Microsoft announce project natal release date

Patsy fyre

As Microsoft are set to announce the release date for Natal as the 10/10/10 are people excited? Will anybody be making this a definite purchase and will Natal change the gaming world or will it just simply fail and dissapear into the background like so many other revolutionary products!!

paul150

Source? i have no interest in it at all, just prefer using a normal controller rather than motion control or natal

mailrewop

where did you hear 10-10-10. the release date wont be known until E3

amacachi

Source? Also, no, I couldn't give a ****e.

Retr0gamer

I play games lying on my bed so I'm kind of screwed.

Also 10/10/10. Isn't that the day the world ends?

amacachi

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I play games lying on my bed so I'm kind of screwed.

Also 10/10/10. Isn't that the day the world ends?

Same here.

12/21/12 (US format) I think is when the world is ending.

dazftw

amacachi wrote: »

12/21/12 (US format) I think is when the world is ending.

Exactly so whats the point in spending money on this crap :rolleyes:

Depends on price/games for me

wes

MS haven't really shown anything that would be interesting for Natal. So will be sticking to my normal controller.

fifth

Confirmed no?

Yes I think I will - I've just discovered the buzzer and singing/guitar games and realising the fun that can be had without a controller.

Still love my fps games though but I will definitely look at this project natal closely..

Basq

No confirmed release date..

.. although this was recently put up at Amazon and deleted!

Could be nothing though!

Grumpypants

Retr0gamer wrote: »

I play games lying on my bed so I'm kind of screwed.

Also 10/10/10. Isn't that the day the world ends?

You could strap it to the ceiling pointing straight down !!

But explaining that to any lady unfortunate enough to end up there that its a camera but not that kind of camera but a 3D one that recognises movements ...ah....

Mitch Connor

have no interest in this Natal stuff at all, 99% sure I won't be buying it.

DeVore

My concern for Natal is that just like 3D tech in films has made the recent big blockbusters all HAVE to have 3D and be shot for 3D (and written for 3D in many cases).

When Natal comes out and is promoted to bejaysis by MS, the games that come out after that for a good while are going to be Natal-oriented.

Not many people have a big wide front room needed for it either...

DeV.

Patsy fyre

This date was leaked to a gaming website who included it in their online mag edition. I stress this is just rumour though and no date has officially been revealed.
If the price is right and there are some quality games then initially I think this will be a success, however I do question the long term viability of Natal

Fingleberries

I don't worry too much about the supposed release date. I have to admit to being curious about the Natal technology and how it could be integrated to games. The lead Developer for Splinter Cell Conviction (who also worked on Rainbow Six and Assassins Creed) had some interesting ideas - not using Natal solely as the interface, but as an addition to the regular controller ... e.g. for giving team members orders in R6 - 'Oy, you two. Go over there'. That type of thing.

Lets see how it all pans out at E3

rizzla

I doubt they would release it on a Sunday. 10-10-10 would be alright for marketing but a Sunday??

Star Lord

As you apparently need 13ft of space to use it, it'd be of no use to me.

Shiminay

yea, I'm not sure if I'm arsed with Natal tbh. I have no real problem with the concept and I hope the tech works as well as they are saying, but I can't see it being my thing.

Also, I live in a *tiny* bedsit so won't have any room for it

RobertFoster

I'll wait for the killer app to come out, or it becomes really cheap. Other than that I've no interest at the moment.

Fingleberries

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

As you apparently need 13ft of space to use it, it'd be of no use to me.

It's likely that the 13ft / 4m of space is not the minimum requirement - it supposedly auto adjusts the play area. That's probably the optimum size, but they would be shooting themselves in the foot to have it as a Minimum.

http://kotaku.com/5500643/microsoft-natal-does-not-discriminate-against-living-rooms

Grumpypants

DeVore wrote: »

My concern for Natal is that just like 3D tech in films has made the recent big blockbusters all HAVE to have 3D and be shot for 3D (and written for 3D in many cases).

When Natal comes out and is promoted to bejaysis by MS, the games that come out after that for a good while are going to be Natal-oriented.

Not many people have a big wide front room needed for it either...

DeV.

Could be like when the six axis controller came out on PS3 games had to crow bar in the feature that was completely useless and unwanted. Now its almost non exsitent in games.


Price and games is what will make or break it. If its over 100euro and only has party games it will flop.

mailrewop

they'll have to price it below €100, ill say €80-90 but knowing ms they'll overcharge but i don't think they will or can if they want everyone to have it.

jaykhunter

I fear that Natal won't get much support after a few tech demo games (why hello, SuperScope!) and probably Fable III so I'm gonna have to wait for a list of a few games that I really wanna play before shelling out bucks on another useless peripheral

(Still waiting to use my Wii Motion + , feel like a damn fool for buying it)

rizzla

The main draw for me is, you only need 1 Natal. With the Wii, you need the wii-motes and sometimes the nunchuks. PS Move, the PS eye and the Move and the sub controller. Just 1 natal will give me access to some silly casual games I'd only bring out at parties but it's handy because there's just 1 of em.

Patsy fyre

Certainly interesting times ahead! Ive seen alot of the playstation move and that looks terrible. Its trying to rip off the wii. Hopefully microsoft will come good on the hype and delivery a quality product worth investing in.

Helix

10/10/10 is a sunday btw

not traditionally a strong day for product launches lol

passingthrough

does anyone know what kind of a price range we are to expect for Natal?

Xluna

Yawn. *Goes back to Sega Mega drive collection.*

consultech

Looks interestin, tonight's the first time Ive heard much about it.

Even though the add strains to make it look seamless, imagine what an EA boxing game would be like on it if it was good!!!

Karmafaerie

I'm looking forward to Natal, as I think a lot of people are undervaluing it.

I'm not a massive casual gamer (I have a Wii that's been used about 2 times in the last 2 years!), but I can see the draw of Natal.
Not for the casual games, which I'm sure will be fun and stuff, but for it's intergration into the ore serious games.

Everyone keeps thinking of it in the Wii mold, and I'm sure a lot of it will be so, but it has so many other possible applications.

It's got a microphone system that can not only recognise multiple different voices, but even tell your position in a room instantaniously.

What's confused me however is that people aen't picking up on so many of the posotives.
Unlike the Wii or PS Move, you ae not limited to having to use a crappy controller.

Any game that uses Natal, will be able to incorporate the Xbox controller into it.
Using Natal as an additional outlet, rather than a replacement.

As was mentioned earlier, Natal would be great for Rainbow 6 type games.
Taking into account that Natal is able to differentiate individual fingers, the idea of being able to use hand gestures to control your squad mates, while having the controler in my hand for the actuall gaming is something that does interest me.
I can imagine that it would help immerse you in the game.

Puzzle/adventure games, in the Fable mode, would be able to bring in outside influences.
The using of the camera to map you in to the game as the character.
If you've played Fightnight Round 4, then the ability to immerse yourself in the game using the camera in a much easier way than uploading photos onto a website.
(I know you could use the xbox camera, but only about 12 people ever bought them!)

Looking down the line, can you imagine being able to have your voice in the game.
You buy a GTA/Saints Row type game, and rather than being left with a generic voice and face, you could have your face mapped on teh 3D camera, and record the particular sayings yourself.
That way, again, Natal is allowing you to use the same old game mechanics, but at the same time immersing you more in the game.

The ability to control the xbox through voice commands is also promising.
Pausing a game or dvd, connecting with friends, xbox live chat with no more headphones, etc, all ways of improving on normal gaming without taking away the current controller interface.

Games like Scene it/Buzz without the controllers, freeing up more people to play rather than limiting you to just 4 players sharing plastic remotes!


All in all, as long as Natal does what it says on the tin, and is reasonably priced, I can imagine it being a very handy bit of kit, for more serious, as well as the casual gamers

Grumpypants

Got to test this out today. Its impressive to be fair. Played the dodgeball game its very responsive follows your movement very accurately with no delay.

Gunmonkey

Karmafaerie wrote: »

Any game that uses Natal, will be able to incorporate the Xbox controller into it.
Using Natal as an additional outlet, rather than a replacement.

Sorry to butcher your post but this is what I hope Microsoft envisage for the Natal. Using it too add features to a game rather than replacing the controller.

Stuff like a FPS where you hold a button to zoom to a RTS view and use your hand as a pointer to tell your AI partners, or even other players in online play, where to go and what to do rather than the traditional LOS "Go there" malarky.

Hope we see some nice games at E3 and not just "sport game compilation #48389" "mini game compilation #1946593" "3d boxing game #3754". Was the same deal with the PS Move, apart from the shoehorning into SOCOM 4 the games were rubbish and released on the Wii 3 years prior.

EGriff

Grumpypants wrote: »

Got to test this out today. Its impressive to be fair. Played the dodgeball game its very responsive follows your movement very accurately with no delay.

This is a bad sign I think. They harp on about all the stuff natal can do but what they actually show is this dodgeball rubbish. Not very imaginative. The painting app they showed a while back looked kinda cool though, would be good if you could paint live with someone online.

Vyse

EGriff wrote: »

This is a bad sign I think. They harp on about all the stuff natal can do but what they actually show is this dodgeball rubbish. Not very imaginative. The painting app they showed a while back looked kinda cool though, would be good if you could paint live with someone online.

I would imagine that there will be a much wider variety of games displayed at the E3 conference. They're probably trying to keep a few suprises for the conference.

Vyse

Grumpypants wrote: »

Got to test this out today. Its impressive to be fair. Played the dodgeball game its very responsive follows your movement very accurately with no delay.

Yeah I read your review, it was linked on N4G.com. Sounds like you enjoyed the experience!

Optimus Prime

Had a go of it yesterday too, i have to say i was very impressed by it, sure its just whacking a ball down an alley but the potential is there. I mainly wanted to see how responsive it is to tracking your movements and i didnt see any delay on it at all.

Grumpypants

EGriff wrote: »

This is a bad sign I think. They harp on about all the stuff natal can do but what they actually show is this dodgeball rubbish. Not very imaginative. The painting app they showed a while back looked kinda cool though, would be good if you could paint live with someone online.

See this wasn't an official launch party or anything it was just to give us a look at it in the flesh. I'm sure with E3 3 weeks away any new games will be saved for that. The dodge ball game is fairly basic but far from rubbish. It does display the way Natal works which is impressive.

Fingleberries

Grumpypants wrote: »

See this wasn't an official launch party or anything it was just to give us a look at it in the flesh. I'm sure with E3 3 weeks away any new games will be saved for that. The dodge ball game is fairly basic but far from rubbish. It does display the way Natal works which is impressive.

I'd agree. The dodgeball game is a tech demo to show you what it can do. (fast reaction, full body mapping, etc.) It immerses you in the game also, if you're playing your moving to get the balls.

Microsoft know what the Internet is like and probably wouldn't show anyone an AAA title with Natal integration when they've got the official launch just a couple of weeks away. They'll hold on to any big reveals for then.
If they show anything else to journalists, etc, it'd be with a massive NDA or reporting block on it until after the big reveal.

DeVore

I am guessing the dodgeball thing is a tech-demo rather then a serious effort at a game.

DeV.

Grumpypants

Fingleberries wrote: »

I'd agree. The dodgeball game is a tech demo to show you what it can do. (fast reaction, full body mapping, etc.) It immerses you in the game also, if you're playing your moving to get the balls.

Microsoft know what the Internet is like and probably wouldn't show anyone an AAA title with Natal integration when they've got the official launch just a couple of weeks away. They'll hold on to any big reveals for then.
If they show anything else to journalists, etc, it'd be with a massive NDA or reporting block on it until after the big reveal.

Yea one slip and its all over the place and then E3 is ruined so they are not going to risk this by telling or showing me anything. Could you imagine how much trouble the microsoft guy would get in if he showed someone a game and ruined the big E3 reveal !!

Grumpypants

DeVore wrote: »

I am guessing the dodgeball thing is a tech-demo rather then a serious effort at a game.

DeV.

Yea but i would guess that it will come with the Natal when you buy it. Im sure it will have a few free tester games in the box. Similar little party games similar to the free disk you get with a Wii.

NotorietyH

There's rumours floating around today that Natal is going to cost $150 in the US which usually means €150 here. I went from maybe picking up Natal to never picking up Natal in an instant.

Vyse

NotorietyH wrote: »

There's rumours floating around today that Natal is going to cost $150 in the US which usually means €150 here. I went from maybe picking up Natal to never picking up Natal in an instant.

I really think it needs to be below the €100 mark. You can pick up a brand new XBox for less than €149 in some stores. E3 will reveal a lot.

NotorietyH

Vyse wrote: »

I really think it needs to be below the €100 mark. You can pick up a brand new XBox for less than €149 in some stores. E3 will reveal a lot.

Those same rumours are saying they'll offer a bundle of an Arcade 360 and Natal for $300.

There's an awful lot of tech in the Natal camera, so it may cost a bit.

It's Edge who got the story apparently from a 'source'.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/natal-to-cost-149-%E2%80%93-source

jaykhunter

I can't see anyone spending $149 on a gimmick peripheral. Even $100 is too much. They'd better have a couple exclusive killer apps that have to use Natal only for anyone to buy it. Who'd spend 150 bucks to play a tech demo? (again, after doing so with the Wii, i mean :D)

i.e. make Fable III, the next Silent Hill and i dunno, some Halo, Gears or Bioshock spin-off natal only and it'll have a fighting chance.

We got the novelty of motion control a few years ago. While I agree that Natal has a better chance of success than Sony's wand (an updated Wiimote), motion control has been around for a few years now and the Xbox wasn't "made" for it. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

I just don't think Sony or MS can eat into the casual gamer market, even with better tech. You can't hype an expensive peripheral with just tech demos. Sure it looks cool, and it is innovative (no controller), but without a few serious games behind it, it won't be taken seriously and it'll not take off. The majority of the hype is now, culminating at launch. By three weeks to go, if there aren't any major games for it, people will have set their minds to "sure there's no major games for it; pass".

I could swear I heard originally Natal was gonna be 50-70 bucks, definitely under 100...guess that was a pipe dream.

NotorietyH

jaykhunter wrote: »

I could swear I heard originally Natal was gonna be 50-70 bucks, definitely under 100...guess that was a pipe dream.

Michael Pachter guessed that Natal would be around 50. The one thing Sony's controller has going for it is that it's going to be less than $100 including a game. Depending on what game it is I'd definitely consider picking that up. In the same way I don't mind buying Rock Band peripherals with the game as long as the game is good enough to warrant it.

I think a lot depends on what game Natal comes bundled with (if any).

Bob the Seducer

rizzla wrote: »

I doubt they would release it on a Sunday. 10-10-10 would be alright for marketing but a Sunday??

I wonder if it's an ex Sega employee having a bit of fun since the Dreamcast's US release date was 9-9-99 :pac:

Helix

NotorietyH wrote: »

The one thing Sony's controller has going for it is that it's going to be less than $100 including a game.

also that its really really good

works fantastically well

Helix

jaykhunter wrote: »

I can't see anyone spending $149 on a gimmick peripheral. Even $100 is too much. They'd better have a couple exclusive killer apps that have to use Natal only for anyone to buy it. Who'd spend 150 bucks to play a tech demo? (again, after doing so with the Wii, i mean :D)

i.e. make Fable III, the next Silent Hill and i dunno, some Halo, Gears or Bioshock spin-off natal only and it'll have a fighting chance.

We got the novelty of motion control a few years ago. While I agree that Natal has a better chance of success than Sony's wand (an updated Wiimote), motion control has been around for a few years now and the Xbox wasn't "made" for it. I'd love to be proved wrong though.

I just don't think Sony or MS can eat into the casual gamer market, even with better tech. You can't hype an expensive peripheral with just tech demos. Sure it looks cool, and it is innovative (no controller), but without a few serious games behind it, it won't be taken seriously and it'll not take off. The majority of the hype is now, culminating at launch. By three weeks to go, if there aren't any major games for it, people will have set their minds to "sure there's no major games for it; pass".

I could swear I heard originally Natal was gonna be 50-70 bucks, definitely under 100...guess that was a pipe dream.

theyre looking at $80, so €80 id assume

NotorietyH

Helix wrote: »

also that its really really good

works fantastically well

Yeah everything I've seen of it looks very impressive. I'm sure Natal will be impressive too. It's going to be very interesting to see if either of them are actually successful. E3 should be interesting. I'm just happy that Microsoft are having a seperate Natal event so their press conference won't be dominated by it.

Helix

havent got to play with natal yet, one of the other lads has though and says its a super bit of kit - even the 8 month old build he was using