Project Natal and why it will not work

[Doug]

I dunno... Natal can be useful for games; just not necessarily shooters and the like. First person view control would be hard as you can't ask the player to turn their heads to see around in 360 degres; primarily, because they can't see the TV through the backs of their own heads.

 

[tsolless]

I'm looking forward to it for one and one thing only. Point and Click Adventure games. This seems like it would be the perfect area for the genre to rest its world weary head.

 

[fun-with-a-gun]

I was just thinking while everyone was making comments about how casual gamers will be scooped up in the motion control mini-games, the hardcore crowd can still be included with whatever the game developers find would be possible with Natal's restrictions. so far we don't know how sensitive it is, how far can it sense, and it's other limitations.

I also thought how messed up would the game get if you were in the middle of a fight using Natal and somebody walked in front of the TV?

 

[PurpleRain]

Thankyou for the replies. I could go through and quote you all saying 'I agree' but it'll just take up space. It hasn't come out yet, and it may be amazing enough to absorb me into it. I'm enjoying the argument between casual and hardcore gamers and who the target audience is. I completely forgot about that.


Knight, I also didn't even realize that gamers move and blink less while gaming, signs of subconscious thinking and actions taking over thus furthering my points. Though:

"Here's why something won't work that I have no real idea about, but hell.. why not write a scathing article on it and title it as a definitive."

Get off your high horse. Unless you've seen this thing behind the scenes unrestricted and even then, you'd have to wait until it was fully realized.. you have no way at all of telling what this is going to amount to.

Well, if you re-read the article you'll be surprised to find out its actually about subconscious and conscious gaming and the evolution of the gamepad controller, why it works and why it triumphs over other controllers brought out such as the eyetoy. This is just backing up points to make a prediction that the Natal will be the same. Please, I'll help you off your horse seeing as it is quite large and we can go over it again my friend.

And two periods do not constitute any any grammar in the English language.

 

[Boxmeister]

If Microsoft knows what's good for their profit margins they won't try and gear this towards the more interactive and maneuvering games like Assassin's Creed. There's a lot of actions in those games that require too much movement for the sensor to pick up (at least, this is what I foresee...) and the frustration level with skyrocket. If you're looking for immersion, it's going to be pretty darn hard while your limbs are flailing about like they're on fire. However, if you're looking for something that will combine gaming and movement (such as the wiifit) or if you're having a party and you'd like to challenge your friend to a game of "hit the mosquitoes" then it's going to be very popular.

Different gamers have different attractions. Some like the Xbox while others enjoy the PS3. Some will take PC over console or joystick over gamepad. As long as there's diversity in the world of gaming (which frankly, is a HUUUUUGE part of the industry) there's going to be new innovations. After Natal we'll eventually move on to virtual reality and touchpads or something. In my eyes, Natal boils down to just another step in gaming evolution, and apparently game evolution wants to slowly weed out the humans unlucky enough to be in the path of a flapping appendage of another gamer.

Bottom line is though, we won't know if something like Natal is a yay or nay until it's worldwide, immersion factor or not.

 

[fat waster]

i think the concept is good but in real life it will just be a fighting simulator so if you like an buy lots of fighter games then you might like even thou you will fell like a dick playing it

 

[Wintermoot]

next to whet you wrote the users of Nathal will look like idiots users using the wii mote already look like idiots with their arms waving I hope it just flies over and we get our reguler controlers back in the next gen (also I wrote users instead of gamers since people using those things arent generaly gamers)

 

[Max_A_Buck]

I sure did enjoy EyeToy. The one called 'Groove' was awesome. But there's only so much arm flailing I can do before it gets old. That and I get sick of looking like a tool. Either way, isn't it so much easier to just use a control pad rather than move yourself around? I'll probably try it but I can't see myself rushing out to buy it.

 

[Pendragon9]

I completely agree with this. It's the whole reason I dislike motion control altogether.

A controller is all you need to play a game. We shouldn't keep trying to replace it with something different.

 

[MR.Spartacus]

I've got two points that rip your theory to shreds.

-Who says Natal will focus entirely on immersion, or be made for serious gameplay?
-Who says Natal won't be able to work alongside standard controllers?

All right but wouldn't having it work with a controller as well completely defeat the purpose? Really though I can't imagine that pretending to be a mime to play a game as being fun.

 

[bad rider]

It depends, I think it comes down to "Can we interact with something without physical feedback and still be engaged" and to say. Well you won't have something physical in your hands to manipulate it, is a very shallow arguement. Look at movies or a television. We all get sucked in and engaged depending on whether content is good.

So it isn't so much Natal won't work due to a lack of physical feedback, it's because of all the gimicky teaspoon shallow games that will be designed for eliminating a deep and involving process leaving you disatisfied. Like talking to a bimbo about the nature and propertys of a black hole, when compared to talking to steven hawking. Sure you'll be interested and drawn in on mass by the double D's on display, but then you'll just become frustrated and bored. Whereas with stephen hawking you'd be less likely to be drawn in, but the guy would probably make it interesting enough for you to stick about.

So to get past that metaphor, Natal will die because shallow games are uninteresting and the overwhelming temptation of saying wave your arms to jump means developers won't do anything past jiggle physics.

 

[PixelKing]

Seriously.Try playing something where you do flips and stuff.

 

[DrDeath3191]

I wouldn't count Natal out just yet. Seeing as you have no experience with the device, as far as I know, you are merely making conjecture. I respect your opinion, but I'm going to remain hopeful. After all, I still feel immersed when I play a Wii game. Yes, it is still technically a controller, but the alleged experience is similar. If game developers take advantage of Natal correctly, I think we have the potential to become more immersed in the experience. That's just my take.