If you haven’t heard already Microsoft announced this past Tuesday the launch of their newest Xbox 360 S model and the long awaited motion capture device Kinect, formerly Natal. Following suit of Sony they have trimmed down the system for a slimmer and sleeker looking console. Some of the new features include a smaller 45nm processor, integrated 2.4GHz 802.11n WiFi, 5 USB ports (2 front, 3 back), custom Kinect port, and a larger 250 GB removable hard drive. Check out the full details and pictures after the break.

If you’ve heard about Microsoft’s project Natal, then its about time you heard the name PrimeSense. They’re the company who is responsible for the inner workings of Microsoft’s 3D motion controller. Direct from PrinSense’s website:

The PrimeSensor Reference Design is a low-cost, plug and play, USB-powered device that can either sit on top of or next to a television screen or a monitor, or be integrated into them. The Reference Design generates realtime depth, color and audio data of the living room scene. It works in all room lighting conditions (whether in complete darkness or in a fully lit room). It does not require the user to wear or hold anything, does not require calibration and does not require computational resources from the host’s processor.

How it does this is by simply bathing the area in front of it with “near-infra red” light, then using its CMOS image sensor to receive the light and translate it into code which it then communicates to a PC or game console. In a recent press release revealing the deal between Microsoft and PrimeSense, Ilan Spillinger, vice president of Xbox 360 hardware, stated that “PrimeSense has delivered an important component to the technology, helping us deliver revolutionary controller-free entertainment experiences in the living room.” Inon Beracha, chief executive officer of PrimeSense commented on the deal saying “We are especially honored to have a partner like Microsoft who shares our vision for bringing innovative and engaging natural experiences to consumers.”

The technology behind Microsoft’s Project Natal is certainly worth a lot of attention. Microsoft will be able to launch many games with a new sense of interactivity that has not been achieved before. Just imagine the ability to fully utilize your entire body into the latest sports games. My only question is how they will utilize this technology for first person shooters. There will certainly still be the need for input devices in most games. What will happen when your cat or dog walks on by, or you get interrupted by someone walking through? Perhaps this may result in total seclusion before you start playing with Natal.

On August 19 in Cologne Germany, thousands will gather for Europe’s GamesCom conference in hopes of becoming Germany’s leading trade show for interactive gaming and entertainment. This debut event hopes to attract the entire industry, as well as anyone interested in video games or computers.