Normally, I’m not one to do posts on industry sound bites. If I reported every time a CEO or designer said something a.) obvious or b.) bombastic I wouldn’t have time to actually play games. However, this isn’t any old day, and it’s not any old E3. On a technical level, I think it’s obvious that Project Natal — Microsoft’s new, controller-less motion-sensing tech — has been a bigger revelation than any game. That being the case, I think it’s worth taking a listen to the industry buzz on the subject.
Phil Spencer, the head of Microsoft Games Studio, sees Natal, not a new console, as the real marker of “next-gen.” Speaking with Gamespot, Spencer explains:
For us, generations start when new experiences hit the market and not when we try to sell you a new console. When we launch Natal, the content, fun, and creative work that people will get to interact with…I think for those people that will be the next-generation. Other companies might define it differently, but for me, it’s about people doing things in a new way–things that they’ve never done before, and I see that with Natal.
Spencer also explained that Microsoft has begun sending out dev kits and that some of their top-tier developers (like Bungie and Epic, both of which have a slew of enormous, Microsoft-exclusive franchises) have been experimenting and tinkering. Spencer also explained that we might have to unlearn some of what we know about controlling games, noting that developing a game with Natal in mind will be difficult: “I do think it’s a challenge, but a good challenge, for creators to remove some of the learning that you have.”
These sentiments are echoed by Shuhei Yoshida, head of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios. ““I saw the [Natal] demonstration and it’s a very sweet video; it’s more futuristic and I felt like I was watching some Consumer Electronics Show event,” he told Edge. Yoshida continues:
“However, we know from working with camera technology for a long time that just using the camera without precisely detecting what the consumer wants to do, with buttons and triggers, is quite difficult, especially when bringing it into the game context.”
How about Shigeru Miyamoto? Surely, he and Nintendo must be worried that Natal might undermine its market share? Actually, Miyamoto doesn’t give a damn — he told BBC that Nintendo “is not worried at all.” On the contrary, he’s happy that gamers will have more opportunities to get off the couch and be physical. In fact, Nintendo “are very flattered” about the whole affair.
