THQ Already Toying Around With Natal

Natal development kits seem to be in the hands of developers already: THQ's developers have been trying to get their heads around the new device for weeks now.

Microsoft's Natal is out in the wild and in the hands of game makers already. Speaking to G4, THQ revealed that they've been toying around with the device for some time now.

"I don't know long we've had them...four, six weeks, however long they've been available," THQ CEO Brian Farrell said. "I'm not at liberty to talk about exactly what we're doing, but kind of like when we first got the Wii kits, some key development people are going, 'okay, what can we do that's really cool here?' So, stay tuned."

Development on Wii has obviously turned toward more casual-oriented fare, and Microsoft seems to be setting Natal down that path, but THQ isn't totally sure they'll be taking Natal that way.

"We're obviously looking at [both core and casual games]," Farrell said. "Our initial take is that it does seem to be more broad, the idea that you're getting new gamers or lapsed gamers away from complex controls, but I don't want to rule out doing something for core because we've got some ideas along that line."

The company also has some ideas for peripheral-based gaming of its own: THQ is planning some sort of peripherally-oriented title for the future. "What we know is input devices matter now, whether it's new controllers, control mechanisms, things like Guitar Hero and Rock Band," Farrell said. "We have a very interesting peripheral idea we'll be rolling out later, so I'm not prepared to talk about it now."

More $120 peripheral bundles? Sign me up!