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The Motion Control Arms Race

post #1 of 16
6/2/09 at 11:31pm
Thread Starter 
This seems like a fertile enough subject to warrant its own thread:

XBOX 360 Project Natal Trailer

Project Natal "Breakout" tech demo

Project Natal "Paint Party" tech demo

Project Natal "Milo" tech demo


PS3 Motion Sensor "Wand" demonstration

I have to say I'm probably more impressed at this point by the PS3 Motion Controller; Their presentation wasn't about flashy over-produced videos, just a couple of nerds demonstrating in real time that the device was precise enough to capture NEAT handwriting and tiny movements of the wrist.

The Project Natal demos seemed either completely staged ("Milo"), or really sloppy looking (the painting demo and the avatar-mimicry).

I have high hopes and high skepticism for all involved parties, of course.



Edit: Here's the funniest blooper to come out of these demos:

BAM!
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post #2 of 16
6/2/09 at 11:47pm
Yeah, the PS3 one was alright. I think Wii Motion Plus will get the Wii similar capabilities but I'm not sure how precise theirs will really be. At first, when the PS3 one came on I couldn't help but laugh and think "Haha, this sucks." But as I saw these two nerd guys up on stage just having fun with it, I started to change my cynical mind a bit.

I don't think I'm going to start worrying about any of these until they actually get production ready versions and some sample games. Still, you have to thank Nintendo for changing the game on this kind of stuff if it does or doesn't end up working at least they've pushed the boundaries a bit (only to sit back and squander the coolness of the tech by putting such weak processing capabilities in it).
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post #3 of 16
6/2/09 at 11:56pm
Thread Starter 
Yeah, I don't think the PS3 motion controllers will be ground-breaking, other than perhaps in precision.

I'm mainly excited for motion control in the hands of real developers (I.E. not Nintendo) on consoles that can actually handle the physics calculations needed to complement those controls (I.E. not Nintendo).
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post #4 of 16
6/2/09 at 11:59pm
Thread Starter 
double post.
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post #5 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:09am
Yeah, the allure of the 1-to-1 entire body mapping of the Natal stuff though is hard to deny as well. If it actually works well, it could be something amazing.

I feel like MS will need to come out with a supplemental 1-handed controller so that you can actually handle movement as well--basically the nunchuck portion of the Wii controller. Still, I think it would be hilarious to get to play light gun games with a finger gun.
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post #6 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:14am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dontEATnachos View Post
Yeah, the allure of the 1-to-1 entire body mapping of the Natal stuff though is hard to deny as well. If it actually works well, it could be something amazing.

I feel like MS will need to come out with a supplemental 1-handed controller so that you can actually handle movement as well--basically the nunchuck portion of the Wii controller. Still, I think it would be hilarious to get to play light gun games with a finger gun.
Even if it can interpret a spacial representation of your basic arm, leg and torso movements, there's no way they can get your hands and fingers with any precision at all. Which probably means that the actual applications of Project Natal will be limited to full-body movements and simpler gestures.

Only when you combine these two technologies would you get something close to accurate, full-body virtual control.
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post #7 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by A. Lively View Post
...and of course, here's the funniest blooper to come out of these demos:

BAM!
Would have been great for the camera to pan back, showing the demo guy all bent and mangled like a marionette on the floor. "We're still working out some kinks!"
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post #8 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:21am
Oh no ... the 1-to-1 mapping is BI-DIRECTIONAL. Milo's first victim.
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post #9 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:34am
I have shithouse hand eye co-ordination (being legally blind in one eye and pretty bloody uncoordinated) and I don't play video games to get fit, I play them to relax.

Until we reach a Matrix level of brain projection this just looks too much like hard work, and games are not meant to be hard work - at least physically.
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post #10 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:50am
I think Natal would be great as an add on to games if the tracking and facial recognition turns out to work well, same for the the PS3 one which looks to use the eyetoy as well as the wand. For instance it would be cool to have characters actually look at me in Fallout instead of staring blankly ahead and maybe respond to my facial cues. The voice recognition would also be great to finally see work properly in a game(EndWar for PS3 was inconsistent at best).

Having said all that, I just want these things to supplement the normal control scheme to make the experience more engrossing. I have no interest in waving my hands or a remote to control things. I seem to recall some tech demo from before the PS3 launched that somewhat showed this sort of thing. It looked like some sort of secret agent game with a guy communicating with two in game girls via voice with the eyetoy somehow involved. Anyway, its still way too early to pass judgment on either system since they barely even have the concept in mind to say nothing of actual games.
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post #11 of 16
6/3/09 at 7:20am
That ps3 wand video demonstration looked quite impressive. Get some developers to make some impressive games with it and I may get it.

After getting my hyped up expectations down to earth from yesterday, the 360 natal's live demo seemed decent, but I did notice a split second of lag with the persons actions to what's on the screen. Not good.
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post #12 of 16
6/3/09 at 7:41am
Isn't it considered to be still in development? I'd imagine lag's something they'd iron out.
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post #13 of 16
6/3/09 at 7:46am
I was ready to criticise this whole fad till I saw the PS3 demo. It feels like the functionality the Wii promised has finally arrived. I hope this ends up being more than just an attempt to get into the casual market.
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post #14 of 16
6/3/09 at 8:46am
Indeedly. If sony was smart, they'd start by including some wand functionality into existing popular psn titles with patches, and by releasing some smaller wand based PSN titles at the same time. And a couple of proper games that include wand functionality in there as well, would help. What they don't need or want is another LAIR style cock-up.

I think a nice little psn title with combat mechanics similar to what we've seen in the live demo with the sword/shield combo and throwing star's might be pretty fuckin' cool. Especially at a 10 to 15$ price point. Next step would obviously be a star wars lightsaber based game, done by Raven. Remember that lightsaber game on the wii? Neither do I.

Bees, yeah you're right but this tech just seems too good to be true. I'll wait till they get a finalised version into the hands of Non IGN types, like Eurogamer. Then I might start getting excited again. Final thoughts: Sony delivered, without any flash or glitz, what the wii promised to do 2 years ago.
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post #15 of 16
6/3/09 at 9:19am
I'll believe it when it's in my living room. How about all those light gun games on the PS2 and original xbox? Yeah, that didn't really pan out either. And Sony's prise gem, the sixaxis? That is all but forgotten at this point. My thinking, if they couldn't even get sixaxis to work properly, how are they going to make something this complicated fly right.
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post #16 of 16
6/3/09 at 12:35pm
I like the super-duper EyeToy's sensitivity as a theoretical maximum--like volume controls that go up to 11--but from a game design perspective I'm not sure if you need much more than what the MotionPlus is apparently providing. It's obviously better than the Wii but a lot of it may not be that useful.

Unfortunately for MS and Sony, I think the Wii has and continues to sell mostly on its own cultural momentum, as opposed to some untapped universal demand for motion controls.
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