Monday, June 15, 2009
Project: Shiny New Gimmick
In case you have been living under a rock for the last two months, Microsoft did indeed announce their speculated motion-sensing peripheral for the 360, codenamed Project Natal, at E3. (For your geeky cocktail party needs, it’s pronounced na-TAHL, and it looks kind of like an evil robot head.) And, in case you had any doubts who M’s target market is, check out their simulated use trailer, just bursting at the seams with good clean family fun:
Aww, how utterly wholesome. Little Timmy can pretend to be a monster, Big Sis Sarah can get fashion advice, and Mom and Dad can snuggle on the couch watching Netflix movies in between all that family bonding!
(Oops, sorry. Did I get a little bit of cynic on you? Here, have a tissue.)
Don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fantastic that motion-cap/facial recognition tech that sensitive will soon available for personal use. (The live demo from E3 is particularly impressive; bonus points for the blatantly bitchy shot at the Wii.) It’s definitely a revolutionary piece of equipment. But is revolutionary what their target market (read: casual gamers) really wants?
Let me know what y’all think… my answer will be forthcoming as well.
[Much gratitude to Brian for the inspiration.]
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