All you have to do is act Natal

A sneak preview of Microsoft’s Project Natal last week saw gaming guinea pigs (including me) getting their heads (and arms and legs) around the latest thing in motion control.

You see, the thing about Natal is that, unlike the Wii, you can use all of your body to play. To those used to simply waving a Wiimote around, being able to use all of your limbs to control a game is refreshing – but takes some getting used to. With only one mini-game on show (a ball- and block-based sport title), it’s hard to know what a gamechanger Natal will be. Talk of voice control and super-accurate fitness titles was, at this early stage, hot air rather than cold, hard gaming fact, but the freedom that ditching any controller brings shouldn’t be underestimated.