Iwata Says No To Project Natal

Project Natal was announced to everyone's surprise at last year's E3. Well almost everyone's surprise. CVG reports that 3DV Systems (those behind Project Natal) showed a demo to Nintendo before Microsoft, back in 2007, but Satoru Iwata turned the technology down.

The primary reason for Iwata's reported snub of Natal is because he thought the technology was too expensive for Nintendo's standards. CVG's source said, "3DV showed off a camera that detected motion in 3D, and had voice recognition - but Iwata-San was unconvinced he could sell it at a Nintendo price point."

Citing the high price of such complex piece of technology, Iwata liked the technology, but did not believe it could be sold at a price point low enough to garner mass appeal. So much so in fact, Satoru Iwata feels Microsoft will either have to remove some of Natal's functionality, or sell it at a higher price. CVG's source went on to explain, "We remain unconvinced Natal will deliver on the more sophisticated elements of what Microsoft is promising at the price they're aiming for."

In support of their source, CVG mentions a previous rumor they reported on, claiming Microsoft had to remove some of Natal's hardware in an attempt to get it to the price point they desired.

Do you believe Project Natal has mass appeal? Would you have liked to see Project Natal on the Wii? Let us know down below.