Gaming with full deployment.

Tough competition for Nintendo's Wii: Microsoft presents a new way to control video games and interact with them. Without a controller, without a keyboard, just with gestures, facial expression and voice. The professional world is fascinated - ONLINE blogs has tried the system.

 

Los Angeles - wedeling, kick, throw, gesticulate, grimaces cut: Microsoft wants to ensure that video games will be operated very differently than with analog joysticks, and many colorful buttons. In an industry where every small step, every new game with words such as revolutionary, visionary, or at least stunning behängt is also historically the word with caution. If it is on the E3 video game trade show falls, you should still be cautious. Because this is a place where superlatives with gegeizt will not.

That is why we tried to do something with the shoulders to twitch when Chris Lewis, chief of the Europe-Entertainment Division of Microsoft, from a historic step speaks of the "Natal Project" will be made. But this is probably true.

"Project Natal" is a new technology, accessories for the Xbox 360 And the can, the idea is when you try it to create something that not only the world of video games could fundamentally change. The technology allows new ways of interacting with the console from which you previously could only dream of. One could also say: You think innovations like Sony's EyeToy camera and furious successful Nintendo Wii console is consistently - and raises them to a new level.

The system detects the movements of the skeleton

"Project Natal" is a technique for the controller to be superfluous, the only boundary between game players and the surface of the screen can be - and even the sometimes seemingly disappears. It is the controller that eliminates the controller: a small box in which a camera, microphones and a sensor plug. With this sensor, the console, any person who enters it, to clearly identify.

And not only on the face. It recognizes different voices, the size and body size measure, and yet this makes the things in the cinema today, often as a technique is used: Motion Capturing. It detects movement by means of displacements of the bones. It scans the skeleton and translates these movements to the screen immediately. And not just two, but in the whole depth of the room.

There are also programs that can recognize emotions. Based on the facial expression to know whether the player rather sad or cheerful looks and recognizes the same emotion in his voice. It detects whether Jokes tears or sad story.

During the presentation in a hotel room away from the show will quickly realize how amazing the new technology really is. Without the device in hand, we are in front of the TV and can influence what is happening yet. Through the movement of hands, legs or face, by voice or gestures.

Once in one of the games shown a ball on a zugeflogen comes, can I propose with the hand or on the other hand, it occurs. Shoot with the ball slowly destroy a wall, until it finally won. After a few moments you are in the room and no longer remembers that one stares at a screen. The ball, which served on the screen, is in the imagination actually exists. Man turns his head to the side when it comes to him zugeflogen, rotates the leg to make it easy to catch and protects the soft parts with his hands when he served in dangerous height comes.

More than a Gimmick

"Only with the help of one's own life experience to control," says one of the developers and establishes a racing one. "Burnout", a fast game, good reactions and the willingness to spectacular crashes requires. The developers have modified it slightly. Actually is "burnout" with the controller played by pressing a gas or slowed, with a small joystick steering.

Now, the whole body: the foot in front - gas, walk back - slow down. The hands hold the body, as if you have a steering wheel in his hand and would steer. The Surprising: It works. And so intuitive that you be a flawless round of lies down. Up here, however, is "Project Natal" little more than a gimmick, a beautiful and well-functioning, but basically superfluous control variant, which differs from the competition at first glance hardly differs.

What a difference to the traditional game controller really makes clear, is called "Milo" and is a short excerpt from a game, the legend developer Peter Molyneux is currently developed. Milo is a small boy, who responded, if you look at the TV is approaching. He talks with us, looks after us when we in the room and go off and remember, if we look sad or happy. He asks what is going on, tries to bring us.

Then he asks us to do things. Throws Us a mask, which we unconsciously "catch" or at least try. Moreover he is pleased and invites us to take it up with your fingers to form circles, she holds in front of the eyes, plays "mask". Now we are approaching a pond, a water surface and see fish in the water and its mirror image. Once you close with your hands, blurred the water surface. You play in the water, away fish and destroyed the mirror image. It surprised quite a regular: The hands are not wet.

"Project Natal" works now - and answered some dreams of video gamers and Star Trek fans. It is the first step on the holodeck in a truly virtual world. The most beautiful in this technique is: it no longer plays with the controller, but with the game.