Nothing is wrong with the approach, I think. Natal has presented several paradigm shifts that have been inevitable and long coming: the removal of the divide between the physical world and the digital world. For starters, Microsoft presented Natal as being able to recognize real world objects, esp. facial recognition. The scanning in of the skateboard is a perfect example. People lead digital lives as well as physical ones, and we love it when the two become one.
Couple this with body-contact devices such as what Sony and Nintendo have presented, and we have a real opportunity bring accuracy as well as generality to the computer experience. If you want tactile sensation, then pick up the object. If you just want to choose a movie or try on a dress, then Natal is far more intuitive. The point isn't to throw away the controller, its to remove the seams between activities.
Games are about immersion, and I think the Natal paradigm has the oppertunity to really move interactive computing away from the screen. People shouldn't have to be "at the computer" or the TV screen to be able to interact with computers and use those resources. I should be able to stand at my oven and ask for information on my food, or say "set a timer for 10 minutes" without thinking about being at the computer. I should be able to use the resources seamlessly, as tools for enhancing life activities instead of being a goal in themselves.
Natal has a strong future, not only as a game play platform, but as the first of a category: immersive and intuitive computing interfaces. The next step for computing is to make it invisible, therefore making it eminently usable. The future of human-computer interaction lies in removing the boundaries between digital and human, so people use these tools without thinking, as part of their everyday lives.
No comments:
Post a Comment