Milo The Boy in Your TV

Project Natal is a rather advanced piece of XBOX 360 technology that has yet to see the light of day, at least fully. This is basically a new type of input for the game console that allows for motion input rather than using a controller. It also recognizes voice commands, making for a possibly amazing future as far as gaming goes.

Xbox Natal Milo is simply a young eight year old who will live in the Xbox. Without getting into all the technology, it's kind of like those old virtual pets. Obviously this is much more advanced then those would have ever been, but seeing it in action is a whole different story.

The voice recognition capabilities of Natal Project Milo are going to reshape how people play games. Even the recent demos have promoted this and tested how much this little boy actually knew. Basic tests revolved around asking for their name, then having Milo repeat back. While this isn't a huge innovation, the excitement comes from the boy not having a computerized voiceover. There is no shift in the audio and it's like talking to one of your friends.

Interaction with the environment is also above and beyond as you will be able to run your hand through a pool of water and watch it ripple. The harder you hit the water the larger the ripple, etc. Other types of interaction might involve you catching something that Milo has thrown at you. There are other actions to be performed as well, such as putting on a pair of goggles and of course many others that are too numerous to name.

You will also be able to converse with Milo, meaning that someday this could be present in other role playing games. Can you imagine playing something like Mass Effect with this sort of voice recognition system? A huge part of RPG's has been trying to convince NPC's in game of your intentions, and now your actual tone of voice might have something to do with your game progression.

Hopefully at some point we'll even be able to hold real conversations. It's possible that eventually the Xbox Natal Milo will be able to remember what you're saying to him and strike up a conversation down the road. Keep in mind we understand this won't replace actual friendship, but it will allow for a more entertaining game.

What it comes down to is this is just a fantastic piece of technology. If these types of innovations intrigue you, then you will want to pay close attention to what is happening in the near future. There isn't a release date yet, but most of this is due to the hopes of releasing Natal Project Milo at the same time. Until this obstacle is solved, we can only wait for Xbox Natal Milo to hit the market.