project natal - Gizmodo

posts about #projectnatal more →
Of Course, Microsoft Denies Those Project Natal Pricing 'Rumors'
LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?
Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
Microsoft: Any Xbox Bought Today Will Work with Project Natal Tomorrow
THQ Confirms Project Natal for 2010
Report: Project Natal Coming In 2010, Just Like Ballmer Said
Bill Gates: Project Natal Tech Isn't Just For Gaming
Sony Patent Controls Games with That Crap on Your Coffee Table
A Few More Details on Sony's Motion Controller
Ballmer Confirms Natal Xbox 360 In 2010

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Navin R Johnson
11/18/09

In reply to Of Course, Microsoft Denies Those Project Natal Pricing 'Rumors'
I will buy this when it comes out even if it's $199. I'm not even sure why I want it so much, but I want it. So much.
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chauncy that billups
11/11/09

In reply to LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?
I wonder what color that led turns when this thing kicks the bucket? I'm sure they're sick of red. #projectnatal
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vlatro
11/11/09

@chauncy that billups:
BLOD: Blue LED of Death. #projectnatal
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Identity (Metric)
11/11/09

@vlatro: Or if you do well in the game it could give you the BLOW: Blue LED of Win. #projectnatal
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BergenCountyJC can edit his name?
11/11/09

In reply to LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?
They are sure dead on with the impulse buy, especially with Amazon's instant buy -- what a clever devil those Amazonians #projectnatal
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GitEmSteveDave_HazEnvy
11/11/09

@BergenCountyJC: They also have good fundamentals. They are good at Snu-snu. #projectnatal
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Identity (Metric)
11/11/09

@GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking: Mmmm death by Snu-snu. #projectnatal
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ichiban1081
11/11/09

In reply to LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?
So this is going to come out for a rumored reasonable price while the Wireless N adapter comes out for $100? For under $80 I would definitely give this a try but MS needs to alter their pricing on the HDD's and wireless adapters. #projectnatal
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GitEmSteveDave_HazEnvy
11/11/09

In reply to LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?
If this isn't an indication that this really is a project funded by the military/NWO wing of Microsoft to body scan people so they can send the terminators /drones/cruise missiles to kill us selectively, I don't know what is.

This is why I buy Apple products. Steve Job isn't Illuminati and/or a Free Mason Eugenicist. #projectnatal
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Daver73
11/11/09

@GitEmSteveDave_IsSlacking: That's what he wants you to think. #projectnatal
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GitEmSteveDave_HazEnvy
11/11/09

@Daver73: Oh you mock, but wait, you'll see. The time timetable has been set. It'll happen on a holiday when people are traveling. Microsoft will say the XBOX user accounts have been compromised, and in order to use the XBOX and it's network, you have to do a full body scan and biometrics read to log into your XBOX live account and/or play games. And who will have access to all this information? The Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA. The secret government. That's when they shut down the internet for everyone else and only let "confirmed" Natal users access the WWW. Making them the chosen ones, but because they are scanned, they are marked. By the beast! #projectnatal
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njdevil
11/11/09

In reply to LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?

I'm excited.
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Mark Wilson promoted this comment Edited by njdevil at 11/11/09 8:17 AM njdevil was starred njdevil was unstarred

vlatro
11/11/09

@njdevil: Yeah, forget WiiFit, now we can have Jazzercise 360. #projectnatal
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JPropaganda
11/11/09

In reply to LEAK: Project Natal Shipping in November 2010 with 14 Games for Under $80?
14 games included? You might need to count me in on this one...although I do have a tendency to dislike any sort of movement or exercise with my video games... #projectnatal
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Mark Wilson
11/11/09

@JPropaganda: I'm imagining a Wii Sports or Play-esque series of minigames. #projectnatal
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Lizard_King
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
I was thinking $200 with a game (a good one, not some cheesy Live title like the webcam had), anything lower definitely is welcomed.

I'm wondering more "when" than "how much".
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Trowble (XBL/PSN)
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
I'm excited for it, but at $150-$100 I'll wait for the price drop. Already paying too much for games.
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ripfire promoted this comment Trowble (XBL/PSN) was starred

ripfire
10/06/09

@Trowble (XBL/PSN): Buy used games.
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Trowble (XBL/PSN)
10/06/09

@ripfire: Not when they're $5 below the retail price. The price drops to $20 or $30 are the sweet spot for me.
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Identity (Metric)
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
I would pay $150 for it. I don't know if I would pay any more than that though.

I would like to see a similar thing to the wii head tracking. (video hopefully attached). Some people have been calling Natal out as not being useful for "real" games, but if I could use it to simulate a 3d environment while still using an actual controller in, say, an FPS, I would be very :D
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GalenAlexis
10/06/09

@Identity less than three: That, my friend, is better than any 3D television equipped with games.
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Identity (Metric)
10/06/09

@GalenAlexis: :)
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Dean Hangyu
10/07/09

@Identity less than three: Luckily, Microsoft has Johnny Lee on their applied sciences team.
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Identity less than three promoted this comment Dean Hangyu was starred Dean Hangyu was unstarred

Identity (Metric)
10/07/09

@Dean Hangyu: Indeed. And with minds like his, I'm sure they could come up with some game ideas to go along with Natal.
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yantelope
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
I have a hard time believing people are going to spent more than $100 on this thing. I know I wouldn't spend more than $20 for it.
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ripfire promoted this comment yantelope was starred yantelope was unstarred

ripfire
10/06/09

@yantelope: Nintendo would disagree with you.
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N@tedog
10/06/09

@yantelope: Why wouldn't they? They're already paying $100 for a measly wireless connection.
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Mitch
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
The 32X was not exactly the same sort of thing - project natal has the possibility of being truly ground shaking, where the 32X was doomed from the start: it was pricey, had limited software titles available, and was tacking on to a unit that already had its big add-on (Sega CD, as you may recall).

The problem there was that sega was trying to milk its current gen hardware for all it was worth by adding on. Project Natal, from what I've seen, is truly more of a revolution rather than evolution (to quote apple). If supported with the right software titles, this thing could really be badass.
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Monty promoted this comment Mitch was starred Mitch was unstarred

Monty
10/06/09

@Mitch: Sega Genesis: Most popular gaming platform of the time.

Xbox 360: Most popular gaming platform of the time.

Sega Genesis: New market innovation of CD's and 32 bit processors coming from competitor, so creates add-on to make their product even better.

Xbox 360: Motion sensitivity innovation very popular with competitor, so creates add-on to make their product even better.

Sega Genesis: Add-on confuses the market, games slow to be released or seen, so the product collapses.

Xbox 360: Add-on is not yet released, but we have yet to see a specific game for it. Jury is still out.

I am not saying it will collapse, but there is a reason for the comparison. I think the primary difference is that Sega killed themselves by having two add-on devices (Sega CD and 32X), but even without the Sega CD it would never have been a success. Since there is nothing officially out (including the device) for Natal it is too early to say how it will do, but the comparison makes sense. I do hope Microsoft is more successful even if game console add-on's from all companies have not done well in the past.
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Elranzer
10/06/09

@Monty: Except that no, the SNES ultimately beat out the Genesis in popularity in the 16-bit generation. The Genesis was popular for like the first year, since it had a head start on Nintendo.
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Monty promoted this comment Elranzer was starred Elranzer was unstarred

Monty
10/06/09

@Elranzer: Understood - and the Wii has sold many more consoles than the Xbox 360, so both were the number two console of their time. So, the comparison is, unfortunately for Microsoft, still completely valid.
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Navin R Johnson
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
I don't think $150 is that high. Think about the hardware inside. There are two types of cameras, one for visible light and one for IR. Probably a cluster of high output IR LEDs to light the room in low light conditions. Definitely a dedicated processor to do some pre-processing. Then the regular array of interface hardware, like you'd find in a controller.

I'll bet that out of the gate Microsoft's the bill of materials cost is somewhere around $80-90 at least.
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mdac
10/06/09

@Navin R Johnson: I could be wrong as I haven't done any research, nor do I have any technical knowledge when it comes to things like this, but...

In the MS promotional video, the Natal is always on. Obviously, we'll have the ability to turn it off and if we do, lose the cool feature of the 360 recognizing us when we walk into a room.

For those of us with a Wii60 in the house and with Natal on, when I'm playing Wii, will Natal's IR throw off the Wii controllers?

OMG... will it know I'm playing with my Wii?!
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ripfire promoted this comment Edited by mdac at 10/06/09 2:50 PM mdac was starred mdac was unstarred

ripfire
10/06/09

@mdac: You have two TVs in your living room? Man, you're awesome.
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Heliophage
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
Disregarding how "$150" miraculously appeared from "follow a price curve like anything else," I don't see a problem with something near $100.

When you consider how all Xbox 360 accessories are priced, it's something we've come to expect.
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ripfire
10/06/09

@Heliophage: Seriously, I've seen people buy more expensive equipment for a single type of game.

*cough* guitar hero *cough* *cough*
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Heliophage
10/06/09

@ripfire:

Guitar Hero, Rock Band, DJ Hero, Tony Hawk: Ride... now imagine you bought a single peripheral that functioned for an entire library of future games rather than one limited to a single genre or franchise.

I honestly don't see the problem.
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eXo
10/06/09

@Heliophage: Now imagine that it is not tactile, and therefor not as responsive. Broad movements will never replace a controller.

Motion based controls will always be simplified compared to keyed inputs.

I'll take my $100 guitar any day over wiggling my fingers in the air and watching half the notes go by missed (there is no way that camera system would be able to catch the flurry of notes played on a expert song).
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Heliophage promoted this comment eXo was starred eXo was unstarred

Heliophage
10/06/09

@eXo:

I never implied that it would be applicable to every genre, nor did I imply that it should replace more traditional means of input, only supplement them.

Or is it bad to have more options?
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eXo
10/07/09

@Heliophage: I'm all for options, i have just never seen motion based controls that actually did what i wanted them to. Typically I end up fighting the camera. Some people may have bought into this hook-line-and-sinker from watching the demos, but until I have seen it for myself in typical environment with typical lighting, I don't really pout much stock into it.

Secondly, until it is for doing more then chatting or trying on avatar clothes - ie: some games come out that actually make interesting use of it, then it is just a gimmick like the wii-mote. The Wii may have some great games, but to me, none of them would have been impossible using a regular non-motion based controller.
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Jack of all Tirades R.O.A.C.H.
10/06/09

In reply to Project Natal Is Gonna Be Priced Like a Console
I hate to be a naysayer, but....NAY!! Console peripherals, since the beginning of consoles, have only had a 10% market penetration rate. So assuming that will be true with Natal, you'll get a sales figure of around I believe 2 million units (I believe 360 has moved 20 million units, if I'm wrong, you can adjust the numbers accordingly). So now software manufacturers will have to decide if they are going to make Natal-Only games, or incorporate Natal into controller based games. If they are Natal only, the sales figures are going to suck. Like really suck, since it'll be selling for an installed base of just over 7 figures. Which will deter software development, which will deter quality games, blah blah blah. Chicken/Egg scenario. If Microsoft starts bundling Natal with the 360, the price point is going to shoot right back up again. I see Natal being a niche product, with Xbox Live-type games being the focus. I can't see entire disc-based games revolving around Natal when they won't get squat for market penetration. If I wanted to wave my arms around while playing a video game, I'd get a Wii. Unless they put a killer-app out as Natal only, i.e. Halo Reach or COD 6, I'll be quite content with my 360 controller.
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ripfire promoted this comment Edited by Jack of all Tirades R.O.A.C.H. at 10/06/09 1:31 PM

ripfire
10/06/09

@Jack of all Tirades R.O.A.C.H.: Maybe then the 360 can have better RTS games.
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Edited by ripfire at 10/06/09 1:35 PM ripfire was starred ripfire was unstarred

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