14 DAY TRIAL // Come the 2010 holiday season, Xbox 360 will evolve with the introduction of a new interaction paradigm, originally unveiled almost a year ago at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. Project Natal is a step further in Microsoft’s vision of associating natural user interfaces with its software and hardware products, and will allow Xbox 360 gamers to interact with consoles using nothing more than motion, full-body gestures and objects. Project Natal is powered by edge 3-D-sensing technology from Tel Aviv-based PrimeSense. The Israeli company provides a range of solutions supporting 3-D-sensing and recognition, and has been tapped by Microsoft for “Project Natal” for Xbox 360 to come to fruition.
“We’ve seen tremendous excitement and anticipation for the arrival of ‘Project Natal’ this holiday,” Ilan Spillinger, vice president of Xbox 360 hardware, revealed. “PrimeSense has delivered an important component to the technology, helping us deliver revolutionary controller-free entertainment experiences in the living room.”
Microsoft already confirmed Natal availability for the 2010 holiday season, but there’s no precise GA deadline, at this point in time. Of course, the company still has quite a long way to go until it will release Project Natal to the public, and, on its way there, it’s bound to reveal additional details about the product.
“PrimeSense’s technology enables a paradigm shift in the way people interact with consumer electronic devices. The engagement with Xbox 360 establishes PrimeSense’s position as a leading supplier of 3-D-sensing technology,” Inon Beracha, chief executive officer, PrimeSense, added. “We are especially honored to have a partner like Microsoft that shares our vision for bringing innovative and engaging natural experiences to consumers.”
Neither Microsoft nor PrimeSense detailed the integration of the 3-D-sensing technology into Project Natal or the terms of their agreements. The two companies are expected to have some sort of exclusivity as far as the console gaming market is concerned, but neither would give any indications in this respect. At the same time, the financial terms of the deal were not made public.
“Xbox 360 Hardware Engineering teams developed the ‘Project Natal’ sensor based on the PrimeSensor reference design to support the special requirements of ‘Project Natal,’” Aviad Maizels, president and founder, PrimeSense, stated.