Microsoft Did "Magic" With Project Natal Raw Tech Says Inventor PrimeSense

On Wednesday, Microsoft stood alongside the company its been working with for some time now, Israeli company PrimeSense, who designed the core 3D capture system from Project Natal.

[alaa]

Natal and Move are great for the casual, and will hopefully give the hardcore a new experience.

As for the magic MS has created? I haven't seen any gameplay footage of any game so I'll wait and see......

[Icyhot]

Warning... Avast is giving me a Malware warning. Just sayin.

[Darkstorn]

Natal is impressive technology, I'll give them that, but it's just not as adaptable as PS Move. Then again, I'm going to avoid motion control this gen.

[Megaton]

Yeah, Trojan alerts again for GameThirst. 2nd article from there today to make Avast light up.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

....

[whateva]

because I'm not going to the website.

[DelbertGrady]

Microsoft play their cards right not revealing Natal before E3 like Sony did with Move. Now everyone is on their toes about it.

Fanboys try their best to write it off even though they haven't seen/tried it yet. That kind of fear is just further proof of how strong its hype factor is.

[Gue1]

people just don't learn! This is like the PS3 that was hyped by Sony themselves and failed miserably on launch... If you see, Windows 7 and Zune were hyped like the best OS(ever!) and iPOD killer and none of them are all that, in fact Win7 it's nothing more than Vista with a glass gui. This is just more MS's BS trying to hype their crap like they always do with each of their products using people that are close to them(Cliffy B) or employees.

From where do you think the rumors about Natal's lag came from? Not from MS! But from real people like Matt Casamassima(or something like that) that think that Natal's a "big sh1t". <--- the ex ign editor actually said that.

[pixelsword]

but both will have to rely on games to get the public to accept them.

[Inside_out]

Well, I have all consoles...Wii is a very well made machine, gets knocked around here all the time, Never had a problem...I hope Sony and M$ have great games planned for their devices, Plan on buying both...The one thing about the Wii is its graphics...Terible...BUT...Wii a family magnet...When its on or have company over, nobody looks at the 360 or PS3...Wii sports and fun competition rule the day....E3 gonna be interesting...

[Tricksy]

Move and Natal both, so that we can get on with non-gimicky game development.

Motion control is not ready for anything besides wii games and "big red balls". When the tech is cheap enough to be really good we will see consoles and games that make it "the new gaming experience".

I love what someone said about Natal gamplay looking like "the signal" from Team America. F-in hilarious and true.

[Godmars290]

And still, we've yet to see any true results of this "magic."

[Chaostar]

The only "magic" I've seen are those smoke and mirror ads MS made to get the concept across. Why all the secrecy MS? I know E3 is coming up but at least give us a tech demo that works... a 30 second clip... more Jonathan Ross... ANYTHING!

[maniacmayhem]

Hold your horses guys!

E3 is right around the corner.

[Nishka Fa Fa La Boo]

how about you wait until E3? stop being an idiot.

[Godmars290]

Same to you.

Stop being a fanboy and try being a consumer? Look at the product that was announced, hinted and hyped a year ago instead of the name.

Ditto to you too, maniacmayhem. If only less rudely.

[SolidSystem]

I think i know you from gt...

back on topic

i agree MS needs to give us a real idea what to expect. but i also have a sneaking suspision they are trying to hold out for E3. the past few years have been "meh" at best, MS has been pretty good about keeping secrets and they want to leave a huge impression. I just hope we see something that makes me go "yeah! thats what I want the future of gaming to be like"

both the wii-mote and Move have been steps in the right direction, but i have yet to see the "future" or something that when I see makes me jump up and down.

[Nishka Fa Fa La Boo]

I'm not being a fangirl. You are bashing them for not showing Natal yet. Wait for E3 and then talk. Natal is coming this holiday like they said. I don;t see what the problem is.

[Kalowest]

The Magic is the Software behind it, not really the Camera itself.

[Biggest]

You say wait for E3. Microsoft didn't wait for E3 when they put adds in Vanity Fair. They didn't wait when they red man group went on Late Night. They didn't wait to say how awesome Natal is compared to the Wii-Mote clone. This article didn't wait for E3. Keeping it in context is what we should do. To this point Natal is crap. It only works when you pretend it works. A smart consumer won't fall for it. I'm all about brand loyalty. I only use Land-O-Lakes half & half. But if they introduced Land-O-Lakes magic camera that doesn't really work, I wouldn't go for it.

[JokesOnYou]

As if anything you said is reason for micro to show something ahead of E3....lol, micro certainly isn't going to show their hand until E3, just to satisfy a bunch of fanboys, sure we might get some small hints of whats to come and a whole lot of PR about Natals capabilities but thats it because micro is counting on showing what Natal can do plus the surprise factor goes along way to help wow the crowds at E3. Hell there have been regular games in devlopment for years with little to nothing of them being shown for years, after their initial reveal and then shown off alot only a few months before launch(KZ2, Alan Wake etc), so why the rush to show Natal stuff, with E3 right around the corner. All eyes will be on E3 making a huge impact with so many avg gamers and the majority of devs and media watching is far more important than bowing to the wishes of a few random fanboys.

JOY

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

I think it is a case of something else than real disappointment from somebody that hasn't seen anything and considering the reveal is this summer.

All I hear is genuine interest from publishers, developers and consumers!!!

[Godmars290]

Yeah, I'm *that* Godmars.

And I'm not bashing Natal, I'm bashing the unquestioning, blind loyalty of its fans. The same people who have been kissing MS's @$$ over the 360 extended warranties while not questioning why they had to do such a thing in the first place. MS showed Natal off last year w/o one actual game, and yet there were and still are Halo fans going nuts over the dodge ball game that will likely be a pack-in.

I actually want to see what Natal can do, I'm just sick to death of people talking about its "potential" since last E3 with Jack Sh!t to show for it.

"sure we might get some small hints of whats to come and a whole lot of PR about Natals capabilities"

No, JOY, no we haven't. If we had "fanboys" like myself would at least have less to complain about.

I mean, look at Move. Yes all the games they've shown for it so far are utter crap, but at least Sony isn't shy about showing the tech. Neither was Nintendo when they first rolled out the Wii. Its only MS who have been selling a name and not a product.

[Cueil]

I've seen you say some pretty on the edge of fanboy things befor... people are excited about the POTENTIAL for the device... just like how poeple are excited about Move's potential...

[Chaostar]

The thing about motion gaming is that most gamers like myself got burned by the Wii, looking like it maybe could deliver something that it couldn't. I bought a Wii Shortly after launch and was bitterly dissapointed, well at first I was just mildly disillusioned but the more I tried to use it for gaming the more I realised it wasn't accurate enough for my needs.

My point is that I'm now cautious about motion gaming and I want to see the tech working solidly before I invest my interest or my money. If MS has got Natal working to a decent degree, like they claim, then would it be too much to ask for them to prove it before people turn up at E3 with expectations WAY too high?

[Triella]

Yet we have seen countless Ricochet demos, and the last one to date (about one month ago), was exactly the same as last year's E3 presentation, with lag and the avatar doing the "bottom of an avatar shoes" stunt.

We've seen the splash paint demo which is neither interesting as a gaming mechanic nor as an "artistic" means of expression.

We also had recent reports of the failed Molyneux demo where the person demoing wasn't recognized by the camera because they were wearing black cloths ... reminds me of the N'Gai Coral fiasco when his hands weren't recognizsed by the camera because he's black, and people were saying then (one year ago) it was just a calibration issue.

We've seen (fake ?) leaked footages of geometry wars controled by Natal, too complicated, and a sort of half-life like demo with considerable camera and movments recognition problems.

Beside from the fact that I've seen no one being able to drive a car for more than 1 minute straight, the Burn out demo was the only one that worked.

Now I'm sure at E3 presentation we will see some other demos : a fitness thingy, a flight simulator or a Marble madness game controled by your hand, etc.

[Godmars290]

People have seen more actual evidence of what Move can do than Natal from the first moment either were introduced, yet Natal's received more praise about its "potential."

All I'm saying is that if does have any it should have been shown before now, not just incessantly talked about.

[X_GAMER_X]

Day one buy for me. Even if its dos not have hardcore games. The Idea of controlling the interface and voice recognitions has me sold.

Plus if it dos have great casual game, My family will have great time with it. Social games

[Blaze929]

exactly the same here. I'm excited for Natal just for the software aspect of its use. Could care less about playing motion games using the Wii, Natal, or Move. But Natal's software and features seem hella cool to control the 360 UI and even use on PC for everyday tasks if the software is right and it's a great thing Microsoft is a software company. If it comes with great games, then that's a plus.

[talltony]

I won't be sold until I see some fight night controlled with natal accurately with barely any lag.If that happens then I will be one impressed gamer.

[fryday]

Cannot wait to try it

First Person Fightgames !!!!

[DlocDaBudSmoka]

on an idea. You're the exact kinda person is aiming this at.

" Day one buy for me. Even if its dos not have hardcore games. The Idea of controlling the interface and voice recognitions has me sold.

Plus if it dos have great casual game, My family will have great time with it. Social games"

[beans]

If Natal is anything like the PrimeSense recent footage and I can even order food by pointing a finger then I'm sold. Now I see why they were talking with Samsung about putting 360's inside of there tv's. Just imagine a 360 and Natal integrated in your set. Sure the games are what matter and this year at E3 MS will finally make the Wii a forgotten thing.

[-MD-]

I have some money set aside so I can pick up Natal and a game or two when it launches.

I can't wait to see what Rare has cooking.

[IdleLeeSiuLung]

I'm excited as well. This is the sort of thing as a kid I dreamed we could do in gaming so I'm looking forward to it.

Probably day 1 purchase for me as well if the price is right!

[Michael-Jackson]

It's not magic if it lags.

[givemelbpbetakeys]

it does a pretty good job showing the bottom of avatars shoe, doesn't it?

[Michael-Jackson]

I will be more impressed if you can take the avatars shoe off. Such a gimmick piece of crap.

[avengers1978]

THQ's "project" will be based on the success of the Natal; they said that they have it on the boards, and if Natal does well, then they will start making it.

[juniordee]

Revolutionary? It's just an upgraded eyetoy.

[AridSpider]

Yeah...whatever helps you sleep at night buddy. Keep telling yourself that ;)

[Biggest]

You know, I'm starting to get it. Remember when touch screens came out? This is the next step. Instead of small, simple movements like touching a screen you can make large, energy draining movements. The way the interface performed in Minority Report should say it all. Complicated movements with flair are much better than comfort and ease.

[HolyOrangeCows]

NU UHz! It haz teh depth sensor!

(You can see the bottom of your avatar's shoe here.....or waaaaaaay back here)

[LordMarius]

BAM! there it is

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Biggest in here hating on 360 after calling me out in a PS3 article just today.. Funny stuff right there.. But I won't insult you like you did to me I will address your comment directly.

You don't have enough information to tell me the thing can only be controlled by wildly flailing around. Natal should be able to track slight movements as well. Not everything is going to be Ricochet so why don't you hold your boo's for E3.

[Biggest]

I don't need to hold my boos. I can comment on what I have seen. I can comment on what has been reported. You are commenting with your hopes and dreams. It should be able to sense slight movements? It has trouble sensing movement in general right now. That isn't what I hope. That is the honest truth as told by real life.

I didn't call you out in a PS3 thread. I think it was Morganfell. He pointed out that you are a 360 fanboy that is trying play down the middle. I laughed at the hundreds of pages of comments of you being who you really are. Don't be sad. Be who you are. No one likes a faker.

[GiantEnemyCrab]

Biggest you are looking at one tech demo for a game called Ricochet and trying to sell the idea that everything on Natal is wild movements. Watch the Burnout demo, I don't see a bunch of flailing around.

Is it so hard to hold back the hate until we see a proper unveiling at E3?

But I know, it's not Sony so it's difficult for you.

Who am I? Someone who has come to peace with the console war and enjoy both the PS3 and 360 equally. Old habits of defending MS die hard but I try and speak from my honest perspective. I have lashed out on MS here and have been called a PS3 fanboy as well..

[HolyOrangeCows]

http://www.youtube.com/watc...

You're right, I don't see flailing, just an uncontrollable mess.

[Nike]

@Biggest:

Um, if you don't like it, don't buy it? That solution usually works.

[zeeshan]

HolyOrangeCows - 10 hours ago
PM
Track
Ignore5.8 - @5.7
http://www.youtube.com/watc...

You're right, I don't see flailing, just an uncontrollable mess.

==========================

OMG! "Uncontrollable mess" indeed!

[Dance]

Still need to see it in action

[SolidSystem]

my computer flipped out, both chrome and my anti-virus went off the second i went to source.

[Darkfocus]

ya my anti virus went off on an earlier gamethirst article too. they must be infected.

[rexus12345]

HTTP MS Office Web Components Code Exec 1
What ever that means....
Anti-virus designated this as a "High" risk

[Dark360]

Have Fun With The Glowing DILDO Called Move...

...Sorry DROIDS Better Luck Next Time...LOL

[djtek184]

What's up with bots & their obssesion with dildos?

[MGOelite]

excellent marketing campaign, crummy tech

[Brklynty1]

Yet we've yet to get another public viewing on what it "can do". Yes E3 is like 3 months away, but still all we heard is what it can do, we have not seen. Microsoft says a lot of stuff of what its products can do. All I'm saying is, nobody should be bought by words alone, if you are, you are one die hard M$ fan, not that anything is wrong with that. Just saying it would be nice to see some proof.

[PeptoBismol]

black magic?

[keysy420]

seriously why are people hyped for natal it looks lame and just like a eyetoy

[bjornbear]

mag·ic   [maj-ik] Show IPA
–noun
1.
the art of producing illusions as entertainment by the use of sleight of hand, deceptive devices, etc.; legerdemain; conjuring: to pull a rabbit out of a hat by magic.

[Cueil]

Isn't that what the Move is? It's just an optical allusion... it's the same with Natal... it's not like it creates mass or anything... everything they do to appear to do something 3D like is just fooling your eyes... but I think he was refering to magic in the old term sense... like mystical magic

[bjornbear]

so yeah

any motion controller really

difference: Move has tons of games announced for it and way more tech tests than Natal, so Natal is still the BIGGER illusion.

[Kalowest]

By Magic, they mean the Software MS is making for Natal, and thats it. All the Devs that have Natal, don't really care for the cam itself, but for the Software it will be using.

[Cueil]

The hardware has been around for a while... it's the software that will make or break this technology... and if Microsoft could patent this you could see them move into the security sector... at least the civilian sector... they already are in the Military security

[nygamer28]

ok people calm down,E3 is right around the corner so stop bashing natal until you see the final product(do You think M$ is just gonna pop up with a new tech demo on anyday....NO,there gonna wait for the biggest gaming event of the year which is E3)

also stop camparing it to the eyetoy,when natal comes out then do all the camparing you want

[cereal_killa]

I really hope this E3 shows allot more than we've been seeing, M$ constantly showing the same red dodge ball game is getting lame and repetitive. Both Natal and Move will have there advantages and disadvantages Natal will be good for fighting games like Mortal Kombat and Street fighter and Move will be good for game like Demon souls and I think that Move will be better for FPS games with the use of the controller/nunchuck thing. But time will tell you really can't take the word of 95% of the journalists out there they get paid to kiss one systems A$$ over the other, the best thing to do is try them both out and judge for yourself.

[Zero 007]

the truth is here PS3 Dild** motion controller LAG confirm :(
Darlings Just check heere...Oh LaLaaaaa
http://www.eurogamer.net/vi...
plus +
Dog of war III framerate in second between 30 to 40fbs confirm
http://www.eurogamer.net/vi...
i remember when sony says 60 framerate in the second and support 1080p , so wats happen with the final game 60 to 30-40 LooL
enjoy playing DOW III 5hrs gameplay + 720p + 30-40 framerate in the second = fail like.all.others

[Joe2911]

You need to get out more..

[Renewman]

Can it. As interested as I am in seeing what Natal has to offer, the point remains that MS is being secretive. Yeah, journalists have been playing with Natal for a while now but if MS was really as confident as they were with Natal, we'd be seeing a lot more from them. Don't try to say, "Well MS doesn't want to show their hand to early like Sony did." Again I say be quiet. Sony is confident enough in their product that they went on a TV SHOW to demonstrate it. When's the last time you say Natal being demonstrated for the public other than the epic Avatar's shoe fiasco at E3 last year? Until MS produces something solid for gamers to sink their teeth into, people won't be convinced.

[Bigpappy]

They need to work out a host of bugs before "move" can come to market. The demo with the skeleton armor staying with one guy even though the other guy has control of "move" was hideous. the hand to hand fighting was far from 1:1 control. Sony originally stated that they were ready to launch in spring this year, yet they can't get the Demo's right. Sony for some reason seem to be the ones rushing. It's like they saw Natal and decided they have to get out there ahead of M$. M$ on the other hand,is playing this in a very focused and controlled manner. It is almost as if they feel they have this one in the bag. I will wait until E3 to see if this confidence was justified.

[Gamer7l]

Natal has been on T.V. MANY times.....loooong before Sony went public with Move. In fact, you're so backwards in your assertion the MS has something to hide about Natal, it's just stupid.

[claterz]

@Gamer7l So would you be able to share some of those links to the videos of Natal being shown on a t.v show?

[sid4gamerfreak]

Im just gonna play with my pc, ps3 and 360 not with the retarded motion controls...

[QuantumWake]

Oh man, gamesthirst messed up my computer. This has some serious Malware. I'd steer clear from this site.

[biggame901]

I'll be fair and not bash Natal, but Microsoft better show something impressive at E3, because all I've heard them do is talk.

Talk is cheap. Come E3, it's time to put up or shut up for MS and Natal.

[chickenlegs9]

morning everyone,my only concern is the pricing of said natal,i cant believe going to be cheap.is there any information about that yet?(u.k)my opinion on this kinda thing is this,sixaxis,built into the ps3s controler,i think i used it once on motorstorm.the pseye,made some stop frame cartoons,and played all the psn games.now it seems neither is fully used for anything,(except the cameras microphone)so my questions this,if sony has done this all before i.e eyetoy/pseye/sixaxis and all of them,to be fair,are nothing but gimicks,why will this natal be any different???

[bviperz]

wear dark clothes or try to show your feet.

[Nicaragua]

All this talk about Natal being kept secret for E3 is nonsense - there have been numerous demo's and press events for it and all of them have showed the same casual crap like ricochet and that burnout demo.

[Time_Is_On_My_Side]

So I'm not even going to read this, and just thought people on here should know.

[theunleashed64]

all i have been seeing is smoke and mirrors and blah blah blah blah also it's funny that some idiots *cough* blaze *cough is not interested in motion control's yet he is getting a orgasm over natal?
and who wants use their hand as a gun what is third grade? pew pew pew
pew pew pew. and all natal is but eye toy 1.5 i .....erh i mean lagtal
......erh i mean innovative *cough* no it isn't *cough* camera.

[Denethor_II]

Wait, hold up a second. Who invented Natal?

[tiamat5]

Where is this magic Microsoft? It's amazing how you keep boasting and we still have no proof. But I am sure it will be no different then any other thing Microsoft hypes. It will be okay but no where close to what they said it was. At least when Sony says that you will be blown away or it will be a new experience it is at least 3/4 of it is true. Microsoft's claims hold almost no water most of the time.

[gypsygib]

"biggest revolution in gaming" yeah right - how deep can a game be without any buttons.

[nygamer28]

@theunleashed64: yea you must have natel cause you know everything about.....please take your head out your ass

[nygamer28]

ok ill say this again,think guys,why would microsoft be so secreative of natel....its not 100% finished yet,if you do your research they they dropped the processor chip acouple of months ago and just put in the prime sense chip not that long ago.so i ask you this why would microsoft show off there product if its not 100% complete,i believe its only been show to the press for them to get a feel on it

with that said and the primesense chip in place and E3 about 6 weeks away,let see what happens