Console, Gamer Culture, Nintendo Wii, Press Releases, Xbox 360
The beginnings of a Controller-free world?
E3 has come and gone leaving in its wake an ocean of new games and fascinating gadgetry that will keep us salivating for at least another year. Microsoft may have had one of the most intriguing displays we have yet to see come from the annual E3 convention.
Microsoft finally pulled off what we all new was right around the corner, Hand free gaming. Project Natal looks to revolutionize gaming past the thier current capabilities and even the Nintendo Wii. But we should begin ponder if this is the beginning of the end of our button mashing madness days or will they continue to live on for another two decades?
Even Nintendo did not dare fully stray away from a controller with the Nintendo Wii. Combining both elements into a motion controlled system that has kept it atop the gaming world for the past two years.
Microsoft said “I can do better” and created Project Natal which displayed an impressive controller free demonstration using voice commands and hand motions to guide on screen activities such painting a portrait, diving a race car and even skateboarding.
All of these snazzy motion-controlled, hands free, voice command thingamajig’s sound really great, but is the really this end of the controller as we know it? Will all games and consoles be played without controller? I wouldn’t count on it.
Motion-controlled systems advertise themselves to be very intuitive, however in my experience you either take such intuitive control for granted or you find that it is not as capable of doing exactly what you requested. I often still find myself preferring my old Game Cube controller over my Wii-remote where possible because of such fear.
A controller circumvents this problem by providing on demand action without ever flubbing your request. If you are to close, to far or you fail to be within range of the sensor bar, your game play approaches a grinding halt until you have satisfied the system.
Perhaps this motion control will be as I predict, just a 10-year phase for the console war. We will find ourselves back to square one with controllers in our happy little hands. However, Consoles will continue you duke it out over having bigger and better motion controlled platform for at least some time to come.
While the war rages on, the success of motion controlled platforms rests completely in the hands of the gamer. Gamers will decide if motion controlled gaming should forge on, or plunder into the binary abyss as many gaming platforms and companies already have.
Tags: Microsoft, Project Natal
I see Natal, and I see the end of gaming as we know it.
Who cares if its games are worth their salt, who cares if it has a single effect on core or hard core gaming.
People will see the celebrities flailing about with it and will buy 360s in hordes. Most of the 360s will probably break before Natal even releases, but the damage will be done.
See, it isn’t in the hands of the gamer. It never was. It’s in the hands of the consumers, most of whom probably don’t even finish games. Don’t even scratch the surface. Gamers are going to become a rarer and rarer breed as this hybrid gaming takes over.
And no matter how well it works, natal is going to grab people’s minds and not let go. It works well enough. It’s a novelty that functions on an untapped level of psychological immersion. Marketed as it is, and with as much “light” gaming as it will provide, it is set to become the status quo.
My guess? The console war is over. And perhaps it’s for the best, since I need to do less gaming, and there’s no way in a million years I will purchase a piece of hardware made by Microsoft.
See, it isn’t in the hands of the gamer. … It’s in the hands of the consumers
I apologize, I meant one in the same.
And no matter how well it works, natal is going to grab people’s minds and not let go
Price and how well it works with games in the future will determine Natal’s fate. What does excite me is that the console war has certainly hit a ceiling, no company would put a product out there if they new they were not going to support it long. (Maybe I wrong?)
My guess? The console war is over. And perhaps it’s for the best, since I need to do less gaming, and there’s no way in a million years I will purchase a piece of hardware made by Microsoft.
I must disagree that the console war is over. As I said it certainly has hit a ceiling but we are seeing all kinds of new things for the consoles we already have! It’s fairly exciting.
there’s no way in a million years I will purchase a piece of hardware made by Microsoft.
I must ask why? They have created solid products and while the “red ring of death” was a problem, they did the right thing and corrected it.
We do live in a capitalistic society and I do despise some of the prices of their hard-ware *cough* Wireless-adapter *cough*, they make a good product.