Project Natal Will Arrive in 2010

Microsoft has confirmed that Project Natal, its motion tracking solution, will be available to gamers during the holiday season of 2010. The news came as part of the press conference that took place in Las Vegas, at the Consumer Electronics Show, which also included the reveal of a fresh social space and gaming service for the Xbox 360 and the PC called the Game Room.

Project Natal was first shown at the E3 trade show last year and Microsoft promised that it would revolutionize the way videogames are played on the Xbox 360. The system is made up of a camera that maps in 3D the room where the console is located and then uses specialized software to translate the movements of the player into input for the videogame being played.

Unlike with the system the Nintendo Wii has and that Sony plans to introduce for the PlayStation 3, there is no peripheral the gamer needs to hold in their hand or strap to their leg. Those who have experienced Project Natal in action are saying that the system feels natural even if a bit of lag is noticeable.

At the moment, Lionhead is known to be working on a videogame for Project Natal, which will probably arrive at the same time as the system itself. Other developers have talked about integrating motion control in their own projects but no official announcements have been made.

Microsoft also announced that Alan Wake would be getting downloadable content in the form of episodes, which will complement the story of the game, and again confirmed that the game would be released this spring. Steve Ballmer, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft, also confirmed that the Xbox 360 would be getting the ability to stream paid television content directly through the U-verse service offered by AT&T.