Xbox 360 Project Natal - Next Gen Technology

<p>I've said this before and I enjoy saying it, when it comes to innovating computer technology, video games has contributed more than any other industry in the business. It was because of video games that 3D models and sprites were developed and why there was a need to manufacture more advanced video and sound cards. Because there is a high demand for maximum hardware capacity to optimize gaming speed, better and faster motherboards, processors and RAM were built. Project Natal is Microsoft's latest advancement in the world of gaming and can potentially reinvent our interaction and experience with computers and software.</p><p>If you haven't heard of it then you should definitely take a look at this video and this other video. What most people, generally adults, don't like about video games is because they're for kids. Basically, we all have the pre-conceived notion that when we reach a certain age we should no longer play them because they belong to a younger generation and we have other things to do. Plus the fact that with all the new stuff coming out and all the different kinds of controllers, consoles have become more complicated than it has ever been.</p><p>Project Natal is a different approach. Yes, it is on Xbox 360 and yes it's a gaming console, but it wants to achieve more than that by catering to people outside of their target demographic. If anyone has seen the Steven Spielberg's movie Minority Report, they have this computer with no keyboard or mouse and no special keys to press; just you and the screen that gives you the freedom to touch and move and press whatever you like. The world was impressed and entertained with the introduction of the Nintendo Wii, but Project Natal should prove to be a greater world wide sensation.</p><p>You need a remote to play with the Wii, with the addition of Project Natal to Xbox 360, you'll only need to be able to know how to move. Project Natal has facial recognition, voice recognition and it recognizes every movement of your body. Microsoft engineers have made it so that your own voice can be distinguished from all the other noises in the room, even the background noise of people talking in the back. It can see the expression on your face and recognize sadness or happiness. One of the problems that I see with Project Natal is that it almost seems too good to be true.</p><p>I'm not saying that it can't do any of the things that it promises to do, but there can potentially be more problems to it than we expect it to have. Microsoft explains that Project Natal utilizes the world's first sensor to be a combination of an RGB camera, depth sensor, multi array microphone and a custom processor wrapped in one. It doesn't depend on the light to recognize your face and it doesn't just recognize key movements and words but it can actually understand what you're saying and doing. I certainly have doubts about its capacity to do all these things, but we're yet to find out.</p><p>Project Natal is said to have been based on a concept that the company has been working on for 20 years and technology has only recently caught up. With all the visionaries and the technological advancements that we've accomplished over the years, it won't be long before we realize that we're living in the future that we envisioned 10 or 20 years ago.</p><p>The author of this article <a target="_new" href="http://www.compbuzz.com" rel="nofollow">Jego Goldstein</a> is a Computer Analyst who has been testing and developing software for several years. He advocates the need for computer literacy in society and strives to make technology more user friendly. One of his latest projects is <a target="_new" href="http://www.mypctweaks.com" rel="nofollow">My PC Tweaks</a>, a comprehensive and easy to follow guide to understanding your computer.</p>