Project natal, one of Microsoft ambitious projects for it’s XBox Division does away with the controller for playing video games. It was undoubtedly one of Microsoft’s more successful endeavors in 2009.
Motion based controllers aren’t new. The Nintendo Wii was the pioneer in this department, but now the stakes are loaded, with Microsoft’s Kinect and Sony PS3’s move. What differentiates Microsoft effort is that it does away with any controller of any sort and relies on the payers gestures which it tracks through its dual cameras. That will allow games to, say, map the player’s physical stance and movements directly onto a character on screen. So no more broken LCD panels due to someone accidentally flinging the controller at the TV, which has been the cause of a lot of Wii complaints.
Kinect for PC is also expected in a years time, so it is a good time in the video game industry for innovations.
