Robin Hoods Playground

Project Natal needs 13 feet of free space
Microsoft says we need four metres
By Adam Hartley


Microsoft has revealed that you will need 13 feet of free space in your lounge to properly play Project Natal games.

That's four metres. Of space in your lounge. Not taking into account sofas and coffee tables and bookcases and chairs and other encumberants that might get in the way of you pretending to play a virtual game of tennis on your TV.

If you need to visualise this, four metres is around the average length of a standard family saloon car. Which is, on average, more space than most Brits (and Japanese) have available in their living rooms.

Four metre rule

The latest finding on Natal's requirements comes directly from Techflash, which claims the 'four metre' comment was made at a press event led by Microsoft Xbox division's Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie.

"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," Techflash reports Mundie as saying.

"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)."

We don't know many Brits with that amount of free space in their lounges, particularly amongst city-dwellers. Also, Japanese gamers (admittedly not the fastest Xbox 360-adopting population in the world) have even less free space in their living rooms that their British counter-parts.

Could the space issue be an area in which Natal might fail to take hold in Europe and Japan? It would certainly seem strange if Microsoft has not taken this into account…

Damn, I know loads of people who are pretty excited for natal, and dont have anywhere near 4 meter's of empty space.

More then likely it will come out that it needs 13 square feet or 3.6' x 3.6' not 13' x 13'. There was probably a typo in the press release or the M$ rep misspoke because 169 square feet is ridiculous.

cant wait to get my hands on it

by Jim Reilly

March 24, 2010 - Microsoft has clarified comments made in a recent report about the amount of space required for Project Natal, the upcoming motion camera for Xbox 360, to work properly.

In a recent press visit to Microsoft's Redmond campus attended by news blog Tech Flash, the company stated players would need about 13 feet of clear space in front of their gaming television.

In a statement given to IGN, Microsoft says those comments were "misinterpreted" and ensured players Project Natal will be able to work effectively no matter the size of your gaming area.

"The comments recently about the play space for 'Project Natal' were misinterpreted. It is true that the 'Project Natal' sensor reads the configuration of your room and adjusts play space, as appropriate," the statement said.

"We know that living rooms come in all shapes and sizes, and have conducted numerous play tests to ensure everyone will be able to jump off the couch and into the fun when 'Project Natal' launches globally this holiday."

Microsoft plans to reveal the full lineup of Natal-based titles at this year's E3 in Los Angeles this June.

Source: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/107/1079611p1.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

3.6 squared isn't much bigger than a DDR pad. I think the Japs can find room.

Looking forward to E3 now.