Microsoft’s announcement of Project Natal has garnered more than a little press of late – and with good reason. The false exuberance of the participants in the video above notwithstanding (it does, indeed, smack at times of the Windows Launch Party Video), there is something quite intriguing about the notion of active gameplay sans the controller.
The response has been borderline effusive. This from Nicola Davies:
When the Wii entered our lives and living rooms, it completely transformed gaming into a rich and more social experience. Project Natal is another revolutionary development to the gaming industry. It starts to break down the barriers between generations (even more so than the Wii), and between gaming and entertainment.
Conspicuously absent from the video above, or the publicly-available documentation on Natal, are elements of tactile feedback that have been hallmarks of 2nd and 3rd generating gaming consoles. Whether the Dualshock or the Rumblepack, console controllers have enabled a level of sensory response (however primitive) that has transformed gameplay. Tactile elements have even permeated such casual gaming environments as casino slots.
In a space increasingly driven by sensory impact, it seems odd that this component of gameplay would be absent in the next-generation Microsoft console offering. Perhaps the next round of development will include elements of the sensory hologram described here.
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- Neoteny and Playfulness and Pretend