!!!!
My problem with Natal is that it completely alienates handicapped gamers and its technology that has been used before in the past and has FAILED.
I can not belive my eyes when i see some comments here. Just to name a few: "I think sony has the upper hand here" , "good luck trying the camera to detect anything in incandescent light of living room" , "How are you going to move a character on screen? (refering to natal)" , "Xbox 360 CPU will tax itself out trying to process real-time data streams from infrared and optical cameras" etc ...
Open your eyes and read:
Natal can track anything you could wan it to track. A wand, your head, a gun whatever. It won't tax the cpu much cause most of the real-time data processing is done by Natals processing. It uses ir so it can track in dim light conditions. Nothing stops u from stil using a 360 controller and Natal together. ( for example in a fps u can lean left right with ur body but move with the 360s analog stick ) And it has voice recognition tech. So how would handicapped gamers not benefit from it.
I wonder if some people here have no imagination, just don't understand tech, are just not to bright or just ignore facts cause they once bought a PS3.
My list would be 1. Sony, 2. Nintendo, 3. Microsoft.
Natal seems to be just a 3d version of PS Eye, nothing new there. Motion plus is just an upgrade for "traditional" Wii. But Sony's response seems to take the best ideas from both Nintendo and its own Eye, kind of like Nintendo and Blizzard are known to do. Definite winner imho.
Honestly, going into this I was totally unbiased, I have all three consoles, and I prefer gaming with the PC.
Honestly though, I saw natal, it makes me very skeptical. I saw wiimotionplus, it looks very cool, and I thought it would be the winner simply because nintendo's been doing this for the longest amount of time. However, upon seeing sony's, I was extremely impressed, it's just so responsive and accurate, and I'm by far the most intrigued to get my hands on that one. Natal could still be cool, but it looks much more flawed, and unrealistic than sony's controller and nintendo's wiimotionplus.
Project Natal.
Natal in Portuguese means Christmas.
It may be release this Christmas or the next, since the E3 2009 developers where informed that MS would hand them the Natal Product on E3 days..
Fingers Crossed...
looks like natal is going to be demoed on Jimmy Fallon on wed... we will get to see some more then... muwhahaha
Is there a market for the Power Glove. I have several from the 90's never opened?