Project Natal Xbox 360 Info

Project Natal is the brand-new techology from Microsoft. The gadget can scan and recognize all movements of your body while you're in front of it. What does it actually mean? It means you can play computer games without any kind of controller at all! Yep, no lame joysticks, mice or gamepads anymore. Just plain straight gestures of your hands and movements of your body.

Natal techology is similar to motion capture, but without any sensors or wires. Or you may think of it as some advanced version of Wii techology where you don't need any wand in your hand. Needless to say Project Natal, if succeeded, is going to produce some kind of a revolution in computer gaming. Just watch the video from Microsoft:

Also, Natal Xbox device can recognize voices and understand what you're saying. This voice recognition techology is not that new, but it is going to be a nice additional feature anyway.

There are few game demos at present moment. But with a little bit of fantasy one can easily generate several exciting gaming ideas:

• Fighting games:
  Forget about "button A - Punch, button B - Kick". Now if you wanna kick someone's ass, you have to make fighting motions with your hands and legs. The system tracks strength and accuracy of your gestures, so you are not just waving your hands - all your motions should be fast and accurate. And how about the sword fight? Sounds tempting, isn't it?


• Shooters:
  Well, you will probably still have to use some buttons for travelling. But all the shooting can be done just with your hands holding imaginary weapon. As well as crouching, looking out of the corner and even dodging the enemy bullets. I'd really like to taste this.)



• Sports games:
  Kicking the imaginary soccer ball, riding and doing tricks at imaginary skateboard, lawn tennis, table tennis, golf, boxing, racing. Much of this stuff is already possible with Nintendo Wii, but Natal techology pushes the possibilities quite further.


• Physical training programs:
  How about fitness lessons with virtual instructor carefully following your movements and tracking the progress? Or, say, some yoga lessons... "Not bad, dude, but pull the right leg one inch closer to your left ear. Well, yeah, now it's much better."



• Arcade games:
  A feast for developers' fantasy. Arcanoid with your body as a plate, arcade racing games with your hands holding an imaginary wheel, playing imaginary snowballs - these demos were already demonstarted by Microsoft. And no doubt we're going to see a lot more of interesting ideas in the nearest future.

Ah, you seem to be a little bit impatient, don't you? Well, the first Natal demo was shown to public in June 2009. And no release date was officially announced. You may find some speculations in Web about second half of 2010. But these are just unofficial guesstimates so let's not rely too hard on them.

Although, it is very unlikely to happen earlier than second half of 2010. Game developers got their hands on Natal Xbox software development kits only in June 2009. So they need at least a year or two to create games with Natal techology at its best. Sorry to upset you, but we all have to wait a couple of years before the real fun starts.

However, there's one piece of inspiring official information. Steve Ballmer, the very Microsoft Boss, gave speech to other Big People in Chicago on June 18, 2009. You may check out the full transcript. But here's the most interesting paragraph for us:

Next year, folks, that's 2010. And that is not too far. )

You may also check out words of Bill Gates and Brian Farrell (THQ Boss) talking about Natal release date at the end of 2010.

Just some general details of Natal technology are known to public. The device consists of three main parts: multi-array depth sensor, multi-array microphone and color video camera. How do they work? I'm not from Microsoft, I don't know for sure. But here's the general idea behind Natal:

1. Multi-array depth sensor.

Probably the key element of the system. Consists of an infrared projector and multi-array infrared receiver. Infrared projector is just like in your TV remote controller. It emanates invisible (and harmless) light which reflects from you and your buddies and falls back at the receiver. The receiver consists of many points. And reflected infrared light reaches these points at slightly different moments. So here's the concept:

- the projector sends a beam at you and counts - how much time it takes the beam to reflect from you and get back to the receiver. This way it measures how far you're standing.

- the projector counts how much time passes between two moments:
   1) the reflected light reaching the closest point of detector;
   2) the reflected light reaching the next points.

This way it calculates the angle of your position. If you're standing right in front of it - all detector points are reached simultaneously. If you're standing at an angle, they're reached at different moments (see the picture). More difference means greater angles.

Determining your position

It's easy to track the motion of one point of your body this way. To track the whole body is way much more difficult. That's Microsoft "know-how", and trust me, that's quite a challenge. Respect to Microsoft guys for that.

2. Multi-array microphone.

Analogous to depth sensor, but deals with sounds. Consists of several micophones and can calculate where the sound comes from. So it understands whether it's you who is speaking or your buddy sitting next to you. Besides, the use of several microphones allows better sound recognition so it's easier for Natal device to understand what exactly you're saying.

3. Color video camera.

I don't know exactly what it is for. ) But it may be used for video chatting with your bodies. Or for recognizing the color of your shirt. Or smth else. Nice feature anyway. )

There's a patent application from Microsoft published on May 14, 2009 (just two weeks before official project Natal announcement). It is said to describe project Natal. I didn't understand much there but here it is in pdf format anyway.

Microsoft vision of the product is great. But will they be able to get from prototype to commercially successful device? I hope so but I don't know. Here are the quotes of big guys from game development industry.

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