When you think of Microsoft, “cool” is probably the last thing you think of but they have really turned on the style for their new Xbox 360 controller. Available to the public for the first time, “Project Natal” will be bringing a more interactive experience to gamers with a unique and exciting control method. You will no longer have to use a controller in any way – your body movements will be picked up by a motion sensitive camera freeing every limb to flail away madly. The infra-red technology works by using depth gauges, microphones and the camera to build up a picture of your body, producing a wire-frame on screen to represent you. And this is no stick-man. Natal will plot up to 48 points on your body – heads, shoulders, knees and toes and more!

But thats not all – Natal will also recognise slight changes in your body shape, so when you lose all that weight after Christmas you won’t have to reset it – the system will shrink with you. When turned on in a room it will do a scan for warm bodies and if it doesn’t recognise a bodyshape will ask the “stranger” to create a profile. Spooky! Natal will also recognise vocal commands even to the extent of the tone of your voice. In a clear attempt to muscle in on the growing Wii market of casual gamers looking for something different and more physical, Microsoft look to have created something quite special.

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