Natal? That's kids' stuff.

I was just listening to a podcast, and they were talking a little bit about the new motion technology by Sony and Microsoft. I was thinking: what's weird about this? Two or three years ago, Nintendo was talking about their motion technology, in the form of the Wii. Back then, I was still solely a console gamer, and I played mostly on the Gamecube, though I did have a PS2. I was excited about it, but I remember everyone else being very skeptical; the controller was just so different, how will this fit in, etc. I don't remember many people being all out excited, like many are now about the new stuff coming out.

So why are people so much more excited? To me, a fairly serious gamer, the Wii is mostly a flop. It's a win for Nintendo, since they've sold sooo many, but for the gamer, it doesn't do much. There are a few good games, mostly those made by Nintendo, standbys like Zelda and Mario Galaxy, that made very good use of the motion controls. Others, like Fire Emblem and Super Smash Bros. barely use the motion controls at all. But for the majority of the games I've seen for the Wii, the best descriptive word is "gimmicky". It pains me to say it, as a former Nintendo lover, but it's true. The Wii has become a console almost solely for casual gamers, something I don't really consider myself anymore. Nintendo aimed at a specific market, and that's what they got.

For me, the new ideas presented by Microsoft and Somy are no different. If possible, Project Natal is even more fake and gimmicky. If you think you look stupid waving a controller around, just wait until you're flailing your arms around like a drunkard on ice. Honestly, I think both companies are doing this for money. This is a concept that has already been proven to work. Cater to non-gamers and you open up a huge new market, all willing to spend ridiculous amounts on obnoxious peripherals. They are doing this because Nintendo is making money hand over fist and truth is, they're not making nearly as much as they want to. It shows just how much the business side of the industry has taken over: there are precious few companies who can do what they think is best for the GAME, rather than that which is best for the company. And still make money.

Now, this is not to say that this concept can't work. Perhaps game developers will actually make cool games for these new devices; I don't know. The precedent is, features like this produce lame games that let you pet some virtual puppy's head. I don't see any good shooters or RPGs coming for Project Natal. Virtual puppies are all well and good, but I don't see this as the future of gaming.