Aaron Greenberg on Project Natal: Like Pins'n'Needles

An explanation even we can understand.

Posted by Staff
Aaron Greenberg on Project Natal: Like Pins'n'Needles
We've had fun with Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg (director of product management for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live) in the past - even suggesting that maybe he messes with spin. But you've got to give it to the guy, he's a hard worker. Looking at him in a recent GTR video, even we've got to admit that despite appearing not to have slept for a decade, he can still come up with an excellent explanation as to how Project Natal works:

"It does work and it's extremely accurate. We even, like, turn off the lights. You can have no light in the room, doesn't matter at all..." we baulked a little bit there. If you've got no light in the room at all, then how can you see the images on the screen? But, even we've got to admit that just because you can't see something working, it doesn't mean that it isn't working. Also, Aaron does go on to explain that...

"It's not light-sensitive... the 3D depth technology it's like... you know when you... put your hands in one of those needle/pin things, it's the same type of thing where it can actually map depth; so, moving forward, moving back, moving left and moving right."

Right, we get it. One of those pin/needle things. We can visualise that. Thanks Aaron. He continues and makes a slightly tired statement about another part of the otherwise impressive Natal demo'ing at E3.

"It does facial recognition... you saw when (creative director for the project, Kudo Tsunoda) was on stage, he stood in front of the camera, that's all real, running in code. I mean, none of that is video or faked in any way."

Surely none of the Natal demonstration videos was faked in any way? Finally, we even think he says "It recognises his (Tsunoda's) face inside cement..." but you'll have to watch the interview yourself for that.

Frankly, we can't wait to get our hands on the Project Natal-based gaming.

Source: GTR
Companies:
People:

Comments

Awesome Fool 8 Jun 2009 17:53
1/7
Nice post!

For some reason alot of people still seem to think it's a Wii rip off, the 3D depth technology is what makes it different. I'm really looking forward to it myself, especially if they put it into existing games, wouldn't mind doing the Gears 2 executions myself!

They need to hurry up!

Awesome Fool
http://www.Project-Natal.com
OptimusP 8 Jun 2009 19:06
2/7
Now this i like as a tech-freak, that face-recognition stuff and that Milo also really looked to have fantastic potential as a tech. The problem is, this sounds a lot of extra work for developers to only amp up the immersion level of their game just a few notches.

As a gamer, what will face recognition bring to gameplay?
more comments below our sponsor's message
deleted 8 Jun 2009 22:05
3/7
Like ive said before i see Natal becoming an extention of the controller, unlike Wii and Sonys where you use the tracking device in your hands the Natal recognises everything, so using the controller for your standard agming but using natal to add to gaming experince, Gears actually making the chainsaw gesture to saw through things, or on Halo or COD drawing on screen tactics to team members, or playing Rainbow 6 communicating with your squad using hand gestures why does everyone assume that you cant use the controller with the natal? like its an eye toy? im excited about this!
DrkStr 9 Jun 2009 07:43
4/7
haritori wrote:
why does everyone assume that you cant use the controller with the natal?

Why do you assume you cant use a controller with the eye toy? Nothing stopping you at all.
OptimusP 9 Jun 2009 08:04
5/7
haritori wrote:
Like ive said before i see Natal becoming an extention of the controller, unlike Wii and Sonys where you use the tracking device in your hands the Natal recognises everything, so using the controller for your standard agming but using natal to add to gaming experince, Gears actually making the chainsaw gesture to saw through things, or on Halo or COD drawing on screen tactics to team members, or playing Rainbow 6 communicating with your squad using hand gestures why does everyone assume that you cant use the controller with the natal? like its an eye toy? im excited about this!

And as I replied allready, Natal is not accurate enough to do half those things, and your application will just complicate gaming even more and make it crash and burn. Then what?

Besides, the chance of Natal coming out...ever...is extremely slim. It follows all the properties of a Microsoft product very quickly made to blow smoke and mirrors so they seem to be working on it but actually aren't. And yes they will spend a lot of money to convince everyone otherwise but this has happened before. And when it comes out it will be low-qualiy and will not do half the things they announced beforehand.
Vista is the most recent example, the '90's is full of MS anouncing something just so their competitors would cancel their actual product while MS doesn't release anything at all.
deleted 9 Jun 2009 11:53
6/7
OptimusP wrote:

And as I replied allready, Natal is not accurate enough to do half those things, and your application will just complicate gaming even more and make it crash and burn. Then what?


And you know this how? because you have used it or more likely you fanboyism is blinding your common sense, all reports of hands on from critics show its very very accurate.

OptimusP wrote:
Besides, the chance of Natal coming out...ever...is extremely slim.


WTF!! i think its a certainty its gonna be coming out, the fact devs will have this in their hands over the next few months.

OptimusP wrote:
It follows all the properties of a Microsoft product very quickly made to blow smoke and mirrors so they seem to be working on it but actually aren't. And yes they will spend a lot of money to convince everyone otherwise but this has happened before. And when it comes out it will be low-qualiy and will not do half the things they announced beforehand.
Vista is the most recent example, the '90's is full of MS anouncing something just so their competitors would cancel their actual product while MS doesn't release anything at all.


Ahhh the Vista debate, lol and you might not of noticed it isnt the 90`s anymore and MS has real competition, they cant work like they used to, your argument is just a ball of b******s, give one real reason why it cant or wont work, one thats actually valid and not based on your opinion of a 2 min video!!
OptimusP 9 Jun 2009 12:25
7/7
haritori wrote:

Ahhh the Vista debate, lol and you might not of noticed it isnt the 90`s anymore and MS has real competition, they cant work like they used to, your argument is just a ball of b******s, give one real reason why it cant or wont work, one thats actually valid and not based on your opinion of a 2 min video!!

So why would I give you a good reason if you're doing the same thing you're accusing me from? Really, can you get more hypocrite. You said the it is more accurate then the WiiMotion PLus based on nothing, I used actual basic physics to say they never can be. And there are also impressions out there that do say there are delays and problems with accuracy. And that Milo thing was far more scripted and guided then anything else.

And yes this is not the 90's anymore, but that's not even the point, no argument. It's not that it's not the 90's that MS doesn't keep doing it. They are, Vista did not deliver on what MS promised (perfect backwards compatiblity with Xp including Directx 10 for example), they announced a huge bookscanning effort as with Google, but they pulled the plug on it. That huge table-touchscreen thing has been in development many many years, still no release date. Promises and that will come soon and such, sure, but nothing concrete...sounds awful similiar.

Offcourse this doesn't work anymore because MS now faces competitors (Apple, Google, Nintendo) that will muster trough, whatever smoke MS spills out. But MS itself keeps using the smoke and mirror tactics because it is practically ingrained into their processes. It's how they operate. It's like How Nintendo is so stingy even if it could be better not to be, it is ingrained into their processes and values. The HUGE hyperboling around Natal combined that MS didn't announce any game prove it. It Natal really was such a big deal, they would have said they're big franchises would use it from the bat. They didn't...so it's all smoke and mirrors and the chance of it ever coming out gets very slim.

But why do it? Simple, to keep Sony ramping up the costs. The entire Xbox-project is initially aimed at trowing Sony out of the game-industry because the Playstation line was becoming a threat to Microsoft's OS-bussiness (gamedevelopers switching over to open API's instead of windows). Microsoft always reacts incredible agressive when their OS-bussiness comes under threat (the lowering of the price for WinXP aimed at preventing Linux to take over Notebooks, Windows Mobile ect.). Natal is not a reaction to the Wiimote Plus, they are a year too late for that. It is aimed at the PS3 wands.

The smoke spilling will not be stopped by this though. They'll keep saying how great it can be...potentially...will not give a concrete price or date and you'll see some third parties talking about it, but on financial summits they will not say one word about investing in it.
Posting of new comments is now locked for this page.