Microsoft / How does it work? By far the most ambitious of the three devices, Natal combines a webcam, a time of flight camera, an IR projector and an array microphones in a single strip. In order to capture 3D data about its surroundings, Natal’s projector emits pulses of IR light (invisible to the human eye) whose time of flight is then measured and used to create a distance map of the objects directly in front of it – occluded surfaces will not be measurable. The device will then use the data from the webcam and the time of flight camera to recognize the the number of people on front of it, their positions, and how those positions are changing. The microphones in Natal also seem capable of triangulating where noises are coming from, and may be able to assign the voices it is hearing to the people it has detected.
This is all relatively new technology and unproven especially when compared to Nintendo and Sony’s solutions. While the hardware in Natal is all fairly straightforward, its real gamble is in the algorithms it will be running internally to make sense of what its army of sensors will be seeing and hearing. If these algorithms work accurately, the device would be light years ahead of the competition. However if the recognition runs into problems when faced with the typical clutter of a living/bedroom, it could end as a costly error for Microsoft.
Pros
+ In 5 years time, gamers may look back at this gen and laugh at the number of silly looking, plastic peripherals we’ve collected in our living rooms. With Natal, Microsoft could be bringing the age of the peripheral to an end by giving gamers everything they need inside the game rather than forcing it down there throats in real life.
+ With no controller required, Natal has one-upped Nintendo’s intuitive tv remote and set a new standard for accessibility.
+ A genuinely innovative and ambitious design that seems able to recognize what multiple gamers are doing on a far broader level than the competition. Where Sony can be accused of once again copying Nintendo’s controller, Microsoft have chosen to take their own path.
Cons
- Typical time of light cameras are able to measure differences in depth of about 2cm. If the webcam in Natal has a horizontal resolution 640 pixels, and if everyone on a 6-foot sofa is in the picture, each pixel will represent about 0.3 cm. Double the resolution and this figure becomes 0.15 cm – better, but there is also the webcam’s frame rate to consider. 60fps should be the minimum, but 120fps would be better for games that require fast, complex movements. While Natal is able to capture and track multiple bodies, it will not be able to track a gamer’s hand position with the accuracy an accelerometer and gyro combination can. A lack of precision could prevent the device from being successful in traditional games.
- Just how reliable are the algorithms that the device is using? Apparently the skeleton mapping that Natal employs is able to capture 48 points of interest on the human body, but will it work well when faced with a typical living/bedroom environment? Although Natal’s potential is boundless, there is the worry that its reliance on in interpreting 2D and 3D data will not be as reliable as the competition’s equivalent.
- Some of the demos Microsoft presented with Natal seemed questionable at best. Most of what people were impressed with in the Milo demo could have been accomplished with any webcam and microphone. What stunned was that Milo responded to questions asked with real answers and emotions – but that seems more to do with Lionhead’s AI (maybe not) than Natal. How comfortable is it in reality to hold your hands in midair to steer a car? How much of what was presented was real, and how much was merely smoke and mirrors?
- Natal’s unique technology will mean that it will be very difficult for 3rd parties to make crossplatform games that include the device. Whereas games will likely be made for both Sony and and Nintendo’s controllers, each Natal game will be a forced platform exlcusive – something that may hinder 3rd party support.
