When Nintendo first shown to the world, back in 2005, what their ideas of what gaming should be about, everyone in the world pointed and laughed in their faces. Claims that it would be "gimmicky" and that it was quickly dismissed by many gamers. However, fast forward a little bit and gamers, as well as developers, finally saw the potential of the strange little device.

Yet, even with people now warming up to the Wii remote, developers, gamers and publishers were uneasy by the trend Nintendo had suddenly taken. Of course, being rival companies, both Sony and Microsoft bashed Nintendo for their radical change in prospective. They were all like "we have better graphics so people will hate your console" (they were very child-like about it in my opinion), yet I'm sure that both companies knew Nintendo were on to something.

The Wii was finally released, and then the potential was finally realised, and Nintendo were rolling in the cash. Sony and Microsoft both wanted in.

Fast forward about 3 years and E3 2009 took place. Rumours had been flying around about the two other companies about the direction they would take in terms of gaming, and out of the two, Microsoft shocked crowds more than Sony did with their little stick.

Project Natal was finally announced and, to be quite honest, made the world stop and listen. The new premise was something new and exciting. It may of started out looking like Sony's Eye Toy, but it soon became apparent that it was so much more.

Microsoft demoed the new device using various tech demos, and it shown gamers a brand new dimension of gaming. The idea of the Wii remote to help immerse yourself in the game by doing the actions on screen in real -life, but Microsoft went even further: they made YOU part of the game.

To help break down why I believe (remember, this is my opinion) Project Natal will be better than the competitions, I've split it into 2 sections: "Project Natal Vs. The Wii Remote" and "Project Natal Vs. The PlayStation Motion Controller".

Yes, I know all three are very different in what they do and how they change the way that we play games, but I still think that Natal will better them all.

http://baxy-z.com/site_content.php?subaction=showfull&id=1255131517&archive=&start_from=&ucat=16&

I don't know enough about natal or the ps3 wand for that matter. From what I think I understand the wand in just like the wii remote. and natal is like the ps eye but instead you motions are in the game. I feel that natal is also better. but thats just my opinion.

I think Natal is great technology, but i highly doubt many developers will have the talent to make use of it in creative and effective ways.

It seems its oversimplification limits its uses superficially, and i don't think a lot of developers will see past it.

well, the PS3 wand really didn't wow as many people as Natal, I suspect it is because the wand is more akin to the Wiimote with infrared, whereas Natal is the Sony eyetoy on crack.

^ or more like it was more of a PR video it was easier to pass on by.
not many people see E3 show, they dont know about bam! there it's! or sony 1-1 tracking.
hype can be double eyed sword, will microsoft market it entire casual or try like sony implemented it to all games. ala RE 5 AV.

As we have seen in the bam there it is gif natal doesn't look too accurate. If they fix that then Natal will be great. As of now I'm more hyped for the sony wand because it really does look very accurate.

you have to remeber, what you saw was a demo. Natal is still a work in progress.

I just do not see how Natal will change anything, sorry but until I see more and better uses than already shown I do believe it is nothing more than an accessory and it will not be this console pusher as a lot of people seem to make it out to be.

When I saw the "fighting" demo for Natal I thought to myself - sorry that's just marketing. We as normal geek sloths will never be able to do a 12 phase combo.

I can see Natal working very well with certain applications maybe with less dexterous style sport actions such as baseball or tennis (say, much better than the Wii style, "I will now just use wrist flick actions since it is much more efficient and accurate").

I can't see Natal working well with fighting games or driving games. For driving games you need that tactile feel of a steering wheel in your hand. Holding your hands around an imaginary well and flicking an invisible gear shift? Nope! not I.

So yes, Natal will be great with certain applications and no doubt the imaginations of game designers will allow it to be used for things that I probably can't imagine. However, it is a niche style for controlling. The good old game pad is probably the most versatile design ever for games in general. It is the most adaptable.

Don't get me wrong, Natal will shine where it is applicable but it is in no way a complete replacement for the game controller.

I see the wand style motion controllers as more evolutionary and more versatile (not as versatile as a traditional game controller). I see Natal as a niche and if they (MS) continue to market it as being able to replace a traditional game controller for games like Tekken, DOA, or SFIV, then MS is sadly mistaken.

I like to be able to think I can see paradigm shifts happening in action but Natal is not going to suddenly endow me with the dexterity of Bruce Lee. The line between controller and person will forever be ridged.

While the tech of natal is cool, I don't see it as a system seller. I guess I'm not a fan of mation control.