It has been a busy year for Microsoft with the company taking the wraps off a number of products including a revamped Hotmail, MS Office 2010 (with a web avatar to boot), Windows Phone 7, among others, but nothing – and we mean nothing – could have matched the interest levels that its presentation at Los Angeles yesterday generated. The reason was simple – Microsoft was finally showing the world Project Natal, a gaming system or controller that would let users play games without any sort of physical controller. A spectacular Cirque du Soleil production showed the world just what to expect later this year and also unveiled the official name for the system — Kinect for Xbox 360.In case you have been living on a non-gaming planet, Kinect is the official version of Project Natal, a controlling system that Microsoft had revealed last year in which the gamer can play a game without touching a controller and by just making movements (a camera tracks their movements). Seen by many as a swipe at Nintendo’s Wii and Sony’s Move (which might be getting an official name itself in a day or two), the system is completely compatible with all Xbox 360 consoles, saving users the need to invest in a new console. Judging from yesterday’s presentation, there can be no doubting the potential of Kinect, as it brings out the best of both PS3 and Wii – motion-sensitive gaming and high-definition, while doing away with the bulky controllers altogether. However, the real test is going to be the availability of titles and whether the likes of EA, Konami and Rockstar would prefer making titles for the Kinect or for the conventional Xbox 360.
Anyway, that is all food for speculation. As of now, Kinect has officially been unveiled. Now, let’s see what Sony and Nintendo come up with. For come up with something they shall. Heck, it is E3 week, after all.
