November 11th 2009 12:28 pm PT

So do we have a name for it yet? Congrats to the team! Hopefully it lives up to the hype!

Congratulations! The potential is limitless, keep running with that ball!

I would feel the same once it has been released!

Congratulation to Nintendo and Sony for delivering the first step to this invention. =D

Congratulations, but I’ll keep my controller, thank you very much. If I wanted to wave my hands and arms around I would have bought a Wii.

I’m a BIG time fitness nutter, and I would love to see Project Natal take the interaction of such sports fitness games to the next level. One such example would be to provide some sort of a silhouette figure on the TV screen, which would act as a coach but also as a measure to make certain that the ‘subject’ — who is being super imposed against this silhouette — follows the set tasks properly by performing the movements within ‘this’ purported silhouette that is relayed to Natal to correct or to indeed provide a guided interaction.

This level of guidance and interaction is what Wii-Fit severely lacks in every sense of the words of an virtual coach interaction, which is short on being tangible, almost.

I don’t understand how this can be getting these awards… this is 5 year old technology, at best and has no practical purpose… These reviews were probably bought like most video game reviews.

Remember when there was only like 1 game a year to even get a 8.5-9 rating…. now its pretty much ever game in the fall.

I have a feeling that like the Wiimote, it won’t live up the hype.

Cool Beans

Don’t believe the hype

Smells like a 32X. Every console seems to have one.

Not really congrats since Nintendo was the 1st one to use and then sony copy from nintendo and MS copy it from the others.
But anyway, not remotely interesting on this natal. I am a lazy guy and my joystick is my best friend

Does this mean it will be good? Goooood.

Will the fact so many people seem to have such a high opinion of it, is definitely a good sign. I just hope we don’t see the 360′s market swing too far to the casual side. I’d much rather see games like Black & White 3 or Viva Pinata 2, that would actually benefit from the Natal control method, rather than just seeing gimmicky controls slapped onto everything for the sake of it, ala the Wii.

That’s ridiculous. Natal is vaporware. How can it be an invention of the year in 2009?

congrates but considering its not released yet, i have to wonder how its invention of the year? Perhaps you have it more functional than you are letting us see.

Either way, looking forward to more on it

Come on people don’t you know Natal is powered on magic, rainbows, and one small child’s laughter.

I mean come on that takes a long time to collect that seriously!

COOL !!!

It is not like Nintendo or PS3 motion control. You DON’T NEED A CONTROLLER!
This tech has never been used before. It is a step closer to full virtual reality. It has the potential to change the world.
I’m surprised gamers could be so closed-minded.
I can’t wait. I want to surf the dashboard with my bare hands.

I don’t think it is so much what it can do for gaming but the applications it might have in other industries.

OK, maybe “Invention of the Year” in 2010, if it lives up to the hype. Until then, no.

I like my controller, thanks.

lol @Goodeye84, This is something I might check out if they have it on Gamestop for a test run. Bad thing is, which movement will it pick up if there is a crowd behind ya.

@tabicat: Obviously you are completely unaware to the meaning of “vapourware”. Natal is NOT vapourware, as many development studios are already working with it and making games for it. I’m sure publications like TIME magazine have even used it themselves, otherwise they wouldn’t be handed out such an award for it.

awesome! cant wait for natal!

@aStrangeDisease

You know the Eyetoy for the PS2 delivered something like that? It’s “interaction w/o a controller”. The only new thing is voice recognition… which is also way old and even my mobile phone is capable of it

Love the concept of controllerles gaming, but at the end the whole problem is just RSI.

Can’t wait

I’ll believe this when I see how well it’s integrated into AAA games.

Some of you are missing the point to Natal. Just imagine possibly being able to play any and all genres of video games with just your body. Games like Forza or maybe even Halo could be redefined in terms of controls. This, plus all the other possibilities with the social network that is Xbox Live. My mind can barely grasp all of the possibilities of this technology. This is more than just what the Wii and PS3 offer.

change the world hahaha, its a glorified eyetoy

Congrats, can´t wait for it

Did you guys use Natal so much that it’s now that actual name?

Anyways, it’s pretty cool*

*This may vary depending on price and functionality

Good job Microsoft! You guys deserve it!

I think it’s funny how many think that Nintendo pioneered motion-control with the Wii. What you guys need to do is look into a controller that was called the Microsoft Freestyle Pro. It was a motion-based game-pad, that when you tilted the thing, it translated into movement. I had a buddy who swore by his for years. I thought it was neat to play whatever motorcycle racer he had and being able to “pull up” on the handlebars. Anyways, strip THAT down into a stick, and you have the Wiimote. Microsoft already did it, and it wasn’t all that popular, and then Nintendo re-hashed the idea but marketed the thing to little kids and senior citizens.

I would have been impressed with something similar for the 360 alone, Natal was a surprise. I can’t wait to see this type of technology used outside of gaming though, stuff like hazardous materials handling and certain medical procedures could benefit from a refined use of similar means. Though I agree that jumping around in front of my TV doesn’t appeal to me much as a gamer, we haven’t seen how subtle movements can be yet. If it’s a case of holding out your hands and fingers like you do have a controller, that might be neat within itself. Video games have always pushed the technological envelope, and I say bring it on!

SlayerElite18: I think you are missing the point…. Its the 2009 Invention of the Year…. But its not out and its not in players hands…. so technically its the 2010 invention of the year because thats when JQpublic gets to use it.

Anyone arguing that Wii did this or ps3 is doing this with there controllers is just off base…. one could argue that eye toy is doing this on ps2…. but regardless for motion controlled regular games, its got potential to be a revolutionary thing…. but again its not out in 2009. So i cant tell you its great or bad….. so the point is how is it winning the award now if no one in the public knows if it really works first hand.

To me that says that MS is holding back and working out the kinks. Not saying i dont buy that it will work…. saying that if it is 2009′s big thing, why cant i buy it now or try it at a store?

Anyone who calls it another eyetoy or a wiimote shouldn’t be taken seriously because they obviously don’t know what they are talking about. Whether or not Natal is successful all depends on if the developers can utilize it correctly. With that said, how in the world can this be ranked higher than the AIDS vaccine?

lol@vaporware winnning an award, their are a precious few availble builds of natal software and hardware to test and TIME wenrent exactly handed a bundle of tech to play with – their going off all the same info the rest of us had

played with natal at TGS, an eyetoy with better graphics is how far along in the project it had come…

Shame we have to wait a whole year.

You know what you could do for project natal, make an achievement that when you first plug it in and it sees you it should say, Achievement unlocked 10G (You stepped into the Future, lol

Wow just wow it was higher on the list the alot better shit thats just sad i bet the payed people off at time magazine to put it high on th list

Why does this get awards when it isn’t even out yet? 1/5

@Velete: See my previous post. Stop throwing around buzzwords if you don’t know their meaning.

i want this.

umm its not out yet, so it cant be invention of the year, we havent seen it function on a final retail game , just a NFS demo and the ball game thing. also what happened to the Live Camera?, all the games just used it as a video camera or picture camera , only one game used its motion sensors.

Looking forward to seeing this and new designed 360 that goes with it. You know the one with at least 2 USB ports at the rear, one for the WIFI adapter and one for Natal! thx

can’t wait and dat way i can b***h slap my ps3 fanboy cusin with it. hope ms does not disappoint.

@Ghost of Kirin
Everything you said pumped into another upgraded Natal Enhanced version of Yourself!Fitness – but make it also for males, not just women and printable weekly/monthly ‘diet’ lists and recipes. And possibly share data with other users via website with features like RockBand.com. That would truly impressive and competitive to both Wii (and Sony).

I just hope they fix ‘lighting issues’ (and glitchiness caused by the lighting and clothes players were wearing while playing) some experienced with ‘You’re in the Movies’. Natal is not a Vision Cam, is it much superior. Something I’m looking forward to with gaming and customization all over the console areas (NXE
dashboard, music player, character textures, item textures and more.).

@Wingman1977
My cousin said the same thing “How in the world can this (Natal) be ranked higher than the AIDS vaccine?” We kind of chuckled, but not lightly. More of a “How?” disbelief chuckle.

@XSAVAGE
Xbox Live Vision Camera games that used motion sensing were: Totem Ball, Pinball FX (use hands a flippers), Rayman Raving Rabbids, Rocky & Bullwinkle, You’re in the Movies, and (I think there was one more, but I can’t remember), but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_Live_Vision lists all, but missed Rocky and Bullwinkle. I own three of the four, but feel Totem Ball and You’re in the Movies were worth the time and effort. Rock and Bullwinkle is terrible in my book, but a lot of people play it. Good for the kiddies?

@lennieboy16
EyePet April 2010 or available now in Australia. EyeCreate available now on PSN. Not Natal, but creative.

all i got to say is boy i sure hope it stands up to its status when it release nd not an bomb shell

This product won’t be out for another year. It will flop just like the xbox 360 camera did.

These project natal will be hell of a thing is like an advance to technology and i have a feeling it will be much better than wat they have announced. btw which one comes first project natal or halo:reach?

The Xbox LIVE Vision Camera didn’t flop, it was just that mean people did not know ‘what’ is can do. Of course UNO was notorious for its nude, rude and prude players. But people who were into it, knew how to make private games and many people between 13 and 26 would use it just to sit in the lobbies and chat. Actually after ‘pushing’ a few friends and showing them ‘what else the Xbox360 can do’ when connected to Xbox Live, they were wowed.

Now more of us use it to taunt “Look what I got” and snap a quick photo. It’s cool and nice to have – especially for family and friends.

@Real Xebec
Now that people know about it, I doubt it will flop, pricing and ease of ‘less than techie’ user use will certainly be implemented in the testing phase with set up (connecting, calibration, positioning and supported movements’). Don’t judge until AFTER a while has passed.