Project Natal is unlike anything Sony and Nintendo has to offer and will create what has “never been imagined or possible before,” says Microsoft’s Shane Kim.

Microsoft, along with Sony have been mocked for “copying” Nintendo by announcing a motion-sensing controller (though this one’s a camera) but Microsoft corporate vice president Shame Kim argues that what Project Natal offers is something completely that will revolutionize the industry.

“If we’d just come out with something that looks and feels like the Nintendo Wiimote, I think you could have fairly criticised us and said it was derivative. That’s not the path we wanted to go down.”

“We could have done that, but we wanted to reinvent the industry and revolutionise home entertainment. That’s what we will achieve with Project Natal,” Kim said added.

Although the approach to grabbing new customers echoes words said by Nintendo earlier. Kim said the goal will be to reach the millions of people who don’t own a console at all.

“The most important thing is this has nothing to do with Nintendo and Sony. This has everything to do with unlocking the potential of the industry and addressing the many millions of people – the 60 per cent of house holds who don’t have a videogame console at all. That’s the real opportunity for us.”

One advantage over the Wii controls will be the ability for users to use their whole body in a way unseen on consoles (PlayStation Eye will have something to say about that), stressing the need for brand new experiences while making it easier for non-gamers to get gaming.

“The focus has to be in creating new experiences that have never been imagined or possible before,” offered Kim. “Our focus this E3 has been on breaking down barriers, those that prevent people from enjoying the vast wealth of everything that we have to offer on Xbox 360 and Xbox Live.”

Kim also believes Natal is a much welcome catalyst for internal development at Microsoft. For example concepts like Milo, the interactive character shown at E3 has inspired many at the company, not least Fable creator Peter Molyneux.

“I’ve never seen Peter (more excited and energised by anything like this since the initial Fable,” said Kim. “And now with Natal and Milo, you get a sense of what he thinks he’s capable of. And believe me, Peter wants to lead the way.

“He’s going to apply all of his experience, and it’s a great analogy for Microsoft Game Studios. All of those game skills can be applied now with a new canvas with Natal.”

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