Look everyone, I love gaming. I love coming home every night to get in front of either my Xbox 360 or my Wii and just let the stress of the day pass away over a round of Red Dead Redemption or Split/Second.

But I also love technology. I love trying out new gadgets when they come out. Whenever something new is released, I’d give anything to see what makes the new equipment tick.

And that’s why I had an interest in Project Natal. Both Kelly and I discussed Natal ever since its announcement at last year’s E3. I so want to get my hands (and eventually my whole body) on the sensor bar and see if all the footage is too good to be true.

That all changed during Microsoft’s E3 press briefing on Monday. All my interest in Project Natal came to a screeching halt. And no, it’s not because it looked terrible, but rather because it now has a new name…

Kinect for Xbox 360.

So I now crave Kinect instead of Natal. Actually I knew the name the night before due to a leak brought out by an Italian website, but didn’t want to accept it until the final announcement. However, unlike others I have read complaining and whining about the name, I actually like it. True, at first it seemed a little too close to the K’nex line of construction toys, but when you think about it, it is the perfect mix of "connecting" to your 360 and putting my "kinetic" energy to full effect.

Yes, some of the games look a bit too silly, such as Kinectimals, but when you think about it, one: it’s designed primarily for kids, and two: haven’t any of these people ever heard of Nintendogs on the DS or Eyepets on PS3? Not every game is going to be designed for everyone.

But there are also some games that are showing some true potential of the system. Harmonix’s Dance Central might actually be a lot of fun to play, and considering what these guys did with Rock Band, it might be the first dance title I played since injuring myself in DDR a few years back. It also has me wondering if Harmonix would ever combine both Dance Central and Rock Band. It’s just scary.

Plus these are just the first generation titles. One has to wonder what the future products will be like once Kinect is fully understood. Hopefully by then we will get rid of all the crybabies who are predicting doom and gloom, that gaming as we know it is dead. Such kneejerk paranoia! We know that it will not completely take over all that we hold dear. After all, the MMO craze a few years back didn’t make single player gaming obsolete, and motion control games will not eliminate all traditional controller based games.

Still, I’m looking forward to Kinect, and people don’t like it, too bad. You don’t have to buy it! So stop whining about it.

And while we’re at it, stop whining about the name! We all knew that Project Natal was not the final name. Anytime a product is named "Project X," that’s what it is, a concept or project. Look at other "Projects" in previous generations. Anyone remember Project Chicago? Maybe not, but they remember Windows 95. Project Berkeley? More well-known as Shenmue. And of course, there was Project Reality, better known as the Nintendo 64.

We could even add Revolution, which despite not having the "Project" prefix, still had a codename before it’s final christening: the Wii. Ironically the Wii had its own project title announced at Nintendo’s press conference: Project Sora…

Or as we now know it as, Kid Icarus Uprising.

But now Natal is Kinect, and I’m really looking forward to playing with it come November. And despite what all the doomsday lovers are saying, it will not replace my standard Xbox 360 controller. I just wish they wouldn’t ruin it for everyone else with all of their prejudices.

Consider Kinect being responsible for something I almost never do…making a preorder.

Currently Playing: (On 360) Red Dead Redemption, UFC 2010 Undisputed, Blur, Split/Second (On Wii) Super Mario Galaxy 2