Microsoft forgets what an EyeToy is and introduces a "new" technology

[xuCGC002]

It's called Project Natal, basically the equivalent of the EyeToy without the camera.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/

[Eclipse.]

If its just a eyetoy then why are sony not protecting their ip and patents?

Please I know most people like to hate microsoft here but credit where credits due, nadal looks pretty cool.

EDIT: Btw, it does have a camera, two infact.

[xuCGC002]

If its just a eyetoy then why are sony not protecting their ip and patents?

Please I know most people like to hate microsoft here but credit where credits due, nadal looks pretty cool.

It preforms with essentially the same functionality as an EyeToy, but has different sensor technology.

It's that they're labeling it as a "new way to play games" is what tends to be laughable.

[00ber n00b]

It preforms with essentially the same functionality as an EyeToy, but has different sensor technology.

It's that they're labeling it as a "new way to play games" is what tends to be laughable.

It is a new technology. Just like the wii was a new technology. What is your point sir?

[pwnst*r]

lame accessory or not, it's a great console.

[starcannon]

Looks cool, the only reason I chose PS3 over Xbox 360 was for the Blu-Ray.

[PhoenixMaster00]

The Project Natal youtube videos make it look very interesting

[00ber n00b]

Looks cool, the only reason I chose PS3 over Xbox 360 was for the Blu-Ray.

I chose xbox because of the crazy online. Bunch of my friends have cod mw2 and such for xbox, so, I didn't wan to get the ps3. Plus I purchased the xbox 1G release, ps3 wasn't available. Blu-ray wasn't an issue when I purchased it. But, when it did become an issue, bought a blu-ray player on black friday, problem solved.

The PS3 will be a lot better once the game dev's start utilizing the full power of the system, instead of porting games from xbox.

[00ber n00b]

The Project Natal youtube videos make it look very interesting

Yeah, I just watched a few. When you think eye toy its not very interesting, then you watch the vids and its no where near as glitchy and is very responsive. To be honest, I'm not a very big fan of wii and interactive type games. I will stick to my joysticks. I know some will say they'll stick to their mouse/keyboard. :D

[hoppipolla]

Natal looks incredible to me I can't wait, I'm sorry but at least in what I've seen so far it's a whole other world to the EyeToy...

The vids on YouTube are breathtaking! :)

[PhoenixMaster00]

Yeah, I just watched a few. When you think eye toy its not very interesting, then you watch the vids and its no where near as glitchy and is very responsive. To be honest, I'm not a very big fan of wii and interactive type games. I will stick to my joysticks. I know some will say they'll stick to their mouse/keyboard. :D

You but the one wear they show someone interacting with the kid in the game world is pretty incredible and would open up a lot of opportunities for new tyes of gaming and entertainment in general i guess

[00ber n00b]

You but the one wear they show someone interacting with the kid in the game world is pretty incredible and would open up a lot of opportunities for new tyes of gaming and entertainment in general i guess

agreed.

[kilosan]

they must put in on sale in the market and manufacture thousands of it before you shoot it down with ip rights.

[xuCGC002]

they must put in on sale in the market and manufacture thousands of it before you shoot it down with ip rights.

bang bang bang



The vids on YouTube are breathtaking!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWUk7huRwIU&feature=related

[Simon17]

I just saw a thing on TV for a camera for the wii which seemed almost exactly the same as eyetoy.

(I turned my eyetoy into a webcam since it didn't really have any other use.)

[Giant Speck]

It preforms with essentially the same functionality as an EyeToy, but has different sensor technology.

That's like saying security cameras and motion detectors are the same technology because they both perform similar functions.

[Techsnap]

Next you'll be ranting because they have Wirless Controllers although you can buy a (Clunky) Wireless Controller kit for the Atari 2600.

[konqueror7]

project natal has been long announced, and its not first developed by microsoft, they only bought the company that developed it. and ps3 has also such an accessory, they just pretty much the same principle with different 'advantages', with which this 'advantages' is it a new technology...:D

[tom66]

I've got an EyeToy for the PS2.

While playing a game, you're constantly searching to find the camera's FOV, which is usually quite small. If you jump outside of the viewport it will lock on to some noise or dead pixel on the sensor. It seems to be more of a gimmick than a game, because it can barely pick up your hands, especially if you haven't got 100 watt bulbs warming the room up. It does an admiral job though, given the PS2's limited processing power.

I'd guess they couldn't make a Wii-like controller, combining the excellent graphics + CPU with innovative controls. I love our Wii, because: a) we don't have a HD TV so there's no point in us getting a HD capable console, b) it's much more fun than button mashing, I'm no extreme gamer, c) it's much more reliable (in terms of failure rate) than any other console, d) it's quiet (though not as quiet as my Scaleo E, which is virtually silent) e) it brings everyone together for fun.

In the future, I hope to upgrade my Scaleo E to make it play games better. At the moment the Intel GMA struggles with Half-Life 2...

[dragos240]

The dreameye also came before the eyetoy.

[pwnst*r]

The dreameye also came before the eyetoy.

Good call, for the greatest system ever.

[steev182]

The Dreamcast was the only console I was truly excited about. I couldn't wait to have it so much that I went to CEX and bought a Japanese import. It was great. I had to go onto the xbox after because, well, the controllers were near identical and PGR was my favourite racing game at the time.

Anyway. NATAL IS NOT EYE TOY! That is all.

[t0p]

I'm looking forward to when someone uses this motion-detection technonlogy as a mouse-substitute, like in Johnny Mnemonic/Minority Report. I can remember reading about a project that was doing this kind of stuff with the Wiimote, but I don't think it's advanced much lately. Maybe Microsoft's new acquisition will help.

[Xbehave]

I'm looking forward to when someone uses this motion-detection technonlogy as a mouse-substitute, like in Johnny Mnemonic/Minority Report. I can remember reading about a project that was doing this kind of stuff with the Wiimote, but I don't think it's advanced much lately. Maybe Microsoft's new acquisition will help.
IR LEDs + wiimote + IR tape, give you exactly this, but it has the same problem as touch screens, it turns out mice/touch pads are damn good.

As for this being an eyetoy, if the marketing hype is to be believed this is to the eyetoy as face recognition is to face detection, sure if you don't know what your talking about the two seam the same, but if you've every tried working with them you'll no that face recognition software is a lot harder to do. The eyetoy worked on basic motion detection (if a pixel changes then it was "activated", nautal uses image processing to decide what things are. While the eyetoy was good enough for most silly games, so I don't see the point of natal, it is defiantly new tech.

[Megrimn]

It's new for the xbox - and loads of people are probably wetting their pants in anticipation : P

[xuCGC002]

It's new for the xbox - and loads of people are probably wetting their pants in anticipation : P

Actually that seems like a pretty good summarization.

[steev182]

It's not though. they have that 'you're in the movies' game or whatever it's called and I remember from when I had a mac, they had a camera which coincidentally worked with OSX Tiger without the need for Macam.

This is Microsoft's competitor to the Wiimote, and to be honest, if it can recognise several users at once, should be enough to hurt the Wii, because without the Wiimote's appeal, the Wii has no redeeming features against the PS3 and xbox 360.

[Keyper7]

(...) While the eyetoy was good enough for most silly games, so I don't see the point of natal (...)

Being good enough for non-silly games as well? :)

[Xbehave]

Being good enough for non-silly games as well? :)
How? Any game where you have to move about to control a character is going to be silly, the dumbing down of games for consoles is bad enough, but I'm sure it's reached the limit. Any non-silly genre needs clear precise controls, I mean it's not like you can have an fps controlled by what face you pull.


if it can recognise several users at once, should be enough to hurt the Wii, because without the Wiimote's appeal, the Wii has no redeeming features against the PS3 and xbox 360.
This still won't be as good as a wiimote, and the wii has other redeeming features like it's price and the fact the games are fun and many are local multiplayer orientated. If any console has no redeeming features it's the xbox360, it's essentially a PC, only they charge you for online play. At least the PS3 is essentially a home entertainment system and is a lot more powerful than the 360 and comparable to the highest end gaming PCs.

[pwnst*r]

How?...
This still won't be as good as a wiimote, and the wii has other redeeming features like it's price and the fact the games are fun and many are local multiplayer orientated.

other than the wiimote and price, the other consoles have the same "redeeming features", so listing those was pointless.

[Techsnap]

Good call, for the greatest system ever.

Absolutely :)