Kinect: Motion Control for the Xbox 360 Gets a Name

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The much-anticipated motion control system for Microsoft’s Xbox 360 gaming system got renamed as “Kinect” just prior to the start of the E3 conference in Los Angeles.

TIME’s Peter Ha is at E3 and went to the Microsoft event, getting a new scoop on the technology that was once dubbed Project Natal:

“At a fancy pre-E3 kickoff event, Microsoft officially unveiled Project Natal as Kinect with the help of Cirque Du Soleil. They not only renamed their controller free motion control system but they also revealed a catalog of titles that will launch with Kinect. The aptly named Video Chat feature was also shown off tonight that allows you to, you know, video chat with other 360 owners through the Kinect camera. And I was surprised to see the users able to swipe through the dashboard with just a flick of their hands.

But is it any different than what the Wii can do? The jury is still out on that one. And what about PlayStation Move? Evan and I have seen what Move is capable of and it just seems as though Microsoft is looking to one up Nintendo but not much more. We’ll likely find out more at Microsoft’s press conference.”

Read Peter’s full report on Techland.