Sony Thinks Arc can Stand up to Natal "PR Barrage"

[Therumancer]

I don't much give a crap about Arc, nor do I much care about Natal, but one thing I would like, and I don't even know if they're doing it, is to be able to motion control the DVD functions for the 360.

With Natal, I wouldn't need to even hold anything, just a hand gesture to pause, skip scenes, fast forward, etc... I don't know if they're including that or not, but I hope so, and would get Natal for that alone.

My thought on all this is that if you don't need to hold anything it's going to be a nightmare waiting to happen.

To put it honestly, if the thing would be controllable from an EZ chair like you would sit in to watch a movie, it also means that if Fluffy or Fido jumps on the footstool, or onto your lap, Natal is probably going to register the movements and depending on how THEY move they might mess it up. Not to mention that someone walking in front of the screen now is an annoyance... with something like Natal, well it would be even more annoying.

Oh, and I remember a vaguely "similar" technology to Natal that was going to change how everything controls, allow Senior Citizens to control appliances without having to get up, stop people from walking accross rooms, and all kinds of things.

Back when "The Clapper" came out, it wasn't a source of mockery like it is now. It was actually pretty solid and innovative seeming.

At our current technology machines cannot interpet things like intent, this means that any motion or sound that conforms to the set parameters will set off functions. Just as a noisy dog could set off The Clapper (or a feeble senior citizen couldn't clap loudly enough for the TV accross the room) the same is going to plauge any other conveinence device. So as a result while I could see them setting up DVD controls based on motion, I can't see it being practical.

 

[AzrealMaximillion]

I think The "Arc" can stand up against the PR barrage of Natal. Seeing as how For every Natal announcement there is, there's about 3 people pointing out why it'll suck.

 

[cheese_wizington]

The design of that thing is just ridiculous. Why would anyone want to buy that?

 

[USSR]

I'm sorry, but that photo looks like a dildo.

..just sayin'

 

[Grampy_bone]

Pachter is a moron, all of his predictions turn out wrong except the price cuts, which he predicts every single month, which is like the weatherman saying it will rain one day.

Natal and Arc will fail. That's all there is to it. Sony won't invest the kind of commitment to motion controls that Nintendo has (Sony develops no games so why would they?) Natal is a fake product intended to confuse customers and put a finger in the leaking dam that is their business as all the water washes down into Wii Valley. It's a phantom feature designed to add an extra bullet point to their product line they show to investors (investors look at the Wii and think Motion Controls = $$$). If and when Natal is ever released, I'd be surprised if it did even 5% of what they claim it will.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

I wish they'd just on with it and release the gimmicky pieces of crap for the XBox and PS3 so we can have done with it and stop having to listen to them badly talking smack about each other.

I agree, I can't wait to watch both these crash and fail so we can move onto technologies that will actually work.

 

[TWEWER]

Arc already lost with the press. I have no idea what the hell Arc is!

 

[Darth Sea Bass]

I'd put my money on the device that looks least like a sex toy to win. Which is bad fucking luck for sony!

 

[Korten12]

Pachter is a moron, all of his predictions turn out wrong except the price cuts, which he predicts every single month, which is like the weatherman saying it will rain one day.

Natal and Arc will fail. That's all there is to it. Sony won't invest the kind of commitment to motion controls that Nintendo has (Sony develops no games so why would they?) Natal is a fake product intended to confuse customers and put a finger in the leaking dam that is their business as all the water washes down into Wii Valley. It's a phantom feature designed to add an extra bullet point to their product line they show to investors (investors look at the Wii and think Motion Controls = $$$). If and when Natal is ever released, I'd be surprised if it did even 5% of what they claim it will.

um... Sony does make games... if you simply go to wikipedia and go to SCEA. and go to first party companies you can see that some of them are founded by Sony. >.>

 

[Dogstile]

looks like a sex toy to me...

That alongside with your avatar makes me giggle. I also agree

 

[Chameliondude]

Not to sound like a dick but i dont see how natal could be actually good for gaming, yes as a straight controller, it could be quite good for a intuative intaface but theres no way it would be any better than sixaxis or wii sports, it couldnt do shooters or any game needing movement input, (maybe a rail shooter, but those are f***in outdated)and im not sure about racing as without pinpoint speed and movement controls, it would suck in comparison to other games out there, so bring on the endless minigame bulshit then.

I think there may be hope for sonys glwing ball on a stick, as the tech seems incredibly acurate and precise, so maybe because of buttons could pull off something more serious, as you yourelf dont have to turn for your character to, and they had a cool archery sim goin but i think both are just more cash sponges.
I loved that you could control weapons/ shake enemies off with sixaxis, doesnt mean i want to just play with it though.

 

[Jadak]

snip

You're right of course, and there might be all kinds of issues, but the presence and severity of those issues is entirely dependent on the software. It's not something I'm going to really pass judgment on until I've actually used it, but quality programming could rule out many of the issues you'd expect with motion capture technology.

If Natal can properly distinguish between people, as they claim it can, then theoretically it should be able to ignore the motion of people, pets, and objects could interfere. They've also made fairly specific claims about it being able to track body parts, (eg; knowing that your hand is indeed your hand.

Anyways, I have doubts as well, but I see Natal as little more than a camera, with the software behind the scenes being the primary factor, which isn't something I feel I can judge without actually seeing it action a bit more. Besides, if they don't quite nail it the first time around, software can always be improved.

 

[Keslen]

In short: I couldn't care less. I'm with Yahtzee when he says that until physical feedback can somehow be implemented, motion control will never be anything more than a wannabe button (shaking ala Mario Galaxy). At best, it could possibly be used to accurately control a sword (read: I'm looking forward to seeing how Zelda Wii turns out) but even that will leave much to be desired after your opponent blocks your attack above their head even though your arm slashed down through their entire torso.

 

[FBPH]

But the Sony executive doesn't believe that this will result in a flood of shovelware like the one plaguing the Wii.

Of course both Natal and Sony's light up sex toy will be flooded with shovelware. Nothing's stopping lazy developers from throwing some two-bit crap together and selling it on launch day for either of these two controllers.

 

[Aurora219]

Seems like blind optimism to me. I personally think it'd rock if neither platform sold a single piece of hardware.

 

[Kollega]

Microsoft may have the edge on rival Sony when it comes to press buzz surrounding its upcoming motion control peripheral Project Natal, but Sony thinks the Arc doesn't need any fancy-schmancy PR to win over audiences.

Gee, i surely hope so.

But seriously, not overhyping it is a wiser move than saying it'll be the best thing since sliced bread.

 

[theultimateend]

Looks like just another Wii-mote to me

For as much as people ***** about Nintendo they forget that all competition does is mimic what nintendo does .

Keeping in mind I personally enjoy the PS3 more of the 3 consoles. Just an observation I've made over the last what...15-20 years?

 

[Corkydog]

WHO CARES? Motion control is a gimmick, and not a lot more. I don't care which one sells more, all that means is which company can out-Nintendo Nintendo. And that sickens me.

 

[mjc0961]

Dyer doesn't seem to be in the loop. Naughty Dog already said no motion controls for Uncharted.
http://www.ps3trophies.org/news/news-15-Uncharted-Devs-Say-No-To-Motion-Controlled-Drake.html

Furthermore, show me a Wii game that's not a Nintendo owned IP that can be ported to the PS3 and would be worth doing so. I can't think of any.