Lots of buzz and speculation online today over the release of Microsoft's Project Natal - the motion-sensing cam shown at the E3 videogame convention.Â
Gamespot has a good piece that investigates the rumors of a possible 2010 launch. Considering that the Microsoft exec tells Gamespot that "we are not even halfway through the current console generation life cycle," my guess is that 2010 may be premature.  But really that doesn't matter too much now does it?   Project Natal exists as a working prototype - I played it - and that means we can already start thinking about what this means for next generaiton interface.
Also, it's worth noting that Microsoft isn't alone in this pursuit.  A company called Canesta is also showing 3-D vision cameras, and you can get a look at how this may change the battle over TV remotes here.
David Kushner is the author of many books, including Masters of Doom, Jonny Magic & the Card Shark Kids, Levittown, The Bones of Marianna, and Alligator Candy. A contributing editor of Rolling Stone, he has written for publications including The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Wired, and The New York Times Magazine.