IS PROJECT NATAL FROM MICROSOFT THE DEATH NELL FOR NINTENDO Wii? OR WILL RIVAL SONY PLAYSTATION BEAT THEM BOTH?

Microsoft's announcement of Project Natal their new Xbox 360 full-body motion control device, was a clear challenge to Nintendo's Wii and was the major talk of the recent Electronic Entertainment Expo - or E3 2009. The buzz also focused not only on Microsoft's motion-sensing technology demoed during the announcement, but also on the motion-sensing technology announced by Sony at a seperate press conference. Microsoft’s Project Natal’s major selling point is full-body recognition and the promise of a controller-less game experience, while Sony’s PlayStation Eye-powered motion tech aims to turn a single controller into any virtual item imaginable (i.e. swords, tennis racquets, whips, whiskey bottle, etc.). The announcement from both parties has started a debate on which is better - and which has more weaknesses.

This assessment is obviously impossible to confirm until some impartial testing can be done. What’s perhaps more interesting about this whole ridiculously premature debate about technologies that are still years away from landing in living rooms is that Project Natal certainly does seem designed to out-casual the casual gaming genre Nintendo ushered in with the Wii, while Sony’s approach looks to be more “gamer-oriented,” as one analyst told Gamasutra earlier this week.

Again, it’s far too early to tell what the results will be when Sony and Microsoft eventually release their respective motion-sensing technologies, so for now, it looks like we’ll have to settle for premature potshots and unconfirmed tech assessments.

Lucky us.

Below is a slick video put together by the marketing department of Microsoft showcasing the application of their new technology - yet to be released: