Microsoft’s Project Natal Could Cost $200

I just read over on Mashable that Microsoft's Project Natal could cost the equivalent of almost $200, so for those of us here in the UK, that'll equate to, errr, £200 at the current exchange rate.

In all seriousness, I find the whole Project Natal thing intriguing. From the demonstrations it looked like quite a nice way to interact with a new breed of games. Certainly a step forward from the wiggle your Wii remote in any direction and it works. More of an intelligent way to move around a game and to perhaps have a sword fight with someone. It is due out really soon, but if the price is this high then they are onto a loser. I would have liked to see Natal as a £50 add-on if you are purchasing with a console, or a maximum of £79 as a standalone unit. At least that way it is within the reach of most gamers budget.

Of course Sony are trying their luck too, with their Move Motion and Navigation controllers. These are more like a direct take on the Wii controllers, but without the wire that you have connecting the two together. They certainly do look funky, I just hope that they work well and get some great game support.

So, it seems like game console manufacturers are not currently looking for the next level of hardware with improved graphics (well not telling us yet), rather they are trying to enhance their current consoles. It looks like an interesting time for gaming as we all get to try out these new control methods.