Chasing down the heels of the Wii's motion capture technology, Microsoft hope to take this one better with Xbox 360 Project Natal. Announced during 2009's E3 meeting, this add-on accessory for the Xbox 360 is claimed to permit fully controller-free play with games, sensing movement and translating that as commands in the title.

Xbox 360 Project Natal is alleged to be released around the Q4 of 2010, and Microsoft hope that the hardware will become an integral part of all Xbox machines. They also say this revolutionary technology will stretch the lifespan of the 360 significantly, and is, for all intents and purposes, a next-gen accessory.

The accessory includes a depth array joined with an RGB camera, which hands the Xbox 360 Project Natal a 360 degree range of interpretation. The hardware is so cutting edge that even slight facial nuances can get retained and displayed on-screen. The depth of recognition can also be lengthened or reduced as the user wishes, with the possibility of picking up surrounding objects like tables or cupboards.

Along with movement, the Xbox 360 Project Natal also has the facility to interpret audio. The multi-array microphone included can be used to recognise audio and convert voice recognition on screen. These features blend to provide complete interactivity between user and videogame.

As the technology employed to create both Natal and the titles it will engage with is quite unique, Microsoft have stated that existing Xbox 360 titles probably won't support the accessory, and that a fresh set of titles are currently in progress. Some technical demos demonstrated at E3 included Space Invaders Extreme and Paint Party, a game in which sacks of paint are manipulated by the user to color surfaces.

Winter will tell as to if theXbox 360 Project Natal will cause the awe Microsoft are wanting. Whilst the specs arecertainly revolutionary and set to beat even the Wii's signature card, Microsoft should announce more fascinating games to gain heightened customer interest. With the right titles joined with it, theXbox 360 Project Natal might really be the future of gaming!