Sony Explains Why It Passed on Natal Tech

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
17,672
0
0
Sony Explains Why It Passed on Natal Tech


Nintendo apparently didn't want it, and now it seems that Sony passed on the Natal technology too, because it didn't think it did enough that was new.

With the PlayStation Move [http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-Move-Starter-Bundle-3/dp/B002I0J4NE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1278951043&sr=8-1-catcorr] being so very much like the Wii remote, it's easy to forget that Sony has been looking into motion controls for some time now, first with the EyeToy, then with the Sixaxis controller, but the company didn't end up going down the path that Microsoft has with Natal and according to Sony's R&D Manager Dr. Richard Marks, it's because the technology didn't do the things that Sony wanted it to do:

"I love the 3D camera technology; personally, I like the technology part of it. We worked closely with our game teams at what it would enable, and it enabled making the things we already did with EyeToy more robust," said Marks.

"But it didn't really enable as many new experiences as what we were hoping it would enable, so it made the things we were already able to do a little bit more robust - which is good - but it adds a lot of cost and it didn't enable some of the other experiences we wanted to achieve."

Obviously Natal is yet to be released, so it's impossible to say whether Marks has a point about the technology, but from what we've seen so far, it's difficult to see what the Move can do that Natal can't; indeed, Natal currently looks like the more versatile piece of technology. Whether that is actually true, however, will have to wait until both devices are released.

Source: 1up [http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178559]



Permalink
 

Jared

The British Paladin
Jul 14, 2009
5,630
0
0
Two companies passed it up before Micrsoft got it...talk about picking up leftovers.

Well, lets hope for them they actually make it epic, and put the other two to shame
 

Cherry Cola

Your daddy, your Rock'n'Rolla
Jun 26, 2009
11,940
0
0
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
 

Credge

New member
Apr 12, 2008
1,042
0
0
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
What did they steal from the Wii-mote again?
 

Pingieking

New member
Sep 19, 2009
1,362
0
0
Hmm...
I doubted Natal from the beginning, but this is getting a bit unsettling even for me. To have both Sony and Nintendo pass on Natal doesn't exactly speak well for it. Sony has a track record of being overly ambitious and Nintendo has a reputation of hitting the jackpots of marketing.
Basically, everthing I've heard about Natal that didn't come from Microsoft seems to indicate that it's not that great. I didn't plan to buy it to begin with (due to having a deep hatred for motion controls), but it does make me wonder if I was a little too optimistic in taking that bet...
 

scotth266

Wait when did I get a sub
Jan 10, 2009
5,202
0
0
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
Yeah, seriously. I mean, no matter how much of a Sony fan you are, you have to admit that the Move is a shameless copy of the Wiimote :p
 

Shy_Guy

New member
Apr 13, 2009
105
0
0
scotth266 said:
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
Yeah, seriously. I mean, no matter how much of a Sony fan you are, you have to admit that the Move is a shameless copy of the Wiimote :p
Except it looks like a colorful sex toy instead of an indiscreet remote.

Still, I'd buy it... IF I already had an EyeToy. Which, really, most people don't. This is my main issue with Sony's Move. It requires yet another peripheral. If I am wrong, please someone enlighten me -- I truly hope I am mistaken.
 

dmase

New member
Mar 12, 2009
2,117
0
0
Hubilub said:
Credge said:
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
What did they steal from the Wii-mote again?
The wii-mote.

As in, the entire thing.
http://classicgames.about.com/od/consoleandhandheldgames/p/LeStickProfile.htm

Actually ve copy la stick. La stick is ve original of ve motion controlled... controllers.(insert accent mark or stress every vowel like the french)

In fact the wand, from what i saw, looked closer to the stick then the wii mote. There using a technology that is finally being mastered instead of jumping on it for a new idea.(the wii mote is and was buggy for a 20 year old technology) To further my point if you look at the bottom of the above page the wand, just like the la stick, is filled to the brim with mercury!!!
 

Cabisco

New member
May 7, 2009
2,433
0
0
Jaredin said:
Two companies passed it up before Micrsoft got it...talk about picking up leftovers.

Well, lets hope for them they actually make it epic, and put the other two to shame
You have to take into account this sounds like they just trying to give Natal bad press, as so far it would seem to be the best out of the three motion controller thingys (thats the technical term), or at the least the most interesting. However, we won't be able to tell until it is released.
 

Jumplion

New member
Mar 10, 2008
7,873
0
0
scotth266 said:
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
Yeah, seriously. I mean, no matter how much of a Sony fan you are, you have to admit that the Move is a shameless copy of the Wiimote :p
Yeah, but to play devil's advocate here, it's basically doing what the Wiimote should have been doing from the beginning :p

OT: The more I think of Natal, the more I am unimpressed by it. That's not to say I'm not impressed by it, I am, but really now that I'm thinking of it it's just an EyeToy with voice recognition. Same thing with the Move I suppose, just a Wiimote.

Now, that doesn't mean that they don't have their uses, I'm sure they both do. Either way i'll wait and see what goes on with these two doo-dads.
 

Scrythe

Premium Gasoline
Jun 23, 2009
2,367
0
0
I own every single Sony platform, so I may be a little bit biased when I announce this:

I am on an official crusade to hunt down and kick everyone who buys a Move in the balls.
 

Citrus

New member
Apr 25, 2008
1,420
0
0
Holy hypocrisy, Batman.

I love my PS3, but Sony makes me facepalm sometimes.
 

WIUtomato

New member
Oct 18, 2008
167
0
0
I wonder if it was because the eye toy is something of a failure, so they were afraid to take a chance on it (then again, so was the XBL camera...) I admit I still see a lot of promise in natal, I hope that isn't misplaced. Then again, maybe Sony couldn't get Peter Molineux to bring his special brand of crazy to the endeavor... ;-)
 

Megacherv

Kinect Development Sucks...
Sep 24, 2008
2,650
0
0
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
But in all fairness the Wii-remote is far from perfect, so they set out to improve it probably

And they'd already had 2 motion sensing cameras, maybe it was in that sense of new.

Scrythe said:
I own every single Sony platform, so I may be a little bit biased when I announce this:

I am on an official crusade to hunt down and kick everyone who buys a Move in the balls.
I shall attack you with my army of monkeys that I will have caught using the move on the new Ape Escape (seriously, the amount of times I've mentioned it, if it isn't made I'll go crazy)
 

AceDiamond

New member
Jul 7, 2008
2,293
0
0
Jumplion said:
scotth266 said:
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
Yeah, seriously. I mean, no matter how much of a Sony fan you are, you have to admit that the Move is a shameless copy of the Wiimote :p
Yeah, but to play devil's advocate here, it's basically doing what the Wiimote should have been doing from the beginning :p

OT: The more I think of Natal, the more I am unimpressed by it. That's not to say I'm not impressed by it, I am, but really now that I'm thinking of it it's just an EyeToy with voice recognition. Same thing with the Move I suppose, just a Wiimote.

Now, that doesn't mean that they don't have their uses, I'm sure they both do. Either way i'll wait and see what goes on with these two doo-dads.
Even with Motion+ the Wiimote still doesn't cost a stupid amount though. I'm not meaning the "you might need to buy two of them just to use it well" thing since I can't really believe that somewhat unconfirmed rumor, but still $100 for one Move when people are claiming Natal is going to be around $50 and even a Motion+ Wiimote is around $55 it's a bit hard to swallow.

As to the real reason they made the Move, it's because they secretely love it when Jack Tretton puts his foot in his mouth.


And yes I have been looking for an excuse to post that image.
 

MrDarkling

Crumpled Ball of Paper
Oct 11, 2009
554
0
0
Hubilub said:
Credge said:
Hubilub said:
Wait, so Sony didn't want it because it wasn't new enough... Then they steal the Wii-mote?
What did they steal from the Wii-mote again?
The wii-mote.

As in, the entire thing.
and that's how business and industry work.

Take an idea; Make it BETTER.
Better than make an idea of your own and risk a 50/50 chance that your idea will either fail or succeed.