As I stated before. Natal could be huge for PC applications, but I am not so sure about gaming

I think the mass market would be hard pressed to change to another console anytime soon. Microsoft would need a true killer app which is much better than anything available on the Wii to convert the mass market.

Given that Ubisoft is already making a Wii fitness program which uses a camera as well, and given that Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are going to be about as good as possible from the motion controls perspective, I think Microsoft is going to be hard pressed to find that killer app.

The real issues are price and product access.

If it costs too much to buy -- people won't.
If it costs too much to incorporate into games -- developers won't.
If people don't have it, developers won't make games for it.

This technology has a lot of potential. But it may be doomed to failure because of market forces. The best technology does not always succeed. And add-on video game peripherals usually don't do too well (just as Sega or third parties to the NES).

Mike from Morgantown

That sounds like some other console to me.

Well you can't compare a generic camera like that to Natal. Natal has depth, skeleton, facial, gender and voice recognition. With all these features new innovative software could be produced (probably by  Rare) which will be marketed by MS as the next killer app. What a killerapp really is, is of course subjective but as long as it gets casuals interested on a big scale, I doubt MS would care.

Technical features are much more advanced with Natal than with a simple camera of course, but will Microsoft be able to capitalize on that to make something which the mass market almost universally recognizes as a big deal? That's the question here, and it is at least far-fetched to expect that right now.

NJ5 is right. The key issue here is developing the killer app. If you have 1 piece of software that is incredibly easy to use and fun, things start falling like dominoes. What that killer app will be, I do not know. I know it will not be something like Ricochet(could be something, but a little more fleshed out and a little less flailing about), and it most likely will not be Milo. To be honest I would not have pegged WiiSports as that app either so perhaps I do not understand the pulse of the masses.

Price is most likely going to be $100 with some estimates as low as $50(Pachter) and some as high as $200(not sure where from, but lots of people quote it).

Developers have to find what makes a Natal app special only to Natal. I have described several game types that utilize your immediate area as basically a virtual 1:1 area. This requires a lot of room and probably would not be something the masses would enjoy but I would eat up.

Another issue I have seen is the slight amount of lag in the input. This is most likely going to be fixed, but it is currently there.

I agree, that is the big question. I guess we'll see E3 2010 lol, can't wait.

Casuals will not justify buying 2 gaming systems. Whatever the percentage of casual gamers that already own one game system is, that is the amount that will not be buying a 2nd system, especially in this economy.

Natal is a solid technology, but it was better off being well-polished for MS' next console. Mid-generation, its not going to attract a new market base, just cater to those who already own a 360.

 I can see where you're coming from, but let's not underestimate the amount of casuals out there. There have to be plenty that don't have a Wii yet and/or are more interested in Natal. It is after all a new way of playing. Saying it wont attract a new market at all is a bit short sighted.