MS: 'No plans for 'Halo' Natal yet'

Microsoft Game Studios (MGS) has no plans to incorporate Natal technology into the Halo franchise at present, according to ODST producer Alex Cutting.

Speaking at the Electronic Entertainment Expo earlier this year, MGS head Phil Spencer revealed that developers Epic Games and Bungie are currently experimenting with the motion-sensing technology, but Cutting has warned the public not to expect to see it in the Halo series for some time.

"A lot of people are interested in what Natal's presence in Halo's going to be," he told Videogamer.com. "We are committing to only doing it when it makes sense. We are not going to produce a gimmicky feature that just takes advantage of motion controls when it doesn't feel right."

However, the producer did assert that Natal technology will compliment the first-person shooter (FPS) genre when it launches next year.

"I think FPS, there's a lot to be said for dual stick control," he added. "But, you know, before dual sticks came around and before Halo: Combat Evolved established it on a console, people were pretty doubtful about that, that it could ever move from keyboard and mouse. So we've seen it already form one control scheme to another. I'm not going to bet against Natal. It's a powerful technology."

Halo 3: ODST launches on September 22. An official release date for Project Natal is yet to be confirmed.