Nintendo Reportedly Turned Down Natal Tech

The Wii remote control can be fun in its own right, but what Microsoft is attempting to do with the upcoming Project Natal camera is potentially even more intriguing - your entire body becomes the controller. Since the Wii audience was already accustomed to the idea of motion control, you'd think this might be the next logical step for the platform. Instead, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata passed on the idea, according to a report in CVG, which attributes the information to a "top insider."

Israeli firm 3DV Systems (which is not confirmed but highly suspected to be the firm behind Natal's tech) apparently showed an early demo of the camera motion-sensing technology to Iwata and other Nintendo executives at the end of 2007. Iwata was actually impressed but ultimately turned down the offer to use the technology because "Iwata-San only ever invests in something he can guarantee will work for a Nintendo audience."

The insider added, "3DV showed off a camera that detected motion in 3D, and had voice recognition - but Iwata-San was unconvinced he could sell it at a Nintendo price point. He also had some worries around latency during gameplay."

CVG's source also seems somewhat skeptical of Microsoft's grand promises for Natal. Iwata's pricing concerns and the recent removal of a chip from the camera may lend some credence to the fears about Natal's limitations. "Honestly - I've heard Iwata describe the prototype he saw at length, and it's definitely Natal," said the source. "What we witnessed at E3 was smaller and the facial [reading] stuff had improved, but it's the same technology. We remain unconvinced Natal will deliver on the more sophisticated elements of what Microsoft is promising at the price they're aiming for."

Natal is slated to launch this holiday season. Pricing has not yet been announced, but it's likely to fall in the range of $50 to $100. Phil Spencer, corporate vp at Microsoft Game Studios, recently acknowledged that Natal is "fraught with risk" and that it keeps him up at night.