Developer Opinions Mixed on Project Natal's Potential

In a recent interview with industry magazine Develop, Blitz Games Studios' Andrew Oliver expressed excitement about developing for Microsoft's upcoming hands-free gaming peripheral for the Xbox 360. He went so far as to exclaim, "Project Natal should bring entirely new genres to Xbox 360." He added, "Xbox 360 is undoubtedly a great console for hardcore gamers, but it's also clear there is a huge consumer-base for the Wii as well for those looking to get fit or play the more casual games."

Other developers, like Lightning Fish Games CEO Simon Prytherch, agree with Oliver's assertion about Natal making "new genres" of games possible and see Natal as the, "next step in the evolution of motion control."

Develop also reached out to other game developers to solicit their opinions on the untapped potential and possible pitfalls of creating games specifically for the new device, and discovered a similar number of Natal skeptics.

Andrew Smith of Proper Games noted that while he feels the concept of a hands-free controller is an interesting one, he's "just not convinced that people can enjoy the same range and fidelity of games as they do on the Wii without at least some physical connection to the experience." Smith also expressed concerns about the inherent risk of developing games for the unproven device, citing higher development costs coupled with the likelihood that the titles would need to be platform-exclusive.

Traditional gaming controllers are typically designed so that folks can economically achieve a whole host of in-game actions with very little physical effort or movement. Generally speaking, motion control schemes take the opposite approach, in many cases even attempting to achieve a 1:1 player-movement to on-screen-action ratio.

Freelance game designer Emmeline Dobson actually sees Natal as a step backwards when it comes to the core gaming experience. "I do not think that Natal will be enhancing core game genres soon, as players go to shooters, action games and racers for mechanics that deliver on fast reflexes and mental agility," she said, "and movement control is a step backwards from the reponse offered by our familiar joypads."

But these types of concerns haven't stopped developers like Capcom from working on a "gamer's game" for Natal. It will be interesting to see the games released when Project Natal comes out sometime during the 2010 holiday season. For now the mystery continues as though there are quite a few studios developing for the new platform, actual titles have yet to be announced.