Microsoft's Project Natal is a stunning achievement (we hope)

When the Nintendo Wii came out, I thought it was a good idea: get people off the couch and into the game.  And after finally having bought one this past weekend, I can say for sure that it's a lot of fun.  It's the first time that a game console has engaged the entire family.  My wife is enjoying the Wii Fit and my three year old loves the bowling game.

Of course, the only drawback to all of this is that you still need to have a controller (or two) in your hands to make your on-screen character move and react.  And if you're not holding onto them when you're boxing, chances are good that your fancy TV is going to be damaged when the nunchuk flies out of your hand.  This hasn't happened yet in our house, thankfully.

Not wanting to get left behind in the physical gaming world, Microsoft launched Project Natal on June 1st, and if the online demo is to be believed, it will be a quantum leap in the industry.  Using a sensor bar that will sit below your TV, it can detect people in the room, follow their bodily movements and use them to control on screen action.  It even uses facial recognition so that the game knows who you are when you step in front of the sensor.  All of this is done with no hardware controller in your hands or on your body anywhere.

Go check out their demo.  And then start saving your pennies.  This may be difficult to find when it launches and you'll want to pre-order if you can.