Thursday, June 18, 2009
Thursday, June 11, 2009
On the future of video games?
Being a moderate video game nerd, I tuned in last week to the G4 network for live coverage of E3, the Electronics Entertainment Expo. Starting the whole event off was Microsoft's annual press conference, where various developers and department heads discussed new games and tech in production, with a lot of sneak peeks and teaser trailers as well as a few live demos. Nintendo and Sony, the other big console producers, were to have their conferences the next day. However, even after all three had their chance to capture the attention of the E3 crowd, one announcement seemed to stand above the rest. Microsoft unveiled its next big project, codenamed Natal.
For all who saw Natal in action, certainly it seemed to represent a possible future of video games across the board. It's only been a couple years since the Wii was released by Nintendo, and that appeared to be revolutionary with its new take on the video game controller. Now Microsoft has taken that idea one step further, by removing the controller element altogether. The idea is by using a small box attached to any Xbox 360 system equipped with 3D motion-sensing cameras and a microphone, players can use their bodies to manipulate game interfaces and actions entirely without any physical peripherals. This means that fighting games can become a serious work-out, and racing games will be able to be played easily and intuitively without needing to buy a costly racing wheel peripheral like the ones that currently retail for well over $100 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
The power-packed camera involved can scan objects including the user's body into games, making them appear real-time in the software. The idea being that this will bring gamers even deeper into the world of video games than ever before. An example of this was when a teenage boy scanned the underside of his skateboard into his Xbox, then used it in a a skateboarding game in which he would jump and twist his feet and torso to do tricks in-game.
Another demonstration of the Natal's capabilities came in the form of a boy named Milo. This little digital boy was able to talk to real people through the camera and mic on the Natal, with a level of realism that has never been seen before in a video game. Milo was able to remember facts about people and ask them questions about their lives, as well as give real emotional responses in his discussion with those facing the TV screen. The woman demonstrating the program asked Milo if he had done his homework, only to receive a worried and slightly embarrassed facial expression in return. The final demonstration of the powerful technology involved in Natal featured the woman drawing a picture of an orange fish, holding it up to the camera, which was followed by Milo receiving the picture and commenting on it's color and shape.
A few years ago, when the current generation of consoles came out, I noticed how amazing the graphics power has become with video games. In the past a big part of the technological innovation in the world of games has been to improve the looks of games, but I feel like there is a realism wall approaching. At a certain point the graphics will no longer be able to be improved upon, and I wondered where the technology will go from there. Ideas such as Natal may be the answer I was looking for, it certainly represents a departure from the norm of video game development. No release date has been set yet, but I would imagine Natal is expected to be out winter of 2010-2011.
For all who saw Natal in action, certainly it seemed to represent a possible future of video games across the board. It's only been a couple years since the Wii was released by Nintendo, and that appeared to be revolutionary with its new take on the video game controller. Now Microsoft has taken that idea one step further, by removing the controller element altogether. The idea is by using a small box attached to any Xbox 360 system equipped with 3D motion-sensing cameras and a microphone, players can use their bodies to manipulate game interfaces and actions entirely without any physical peripherals. This means that fighting games can become a serious work-out, and racing games will be able to be played easily and intuitively without needing to buy a costly racing wheel peripheral like the ones that currently retail for well over $100 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.
The power-packed camera involved can scan objects including the user's body into games, making them appear real-time in the software. The idea being that this will bring gamers even deeper into the world of video games than ever before. An example of this was when a teenage boy scanned the underside of his skateboard into his Xbox, then used it in a a skateboarding game in which he would jump and twist his feet and torso to do tricks in-game.
Another demonstration of the Natal's capabilities came in the form of a boy named Milo. This little digital boy was able to talk to real people through the camera and mic on the Natal, with a level of realism that has never been seen before in a video game. Milo was able to remember facts about people and ask them questions about their lives, as well as give real emotional responses in his discussion with those facing the TV screen. The woman demonstrating the program asked Milo if he had done his homework, only to receive a worried and slightly embarrassed facial expression in return. The final demonstration of the powerful technology involved in Natal featured the woman drawing a picture of an orange fish, holding it up to the camera, which was followed by Milo receiving the picture and commenting on it's color and shape.
A few years ago, when the current generation of consoles came out, I noticed how amazing the graphics power has become with video games. In the past a big part of the technological innovation in the world of games has been to improve the looks of games, but I feel like there is a realism wall approaching. At a certain point the graphics will no longer be able to be improved upon, and I wondered where the technology will go from there. Ideas such as Natal may be the answer I was looking for, it certainly represents a departure from the norm of video game development. No release date has been set yet, but I would imagine Natal is expected to be out winter of 2010-2011.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
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