The company unveiled "Project Natal", which uses a camera to track a user's movements via full skeletal mapping. It also recognizes voices and vocal commands.The technology obviates the need for a controller or remote device to enable a player for instance to drove a car in a game, interact with a character on screen or show pictures and information to other XBox 360 users over the internet.
Microsoft showed off the feature, an answer to the Nintendo Wii's motion-sensing remote and pressure-sensing balance board, at a news conference that kicked off the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo, or E3, this week in Los Angeles.
In recent years, Microsoft has added family-friendly features, including easy-to-play, arcade-style games and the ability to watch movies or TV shows on-demand via its Xbox Live online store.
Microsoft wouldn't say how much the camera and other sensors packaged with Natal would cost.In another prototype, a player can talk to a virtual character who picks up on the player's facial movements to detect emotion and converse based on what was said, as well as what may have been implied. The technology can also potentially recognize objects, such as a piece of paper, read what's on the paper and integrate the content into the game.
