Microsoft's Natal Needs 4 Meters/13 Feet of Space
Microsoft has revealed that those of you hoping to purchase the company's motion-sensing Natal peripheral will need 13 feet, or four meters, of space to play.
Anyone with a Wii will know that things like furniture, potted plants and dogs can get in the way of a really good game of golf, bowling or tennis. TechFlash cites Microsoft Natal team members as saying you'll need roughly 13 feet of space to play games.
TechFlash reports:
To be precise, you'll want to clear an area extending at least 4 meters (a little more than 13 feet) away from the television. That's the back edge of the space to be taken into account by the Natal sensors. In terms of width and height, the field of vision naturally expands as it moves from the Natal device to that back edge, ending up a little more than 4 meters wide and 2.7 meters high (about 8 feet, 10 inches).
One of the guys in our office pointed out that most homes in Asia don't have that kind of space in their living rooms and though I can't speak for all of Europe, most British and Irish living rooms don't have the space to snugly fit a BMW 3-series (nearly 15 feet long) in front of the telly. In fact, a lot of people living in apartments would be in the same boat.
Do you have the space for Natal? Let us know in the comments below!
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Considering I live in Ireland, I'll just play it outside in the rain.
I might be able to play it if I move my TV to the back wall and stand in the conservatory. If my neighbours looked outside they would wonder what the hell I was doing though!
I'm still going to pronounce it like my belly area. Nate-all.
Considering I live in Ireland, I'll just play it outside in the rain.
Considering I live in England, I'll just play it outside in the drizzle.
Considering I live in Ireland, I'll just play it outside in the rain.
It's pissing rain as we speak/type. Sigh.
Considering I live in Ireland I'll just go out for a pint
13 feet is no big deal for something like this. Considering how physically involving something like this is, I'd rather not be that close to an expensive entertainment setup (not the Xbox) - flying WiiMotes anyone?
I have this much space but I've got a large and annoying light fixture in the middle with glass panels on it (rented house so can't get rid of it.) I've already broken one glass panel with a Wii remote during a drunken game of bowling and cracked my head on the pointy bit on the bottom too many times to recall (even if my memory still worked after all the brain damage the thing has induced!)
I'm pretty sure those dimensions will be the limit of the sensor range, not the required minimum anyway.
Is it technically correct to say "4m of space" considering a metre is a 1 dimensional measurement? "Space" implies area at least, if not a full 3D volume.
What the hell is rain? It hasn't rained here for 3 months. Send us poor Aussies some of your drizzle will ya?
I think this might be a deal breaker for many people, including me. The way my living room is set, I have 12-13 feet, from wall to wall, not counting the couch or the fact that my TV is ~1 ft. from the wall, so I got only ~8 ft. left.
Also, considering the "optimal HDTV viewing distance", you would need at least a 55" TV ... I doubt they considered that. Couldn't they just shorten the distance using 2 cameras?
Considering I live in Canada, I would have the space to play it if I bought it, which I probably won't, eh.
What the hell is rain? It hasn't rained here for 3 months. Send us poor Aussies some of your drizzle will ya?
On Sunday, I went for a run thinking the rain would stop at some stage. An hour later, I was still running, it was still raining and I couldn't hear my audiobook because the wind was too loud. You don't want any of our weather, trust me.
I can't say for sure, but it sounds from the article like the 13 feet is the maximum distance of objects that are interpreted by the natal sensor. Although this conflicts with the "[atleast] 13 feet" bit of the article, it's possible techflash simply misinterpreted Microsoft's specs. From the nature of the technology i don't really a reason why a person 2m from the TV can't be interpreted just as well as someone 4m away.
but that's just me reverse engineering what appears to make sense.
Think about dorm rooms.... I see this being a big killer for the young adult market.
There goes 99% of the Japanese market...
Ask yourself "Do I really need that wall. I mean, aside from holding up that house, what does it really do?"
Think about dorm rooms.... I see this being a big killer for the young adult market.
Actually, it's perfect for college. Just set it up in the common room and invite the floor. Those that don't have large houses or common rooms though, yea... Remember though, MS is a US company and here in the states land outside the big cities is dirt cheap.
I can't say for sure, but it sounds from the article like the 13 feet is the maximum distance of objects that are interpreted by the natal sensor.
My thoughts exactly. The quoted blurb could be easily taken out of context. They could have been describing how to get the maximum benefit, not the minimum, as in: you need to clear at least 13 feet to get the maximum area for motion detection. I mean, really, how could a camera detect you 15 feet away, but not 10 or 5 feet away. Besides the concept demos we've seen of it working clearly show it working at very close range.
forget the move and the natal...
...gimme that 3DS though
i guess my living room has enough space, but i have seen my friend play games on his nintendo Wii and he looks like a douche, since he's huge, so not really looking forward to it
P.S oh yeah my 360 has the 3 red lights of death, MICROSHIT
"most homes in Asia don't have that kind of space in their living rooms"
Lets be honest, how many homes in Asia have an xbox 360 anyways? I think this is mostly meant for the North American market.
Here's my question - who here actually WANTS to control their games by jumping around like an idiot? Yes I do have a Wii, and its great for kids (who are often found jumping around like idiots) and the occasional sports game but as far as FPS and anything thats actually fun GET REAL this type of controller probably wouldn't even work for that with technology from 5 years in the future
So Natal is for the rich people that can afford a large play room. Because every other room (dinning room, living room, kitchen and bedrooms) in my home is occupied with furniture, and I suppose the homes of most people have couches, beds, tables and chairs that take up space.
So, Natal will miss a very large demographic (people living in small to medium apartments).
Maybe Microsoft is marketing for Sony and other TV manufacturers. Purchase those over 60" LCD TV. 2 meters away is the best viewing distance for 40" LCD TVs, so, you will need a TV of over 80"!
4 metres? Time to start looking for a new flat...
My room is 8.5 feet deep, and 25 feet wide. So it wouldn't work where I am now. (was 2 rooms, knocked down a wall on older house)
But if Natal is awesome, I will just move the Xbox to my living room which is 15 x 15 feet. Then again I have a couch, recliner, table, and a pullup bar in there. So basically I would need to move some stuff our or re-arrange, but I would be willing to. Video games pretty much trump all of my other needs lol.
for those on the Isles complaining about weather... it was 65F on friday with ample sun, and 38F on sat with snow and 25MPH constant winds. at least your weather is consistent.
And we moon people have neither rain, nor winds.
lol @ my 10'x10' room.
Considering I live in the U.S and I don't have healthcare. I hope I live long enough to play it at all
It will fit in my room if I put it in my closet.