Microsoft’s new Project Natal is set to hit the market for the holiday season 2010. Microsoft looks to compete with the wildly popular Nintendo Wii and in turn gain some of that crossover market that has made Nintendo so popular. It will be a challenging task to unseat a popular console like the Wii; however, Microsaft thinks they have developed the key to unlock the answer.
The Nintendo Wii has become so popular because they have been able to cross the boundaries between traditional videogame players and the casual users. Many people have bought a Wii that would never consider buying a traditional gaming console. Nintendo accomplish this by offering games that appeal to the masses such as bowling and baseball. They also capitalized on the fitness craze by developing the Wii fit.
Project Natal will have some differences that Microsoft hopes will give it an advantage over the Wii. The biggest difference between Project Natal and the Wii is the fact that the Natal will not require the player to use a controller. Microsoft’s technology utilizes a 3-D camera which picks up full body motion and translates that to the screen. In addition, the software will contain voice-recognition so the player will be able to communicate with the game and be recognized. They have also incorporated facial recognition. The game will recognize the player without any input from the individual themselves.
Whether or not Microsoft will be able to overtake the Wii is still in the air. The Wii has been phenomenally popular the last few years. This has given Nintendo a tremendous head start. Nintendo has done a great job of targeting their video game console to nontraditional purchasers. Many of these nontraditional gamers have already purchased a Nintendo Wii very recently and will more than likely not be in the market for a new console for many years.
Tags: nintendo wii, project natal, Wii