So Microsoft just announced something called Project Natal at their press conference which is basically an eye toy on crack combined with voice recognition software and the ability to scan real life objects.

In the worst case scenario this could end up just like the aforementioned eye toy: a little gadget that you can only use with some little minigames (like the 3D Breakout or the Godzilla-style town-wrecking-monster-game from the press conference) and get bored with after a few hours and after that only really use when friends who have never seen it before come over.

However I see some potential in it, because there really are some cool things that could be done with it, and not only in minigames but also in real games if they support natal as an option. And I cant stress option enough here: don't make it mandatory.
Let me give you a few examples of what I have in mind:

- The possibility to pick up on-screen objects and move them could be used in rpgs or games like RE5 to manage your inventory. Pick up the broadsword and drag it to your character to equip it or flick it away to drop it. I realize it's not necesarilly easier to manage it this way but hey it still might be pretty nice.

- The voice-recognition could be used in a lot of ways. Endwar showed that it can go wrong if you base a game entirely on that idea, but it could be a nice addition if you offer it as an option. Like simply announcing the weapon you want to equip in a shooter or the building you want to build in an rts instead of scroling through a whole menu to find what you are looking for.

Of course I don't know if it will even be possible for Natal to interact with future games that are not strictly designed for it, and I'm almost sure stuff like this won't happen, but I think this way it can be a nice addition to the gaming experience without being something totally seperate from the "old" way to interact with games.

I realize my examples might not be the best ones to describe the possibilities of Natal I have in mind, so why don't you come up with some ways Natal could improve core-gaming?