Microsoft's Project FATAL!

Motion-sensored controllers are the new big thing in the gaming industry.


First, the Wii introduced the Wiimote, a controller which can be used either by pressing buttons like a traditional controller or by interacting with the game through motion sensor technology.    Sony also came out with a motion control wand, which also provides the option of using buttons on the controller.

Last year at E3, Microsoft unveiled Project Natal. It is revolutionary in that there is no controller that needs to be held - unlike the Wiimote and Sony's wand, the only thing Project Natal requires is the human body, which acts as the controller.

Natal wowed everyone at E3.  It was ground-breaking, the first of its kind!  Imagine, people playing games without a controller!  THEY are the controller! 

Check out this awesome demo:  CLICK HERE


  
Whoa - he jumps around doing kung fu and it registers in the game!  Duuuude, wanna RACE?  Hold out your arms and pretend you're holding a steering wheel!  Wanna be Tony Hawk?  Buy your own real skateboard and stand on it in the living room!  Full body motion capture... AWESOME.

The demo video is 3 minutes and 40 seconds long.  Can you imagine playing a fighting game, where you get to actually punch and kick people?  It would be so fun!  How about playing it for 10 minutes?  20 minutes?  30 minutes?  What about an hour?

How about a racing game?  Holding my arms in front of me while gripping an imaginary wheel sounds like fun - for the first five minutes.  After that, my arms start to lock up above the elbows.  My shoulders start to ache, and my wrists start to tremble.  BUT NO... I.. MUST... WIN..!!!

I have used the Wiimote to play games like tennis and golf.  Tennis is so easy - you just have to flick your wrist to hit the ball.  Sadly, I get tired from playing tennis after fifteen minutes.  And the Wii does most of the work for me!  My Mii runs around on his own - I don't even get to control the direction he goes!


I'm lazy.  People are lazy.  The reason I play video games is because I'm too lazy to go outside and play, or too lazy to go to the gym and work out.  I'd rather exercise my fingers and improve my clicking speed than lift weights or run a marathon.  I especially like exercising my jaw - this consists of me playing a game and eating chips or popcorn at the same time.  I'm so talented - I can multitask!


In all seriousness, Natal is an awesome idea.  No controller.  Motion-sensored gaming.  But when I get too lazy to use my body as a controller, I'll definitely revert back to the traditional controller with old-school buttons.


I can imagine it now.  I'll be playing Halo.. running in place to get from one side of the map to another.  Jumping in my living room when I need to jump over a few rocks and bending down to pick up a new gun.  Carrying a huge rocket launcher over my shoulder.  Crawling on the carpet when I want to crawl in game, and punching with my elbow when I want to melee.  *Falling onto the ground when I get headshotted.


I'll do that for about 5 minutes.  After running around endlessly, jumping, meleeing, bending down to reload, crawling, and falling, I'll probably pass out and someone will have to bring me my inhaler (yes, I have asthma.  Hence why I play video games rather than run around outside!).  They'll revive me and I'll get up, take a puff of my inhaler, and start playing again.


But next time, I might not be so lucky - there might not be anyone there to revive me.  And then what?!

To tell you the truth... I fear that Project Natal may be FATAL!!!






*Not sure if this is what happens if I get headshotted, but it's a funny picture.  Since I die all the time in Halo, I imagine I'll be spending most of my time getting up, running for 2 seconds, getting headshotted, falling back down again, REPEAT.