At last, we've felt Sony's long awaited motion controller, now at last officially known as "PlayStation Move," in our unworthy, sweaty hands. We have a bunch of videos on the way, but for now you can revel in our first close-ups of the controllers in the gallery below. Here are some of our initial thoughts:
The controllers are light. Much more akin to the DualShock3 than the Wiimote in heft, and we're guessing that's due to Sony's continued love of rechargeable batteries.
The main controller does have some subtle vibration (not DualShock or Wiimote level, but present), but we're not sure yet about the subcontroller.
We hate to say this about "pre-alpha" software, but we're feeling lag. An on-rails shooter we tried out, dubbed The Shoot, was discernibly inferior to shooting experiences we've had on the Wii, both in precision and refresh rate of the aiming cursor.
The gladiator game is about as fun as it looks, we'll have video after the break momentarily. Unfortunately, while it's less of a defined experience than something like the sword game on Wii Sports Resort, you're still working through a library of sensed, pre-defined actions instead of a true 1:1 fighting game with simulated physics. Not that it isn't possible with PlayStation Move, just that it's not this.
The lightness of the controllers means we might be feeling less of that Wiimote fatigue, always a good thing! There's an aspect of the controller that feels a little cheap, but at the same time we wouldn't call it fragile.
As far as we can tell, the control scheme for Socom 4 is quite similar to dual-controller shooter setups on the Wii, with the camera moving based on your aiming cursor hitting the edge. It's hard to see this as the preferred hardcore setup, but we're told it's configurable, so we'll try and see what else is on offer.
The system seemed to have a bit of trouble understanding the configuration of our body in a swordfighting stance: even though we selected "left handed," it was putting our sword arm forward instead of our shield. Right-handers didn't seem to have similar problems, and we're sure this will be ironed out in time, but it certainly shows that the controllers aren't magical in their space-detection prowess.
As would be expected, you're supposed to stand relatively center on the TV, and at a certain optimal distance. The system is forgiving, but there's a sweet spot that users will undoubtedly have to learn.
Lag is less prominent on Socom 4, and we'd say we're pretty accurate with the controller already, though the framerate choppiness of this pre-alpha build obviously hampers that a bit. We did get a slight feel of being in "scene to scene" shootouts instead of a free-roaming FPS, perhaps a design choice to mitigate the limited camera movement offered by the controller, but we'll have to see more levels to know for sure.
Videos in the link. I'm pretty meh to this and I think I'll be meh to Natal as well. Neither really offers anything new that the Wii hasn't done. Why you would want to play Socom with it I don't know, you don't even do throwing action to chuck grenade?, what's the point?
I find it interesting that Sony has made their big reveal of this product - without a killer app to go along with it. I'll give Sony props for the accuracy of the technology, but achieving "1 to 1" motion control does not automatically translate into better playing games.
I watched most of the GDC press conference and saw the various games on display. I have almost no interest in playing any of those titles with motion controls. Even SOCOM 4 - as I watched the guy playing the game, I imagined having the Move controls in my hands and what the game would play like. Not seeing any big advantages there. Even if the accuracy is as good as they claim - I can't think of a non-gimmicky reason to play a traditional shooter like SOCOM with Move controls.
I can see where some sports game could benefit from this technology. As well as games interactive stories like Heavy Rain.
Overall, Sony seems more focused on expanding their customer range with this technolgy rather than serving their existing base. Thinking in terms of dollar signs, I can't fault them for that. Although as a gamer, it is a bit discouraging.
Also, the name - Sony Move - uhm ... not so great.
This post has been edited by Jellex: 11 March 2010 - 10:04 AM
Believe it or not, I know people that still don't have a Wii. With this- I'd say get a PS3 for bluray and better looking wii game style support. The wii and it's poor graphic engine, and SD res, and broken online and storage capacity (which seriously gimp the rockband/guitar hero games and DLC) really is a PASS for people that are curious about it- but have other systems. Natal and Move now seal the coffin on those still curious about this type of gameplay.
Gimmie casual sports like bowling, golf and tennis- NOW with good graphics, and robust online support and the WII is DEAD to me. (actually it already is, but that's besides the point)
I really want to be excited about Move, if for no other reason than not to seem like some anti-Sony fanboy. However, I'm just not. Sony did their premier of the product, with nothing there that said to the audience, you have to own this product. Outside of the use of the camera, which would be cool for more augmented reality features in games (like with that pet thing), there is nothing here that is not already being done on Wii. Ultimately, Playstation Move = Wiimote + WiiMotion Plus.
That said, the upside to Move, is there are some really good games on Wii now, that will translate over nicely to Move. And I think pretty much this is exactly what is going to happen; there are going to be a tremendous swell of Wii ports, to PS3. Of course the initial results are going to be meh, simply because they are ports, and will suffer graphically as a result, and the fact that 95% of the Wii library is complete shit. Then there is the matter that it is Playstation, so there is no Mario Galaxy and no Zelda and no Metroid Prime to really act as 'killer apps' for the peripheral. They showed LittleBigPlanet, but I was not even impressed with the platforming aspects of that, when it was on a standard controller. It looked even less impressive running on Move.
I'll probably wind up getting a Move, for no other reason than to get proper HD versions of No More Heroes and Red Steel ports that will come to PS3. But beyond that, Sony really are going to have their work cut out for them to provide something other than ports of the few good games on Wii, to draw the out the core gamers. And the price point (I heard $100), will likely prohibit casual gamers from leaving Wii, or even choosing PS3 + Move over Wii in the first place. That's a $400 investment. And while true, you get HD visuals and a blu-ray player as part of the price, that still may not be enough to sway the casuals that Sony is obviously targeting Move at.
Leaving Sony having to really kick it into gear to create compelling software to entice core gamers. And there was very little anywhere in sight at GDC outside of SOCOM, to even suggest that. And most core gamers, if given the choice to play an FPS with a controller or a wand, will likely chose the controller. The upswing here will be, if Sony ever figures out the price of the PS3 + Move is enough to put off casuals, they will do more to improve quality core games on the system, than Nintendo has on the Wii. So I'm thinking, give the Move about 12 to 24 months after launch (enough time for Sony to figure casuals won't justify the expenditure vs Wii, and redirect the bulk of their resources to pumping out core games that support Move in a meaningful way) to be truly good. And by that point, they will be producing the kinds of gaming experiences that Nintendo should have been fostering on Wii from the beginning.
So you do your research, you read up on everything important about the PS3's new Move controller, and you consider yourself well prepared for a future of wild merrymaking and multiplayer gaming parties. And then you find out you can't use four full sets of controllers with your console. As it turns out, the PS3's Bluetooth module is only fit to address up to seven wireless devices at a time, which poses something of a puzzler when you consider that you need a pair of Move controllers (or a Move plus a sub-controller) to get your money's worth and four times two is, well, a number greater than seven. Perturbed by this, Gizmodo contacted Sony for an official response and the news gets even worse:
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"Four PlayStation Move controllers can connect to a PS3 at one time (or two PlayStation Move Controllers and 2 PlayStation Move sub-controllers)."
That basically means you can have the full Move experience with only one friend, or you can share out the wands and have that tiny bit less fun with a quartet. Not a problem for the misanthropes out there -- or most people really -- but an important limitation to be aware of, nonetheless.
I think this will be a serious problem for Natal too if you have people sitting beside you. Will they pick up their movements too? But I agree w/ the sentiment that this seems more of a gimmick than a thought out and well strategized peripheral (like what Nintendo did w/ the Wii).
I think this will be a serious problem for Natal too if you have people sitting beside you. Will they pick up their movements too? But I agree w/ the sentiment that this seems more of a gimmick than a thought out and well strategized peripheral (like what Nintendo did w/ the Wii).
Natal's tech, even in the prototype, is supposed to be able to register up to five people at a time. That was something that was repeated several times by Microsoft execs and engineers at E3 last year. Even in the promo video, they showed a couple of scenarios where four to five people were playing simultaneously. Of course the promo vid is only a mock-up, but if the final spec delivers on the promise, then being able to play with all your friends who've come over for fun, should not be a problem. Of course none of that effects me, as I play alone mostly, when I'm not playing online. And I think the same is true for most adult gamers. However, adults with families, should be covered.
What is even more interesting about Natal, and something that hits closer to home for core gamers, is the ability to use up to four Xbox 360 controllers and Natal at the same time. I cannot currently imagine a game scenario where you would need that much input into a single game, however it's good to know the system can do it, if a game creator comes up with an idea of what to do with it.
Videos in the link. I'm pretty meh to this and I think I'll be meh to Natal as well. Neither really offers anything new that the Wii hasn't done. Why you would want to play Socom with it I don't know, you don't even do throwing action to chuck grenade?, what's the point?
Too much gimmick IMHO
To be fair , I think GameTrak were way before NCL. But Why would anyone want to play a game , when with the 360 or PS3 you have a perfectly good controller ? I don't mind a special controller being made for a pacific game (like GH) but hate the idea of these controllers, being used for all games and most games being forced to support them , more so after putting up with the sh8t games , and piss poor controls seen in 99% of Wii games
Both Natal and this are insults to gaming , and the only thing better with SONY offering, is you have a controller to hold (way overlooked aspect with Natal) .
The biggest barrier to gaming isn't controllers, the HIGH price of the games them self's. Better of SONY and MS put that right , instead of wasting millions in R&D on this sh8t .
"Sony did their premier of the product, with nothing there that said to the audience, you have to own this product."
Is this really a premier, or just the initial, first run, early on, unveiling? Did either Wii or Natal show anything more substantial at this point in their development? If bowling didn't work as well as it does as part of WiiSports, I doubt so many people would be as impressed with the system's control scheme, whether you consider that a killer app or not.
To be fair to Move, all WiiMotion Plus added was some extra precision to the Wiimote, it added no true 3d tracking. Yes the Wii CAN track the distance to the "sensor" bar, but since you have to point the remote at the bar for it to work, many games do not use this feature as it is far too unreliable.
Move will have proper positioning, it is basically what we all thought the Wii would do, but ultimately could not accomplish with the cheap tech Nintendo chose to use for it.
The good thing about Move is that it kinda forces Nintendo's hand to do something new to distinguish themselves again. They have grown complacent due to the Wii's success and they need a kick in the butt to be honest. Yes they are still making great games, but the decision to make Wii ED only was bad and not at least offer an HD version that plays the same games rendered at 1080p is baffling. I would buy one in a heartbeat having seen what games like Super Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros. Wii look like running on that emulator.
As for Move vs Natal, Natal is by far the more ambitious tech and if they can get it to work as precisely and lagfree as Move, Move will be outdated on release. I might have to see about getting to the Games Convention in Germany this year to check out Natal hands-on to see how well it works.
Team Andromeda, on 12 March 2010 - 11:31 AM, said:
To be fair , I think GameTrak were way before NCL. But Why would anyone want to play a game , when with the 360 or PS3 you have a perfectly good controller ? I don't mind a special controller being made for a pacific game (like GH) but hate the idea of these controllers, being used for all games and most games being forced to support them , more so after putting up with the sh8t games , and piss poor controls seen in 99% of Wii games
Both Natal and this are insults to gaming , and the only thing better with SONY offering, is you have a controller to hold (way overlooked aspect with Natal) .
The biggest barrier to gaming isn't controllers, the HIGH price of the games them self's. Better of SONY and MS put that right , instead of wasting millions in R&D on this sh8t .
Agreed!
As for the Natal supporting up to 5 players, that was my point. Say two blokes are playing, and 2 are watching, will it register the two watchers and have their movements interfere with what's happening? What if it's overlapping - say two in front standing and playing, two sitting back slightly behind watching? Or what happens when a third wants to jump in and play? Curious to see how they work it all out. I do also agree that a handheld "wand" is pretty useful.
"Sony did their premier of the product, with nothing there that said to the audience, you have to own this product."
Is this really a premier, or just the initial, first run, early on, unveiling? Did either Wii or Natal show anything more substantial at this point in their development? If bowling didn't work as well as it does as part of WiiSports, I doubt so many people would be as impressed with the system's control scheme, whether you consider that a killer app or not.
Red Ronin
How soon we forget about E3 2009. Move's initial, first run, early on, unveiling, was at E3 2009. Where much like Natal's initial, first run, early on, unveiling at the same show, displayed largely proof of concept rough drafts, and tech demos - no real products running on the Move peripheral. Where this contrasts with GDC 2010, is that at GDC, Sony had a bevy or real games playing on Move. Not just at their keynote, but also on the show floor for anyone to pick up and play. You do not put prototype product in an uncontrolled environment, like the show floor of a trade show for the world to much about with. In every regards, GDC 2010 was Move's proper coming out party. And as I stated, for a coming out party, there simply was nothing there that impressed - and certainly nothing that screamed to gamers, you have got to buy a Move the day it comes out.
By contrast, Nintendo initially unveiled the Wiimote at TGS 2005 in concept video form only. The Wiimote's coming out party was at E3 2006, where Nintendo had real games, the likes of WiiSports, Super Mario Galaxy and Zelda: Twilight Princess on display on the show floor for the whole world to try out for themselves and pass judgment on the finished product and it's games. Needless to say, possibly all the thunder has been taken out of Move's coming out party, over four years ago when Nintendo did it with Wii. That is the coming out party that everyone else who wants to sell motion controls is going to have to beat. And so far, what Sony has to show off, of the finished Move running software, simply are not doing it.
Three of Nineteen, on 14 March 2010 - 08:24 AM, said:
To be fair to Move, all WiiMotion Plus added was some extra precision to the Wiimote, it added no true 3d tracking. Yes the Wii CAN track the distance to the "sensor" bar, but since you have to point the remote at the bar for it to work, many games do not use this feature as it is far too unreliable.
Move will have proper positioning, it is basically what we all thought the Wii would do, but ultimately could not accomplish with the cheap tech Nintendo chose to use for it.
Dude, it's the same thing, just in reverse. People forget relatively quickly, that the Wiimote is a camera. In the tip of every Wiimote, is an infrared camera that senses the motion relative to an infrared light source - in this case, the sensor bar. This is exactly no different than what Sony has done with Move, only the positions have been switched. WiiMotion Plus, adds extra accelerometers to give the WiiMote true 1-to-1 movement tracking. Again, this can be found in the Move. The only thing Sony did differently, was take a page from Johnny Lee's playbook (see the video below), and swap the positions of the camera and the reference light source. The higher resolution of the EyeToy camera is what gives the wand part of the Move, it's greater accuracy vs. Wiimote. But at the end of the day, these are one and the same device. Sony can spin it any way they like, but that does not change that fact. The only significant advantage that Move displays beyond WiiMotion Plus, is the ability to use augmented reality in games - having a full color camera does that. Nintendo will likely kick themselves for not thinking of that when developing the Wii.
Three of Nineteen, on 14 March 2010 - 08:24 AM, said:
The good thing about Move is that it kinda forces Nintendo's hand to do something new to distinguish themselves again. They have grown complacent due to the Wii's success and they need a kick in the butt to be honest. Yes they are still making great games, but the decision to make Wii ED only was bad and not at least offer an HD version that plays the same games rendered at 1080p is baffling. I would buy one in a heartbeat having seen what games like Super Mario Galaxy and New Super Mario Bros. Wii look like running on that emulator.
As much as I would like to believe this would force Nintendo's hand, I do not believe that it does. Nintendo knows it's audience. Core gamers do not really care for Wii. Meanwhile, the price of admission for casuals to purchase into Move, is in the $400 price range ($100 for Move + $300 for PS3 Slim). Even with a price drop, the ball is still firmly in Nintendo's court. Natal faces the same uphill battle against Wii. Assuming a $100 price tag for Natal, then $300 is the minimum investment . . . maybe $250 with a price drop. Wii is already at $200, and will likely integrate WiiMotion Plus into future versions of Wiimote. Factor in a fall price drop from Nintendo, and you may still have a $100 difference between the various platforms. Move at $350, Natal at $250 ($350 with harddrive) and Wii at $150. It's still a huge advantage for Nintendo, and reason enough to continue to make it the most successful motion control console this gen.
I'd love to think that Move and Natal would hand Nintendo's ass to them. But in a more realistic world, I'd be much more happy to see Natal and Move prove themselves as a genuine controller that core gamers can get behind and support.
Three of Nineteen, on 14 March 2010 - 08:24 AM, said:
As for Move vs Natal, Natal is by far the more ambitious tech and if they can get it to work as precisely and lagfree as Move, Move will be outdated on release. I might have to see about getting to the Games Convention in Germany this year to check out Natal hands-on to see how well it works.
Molyneux states that lag is no longer an issue in the most recent iterations of Natal, but since most of the game industry love to hate on Molyneux, why take his word for it. Even so, were Natal never to conquer the lag issue, or become as precise as Move (something that can be accomplished simply by increasing the resolution of Natal's cameras), I am now, and have always been a firm believer that it all comes down to software - it is the #1 reason I have refused to write off motion controls altogether.
Good game software, especially where consoles have been concerned, has always been about turning the disadvantages of the hardware, into advantages via software. Whether that is new APIs, new tools, or just resourceful programmers making the best of a limited situation, the rule has remained the same for most of the history of video game consoles. Wiimote, Move and Natal should not change that. Where the problem has come with motion control to date, is very few developers have the imagination, skill or language to define games that take advantage of the situation. Part of the reason for this, has been three generations (since PS1) of developers constantly getting more and more of what they want on the hardware front, and having to work less and less to figure out how to bend their own minds around the limitations in hardware. When you think about it, for the first time ever, we have an entire generation of game developers, who were weened at university on consoles that gave them everything they could want right out of the box. Gone are the days of limited cart space. Gone are the days of limited processing power. Gone are the days of limited color palettes . . . so on and so forth. And gone with that, are the days when console developers could actually figure their way out of a box.
Throw in something completely foreign like a motion controller, and instead of being an asset to most developers, it becomes the biggest hurdle the industry has faced. So most, and my most I mean around 99% of all motion based games, turn out to be ass. We've seen endless waves of ass on Wii, and at GDC, we saw the very first wave of ass on Playstation. And it is not as if you cannot make awesome games motion controllers. Anyone who has ever sat down WiiSports, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Resident Evil Wii, Okami Wii, No More Heroes, etc., will tell you, awesome games are possible with motion control. And if they are possible with one motion controller, then they are going to be possible with others. Where Microsoft is going to have to succeed at the most, more than any technological aspect like reducing lag or increasing precision, to truly set Natal beyond the rest of the pack, is to take near complete control the software output for Natal. Allow no ports from Wii or Move, distribute the latest APIs and libraries freely - so when one developer figures out how to solve a problem, the entire Natal development community gets access to those solutions (etc.), and generally manage the overall quality of software titles released to the platform (ie. zero tolerance on shovelware). If they can manage that, even with certain hardware limitations at play, Natal as a platform, would be light years better than Wii or Move. For that matter, if Sony adopted a similar stance with Move, they could completely crush the Wii (in terms of software). However, if their showing at GDC is anything to go by, it would appear Sony is happy to go directly after Nintendo's demographic, using many of Nintendo's own strategies - allowing shovelware on the Move platform, being one of the key strategies.
If either one of these companies could simply figure out that fewer games of higher quality, is far better to have than oodles of junk, then we may be in good shape. I guess time will tell that tale.
Actually, the more I think about it- the more I feel Move may have better potential than Natal (depending largely on price point)
The good thing is you only need 1 Natal unit- Move, you need 1 wand and optional nunchuck (secondary device) for what $50-60 per player? The benefit is having an analog stick, multiple buttons, and motion. Natal you have JUST MOTION- unless someone cooks up a game using motion while you hold a 360 controller(shudder).
I played EA's Grand Slam tennis and Tiger's golf- I returned both after a month or so. The poor graphics (compared to modern systems) lack of inter game save. (I can't play 18holes of golf in 1 sitting) and terrible Wii online play killed it for me.
Now while I can imagine Tennis and Golf on Natal, I can't imagine Playing resident evil 5 on it... but I can imagine it on MOVE. Here's where it gets interesting- if 3rd parties decide to support MOVE as an OPTIONAL controller setup rather than REQUIRED in some cases (such as Socom or in an EA sports game) NOW you've got the power of choice. But if you have Tiger golf for PS3 on controllers AND Tiger Golf for MOVE exclusively- you've just splintered your userbase- NOT WISE. Wii has proven this can be a platform- but PS3 and Xbox - these are PREPHERIALS- and need to be treated as such- just like support for a racing wheel in a racing game.
Yes, I do expect Move exclusive titles like some of the ones shown, but to appeal to the hardcore, I think supporting regular games w/ an alternate yet fun control scheme only adds to the new controllers' success. Tekken MOVE would probably be dumb... but Tekken Natal might be interesting.
Not everyone would enjoy playing Lost Planet 2 w/ Move- but if it's an option- it might help to move sales of LP2 to a certain audience, and could help selling MOVE to others that were previously only expecting cooking mama titles. Meanwhile, I don't see how LP2 could feature a Natal compatible control scheme.
This post has been edited by whippingboy: 15 March 2010 - 04:54 PM
where Nintendo had real games, the likes of WiiSports, Super Mario Galaxy and Zelda: Twilight Princess on display on the show floor for the whole world to try out for themselves
2 Games which had nothing more than tacked on controls .
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Molyneux states that lag is no longer an issue in the most recent iterations of Natal
Let's be real here , He wouldn't come out and say anything less . You go on about real games , people playing real games . So far , when MS isn't showing off bullcrap PR trailers , Lag as been an issue as seen by watching the like of Jonathan Ross playing NATAL , its also been confirmed by developers such has Travelers Tails , Codemasters (how to be fair , aren't really impressed with Move either)
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Anyone who has ever sat down WiiSports, Super Mario Galaxy, Metroid Prime 3, Resident Evil Wii, Okami Wii, No More Heroes, etc., will tell you, awesome games are possible with motion control
You asked ?. Has someone that owns and played all those games, in question. I can honestly Mario, Prime , RE would be better with a normal pad. Okami is a game that vastly overrated for starters , but plays no better onthe Wii . No More Heroe is fun , but not really the best game for motion control . Out of all them , only Wii Sports really benefits for the controls. For me gaming for longs periods of time with motion controls is not the Future , but more of a hindrances .
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Gone are the days of limited cart space. Gone are the days of limited processing power. Gone are the days of limited color palettes . . . so on and so forth. And gone with that, are the days when console developers could actually figure their way out of a box.
I don't agree with that at all . Space is still an issue , more so for Main RAM in consoles , but also on Disc too . CPU power is still an massive issue , you have a look at most games with a lot of physics and NCG characters and see frame-rates hit the floor , even screen Res is a problem for quite a lot of games .
Face it NATAL is a joke , because one as nothing psychical, to hold on too, or interactive with .
What next playing Gun games , With making a Gun same with both your hands and simulating Gun recoil, and making silly sound effects , to shot the Gun in game ? (something that 3 years old may do) . Playing a Archery game , would be a joke on NATAL , in fact playing most games will be a joke , given that you've got no buttons and nothing physical to hold on too. Air gaming just isn't the Future , people look prats trying to Air-Guitar, never mind Air gaming .
This post has been edited by Team Andromeda: 15 March 2010 - 10:51 PM
Team Andromeda, on 16 March 2010 - 06:49 AM, said:
You asked ?. Has someone that owns and played all those games, in question. I can honestly Mario, Prime , RE would be better with a normal pad. Okami is a game that vastly overrated for starters , but plays no better onthe Wii.
Got to agree here. In Okami you play as a wolf, so motion controls make very little sense as people simply do not move like wolves do! The calligraphy worked fine on an analogue stick on PS2, and isn't a big or critical enough part of the game to really benefit from the Wiimote. Same goes for Twilight Princess really. It is easier and quicker to perform actions on the GC version, but a lot of early Wii fans insist that the waggle makes it more immersive. Then when Link turns into a wolf, there's nothing intuitive about it at all.
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For me gaming for longs periods of time with motion controls is not the Future , but more of a hindrances.
I miss games that I can be done with in 10 minutes though, so I'm not too sad about physically tiring games if they are geared towards quick play. Forget holding up a plastic stick like a gun in front of my face for the several hours of a typical FPS session though. It may be light, but my own arms are hardly made of expanded polystyrene! I can barely aim straight towards the end of a 20 minute Virtua Cop game. Come to think of it, I haven't tried that for a long time. I should get some exercise, after I write this...
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Face it NATAL is a joke , because one as nothing psychical, to hold on too, or interactive with .
What next playing Gun games , With making a Gun same with both your hands and simulating Gun recoil, and making silly sound effects , to shot the Gun in game ? (something that 3 years old may do) . Playing a Archery game , would be a joke on NATAL , in fact playing most games will be a joke , given that you've got no buttons and nothing physical to hold on too. Air gaming just isn't the Future , people look prats trying to Air-Guitar, never mind Air gaming .
It'll initially look stupid and feel stupid. But I'm sure hammering away at buttons pretending to fight karate masters, play sports etc. looked just as pointless in the eyes of the non-gamer when this activity was less mainstream. The Wii's party games with Nintendo's heavy marketing has already gone a long way to make air-gaming seem less bizarre.
Importantly there's still the issue of head turning being a bit weird with a camera if we're still using monitors and TV screens that don't remain fixed to our field of vision. Movement is restricted by our room sizes. A shooter using Natal would certainly still be using a controller, probably the dual analogue standard one, with weapon-shaped bits of plastic being optional or bundled in special edtion packs. MS will probably have to come up with some rules about how to manufacture physical objects that Natal's development libraries can recognise. Something like a handgun with coloured protrusions to make measuring the angle of the barrel more precise could work.
I'd like to see some developers get more creative with their 3D deathmatch games and move away from guns though. There's melee attacks and throwing attacks, but perhaps this genre could do with more trap setting and diffusing, commanding AI minions, casting spells, or a greater reliance on stealth or speed. Otherwise soldier simulations at home will always be second-rate to laser tag and paintballing (I'd love to see a laser tag game which involves augmented reality sometime - best of both worlds).
The ideal physical controller for a gun game would have to provide walls to push your body against, vibrations though the floor when something approaches, some method of letting you feel the weight of anything you hold... I'll stop there as I realise that the list could get long. We're not anywhere near this point, so some things will have to remain abstract.
What I think Natal could be very good for, is use of cover in an FPS. Most games with a cover system have to make a guess as to what it is the player wants to do, sometimes leaving a character more or less exposed than what the player wants. Since Natal recognises full body motion, it should be able to do a better job of telling what a player's position is than Move or Wii could. It's been done before too, although somewhat simplified, with the Konami arcade game Police 911. Although, I do wonder why developers don't use an analogue trigger for crouching variable amounts. I guess it got in the way of the hopelessly restrictive keyboard-and-mouse-is-always-best mentality.
I hope MS add Natal functionality to XNA. The Indie developers don't play safe like the big publishers do, so it would be the quickest way to come up with inventive ways of using motion technology. Sadly Live Vision support hasn't been added, so it certainly can't be assumed that it will happen.
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