Microsoft Project Natal

Nintendo brought us the notion of playing games by waving a controller, but Microsoft showed off something even better this year: gaming with no controller at all. A prototype system dubbed Project Natal lets Xbox 360 games respond to anything from full-body lunges to subtle hand gestures, voice input and even facial expressions. Unlike the Wii, you don’t hold anything. Your movements and voice control the game.

The hardware component of the Natal system, which sits above or below the TV, includes a color video camera, an infrared emitter and sensor that give it depth perception, a mic that figures out where you are, and a microprocessor to crunch all that data. The software component is the true breakthrough, though, digesting data in real time from 48 points on the body plus audio input and delivering perfectly smooth game control. There are still lots of questions about Project Natal, including price and delivery dates, but Microsoft has clearly shown that for innovative gameplay, it has all the right moves.
xbox.com