More amazing than Wii

"This is a pivotal moment that will carry with it a wave of change, the ripples of which will reach far beyond video games." STEVEN SPIELBERG

Unless it has a Wii-beating secret up its sleeve for this evening Nintendo will be nervous today after Microsoft's unveiling of no-controller-required gaming. This astonishing possibility requires an Xbox 360 console and a device currently code-named ‘Project Natal' (pronounced "nuh-tall") that sits beneath the TV. The latter is effectively a camera combined with a microphone and depth sensor, working its magic thanks to clever-clogs Microsoft software running on a custom processor.

As you will see in this video the results are astonishing, to the extent that Wii Sports now looks prehistoric. Whereas the Wii remote, currently the most impressive gadget around for gaming, crudely tracks the movement of one hand, Project Natal tracks a person's full body movement - individual fingers and all. You can enjoy some kung-fu, full-body shadow making, and giddy puzzle games using all that nature gave you. No batteries required, just quite a bit of stamina judging by the family in the video.

On top of all that, Project Natal can recognise your face and facial expressions. It can even detect emotions playing on your voice. This means you won't ever need to lift a finger to log-in to your personal profile, the Xbox 360 console will see who's standing or sitting before it and do that for you. Computer game characters will see and hear if you're feeling happy or sad. Imagine a game that judges your acting skills, let alone the usual dancing around and making funny poses. It seems corny to say, but the possibilities could be endless.

It was movie director Steven Spielberg who helped introduce Project Natal last night in Los Angeles, in itself a huge commendation for its potential. While we might get a little excited about Spielberg's popular Wii game "Boom Blox" coming to Xbox 360 now that motion-sensing gaming has come of age on Xbox 360, it's the non-gaming possibilities that we think will impress a much wider audience; the kind of audience that Nintendo has brilliantly recruited for its DS and Wii consoles.

Could Xbox 360 and Project Natal be the new Wii? Is this the future for family interaction with the living room telly full stop? We still don't know when Project Natal will arrive, but our hopes are for Christmas this year.