Is Natal MS's way of preparing the ground for next gen?

[JaggedSac]

Squilliam said:

NJ5 said:

. But if Natal has a mild or bad reception (which I see as a real possibility, especially since we don't even know anything about the software they'll make), it would be quite bad to launch a new console with a previously badly received major feature.

 

The point is that they must believe in it strongly or they would never take this risk. The fact that they are putting a good effort behind it does give it some assurance of success.

I agree that MS has a lot of faith and expectation in what they have created in Natal.  During the next generation MS will develop a machine that more completely melds the capabilities of their ecosystem.  Their next box will be usable with all the possible permutations of control: controller only, Natal + controller, Natal only.  This will allow for their core franchises to flourish but also allow for some creative motion control games for those who want that.  But they have created it for the time being to be an extension of the 360's life.

But for anyone to make any predictions on MS's plans, we must first see some software that they have launching for it.  We might get a look at this during GameFest, or at least see more of their Natal plans.