Higher Innovation
Project NATAL introduces controller-free games for XBOX 360. It’s a visual controller that uses a 3D camera to capture your body movements, facial recognition, and voice recognition. The new platform works with all current XBOX 360 consoles and will work with future XBOX platforms. Curriculum for student gaming has just hit a new inflection point!
Filmmaker Steve Spielberg has joined with Microsoft to support the release of Project NATAL. As he describes it, it is not about making a new wheel, “it’s about no wheel at all!” Project Natal introduces the gamer as the only controller. The software controls games and the XBOX dashboard with your voice or body gestures. The software uses facial recognition to login to your XBOX account.
Lionhead Studios president and creator of Fable I & II, Peter Molyneux demonstrated Milo using Project Natal. Milo is a digital character with seemingly artificial intelligence. Milo recognizes your voice, movements, and emotions. Milo can also take objects from the physical world into his digital domain.
The software reminds me a lot of Tom Cruise in Minority Report. Project Natal could also make learning and physical therapy more interactive by as developers step up to the challenge. The developer kits are being shipped now. So if you have a gaming curriculum program at your college or university. This is definitely something you need to add to your program. Besides, the developer software for students is free through DreamSpark!
Cameron Evans
Cameron Evans is the national technology officer and CTO for Microsoft Education. Follow @EDUCTO
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