IndustryGamers - Informing the Games Industry

Interview: Softkinetic Establishes Development Studio for Motion Sensing Cameras

Posted September 22, 2009 by James Brightman

IG: What impact do you think Project Natal will have on this industry? Do you see gesture recognition and motion sensing one day replacing controllers?

MT: We believe it will have a tremendous, positive impact on the way people interact with not only games but also other digital content. We don’t see the technology as a replacement for traditional controllers but a technology that will enrich and complement what we have today.

Project Natal is a tremendous opportunity to start the era of gesture based interactions. It is a natural evolution for the video games; we’re still in the exploratory phase and game designers will progressively feel the new interface. The combination of traditional controllers and gestures will be fantastic.

IG: How many video game companies have licensed your technology for their upcoming Natal projects?

[Note: Softkinetic could not comment on this question at this time]

IG: What's your take on Sony's motion controller, which also uses a camera to track movements but is obviously not controller free?

MT: Sony is pushing the 2D camera technology quite far in combination with accessories. This is an excellent trend because it helps accelerate the adoption of gesture-based games and interfaces. 3D cameras will offer more advanced capabilities.

IG: Today's hardcore games can cost anywhere from $15-$30 million to develop, and that doesn't even factor in marketing costs. How expensive is it to make 3D gesture recognition games for something like Natal?

MT: It is not so much the cost of development that is the issue – it is more an issue of designing the proper, innovative, immersive gameplay experience. 3D gesture recognition in itself doesn’t make the cost higher.

As a matter of fact, we believe that the introduction of 3D gesture recognition represents a formidable opportunity for small, independent, agile studios, because what will make the difference to the public will indeed be the originality of the game concepts, the level of intuitiveness and immersion, etc.

James Brightman has been covering the games industry since 2003 and has been an avid gamer ever since the days of Atari and Intellivision. He was previously the EIC of GameDaily Biz.