The E3 2009 extravaganza just concluded in Los Angeles recently. As is always the case at this expo, every major electronic entertainment company that develops game hardware and software was demonstrating their wares. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft made major game hardware related announcements. Ubisoft, Square Enix, Sega, Konami, Namco Bandai, Eidos, MTV Games and others announced game content.
At this E3 it was Microsoft that made the most news with a slew of new products and technologies. The one that set the game bloggers on fire was Project Natal, a motion sensing camera based device for the XBOX. It’s not a stretch of imagination to foresee that this sort of device will be made available for all platforms.
What’s all the buzz about? Current motion detecting interfaces like Wii involve the user handling hardware, in this case the controller. Project Natal has eliminated the need for that handheld controller. The device (still in prototype) tracks user movement and translates that into control inputs for the Xbox, amazing stuff. Similar technology has existed in the past, but based on the demonstrations Microsoft gave at E3, Project natal has far surpassed it.
Here’s microsoft’s official Project Natal trailer:
I liked what I saw. Will this be the future of control in gaming?
And will eLearning interfaces be able to leverage such technology to make learning more engaging and effective?
