It’s a great feeling when one of your kids grows up and becomes a “man” (or “woman”). They’re out on their own in the big bad world. You hope and pray they’ll be able to meet the challenges that come their way. And you watch with pride as they take their place in society, building their own homes, and raising their families.

So on this day, when the technology developed by Israel’s Primesense officially leaves its nest and begins to make its way in the world, we send our blessings and good wishes to the final version of the company’s 3D sensing device, now officially called Microsoft Kinect (formerly called Project Natal). Will it be a Wii-killer? Microsoft certainly believes it will, and we can only hope gamers (and Christmas shoppers!) agree.

Come November, gamers all over the world will be using the most sophisticated 3D tracking interface ever invented (so far), thanks to the depth analysis hardware/software developed by Primesense for Microsoft (although, according to this story, which does a good job of explaining the Kinect’s technology, Microsoft’s lead may not last forever). You cant’ get much bigger than MS, and it’s great to see one of “our own” making the big time!

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You’ve probably tried out CamSpace, the Israeli “Wii Killer” that lets you interact with your computer screen without a mouse or keyboard – just using your body. And if you haven’t, shame on you, because you didn’t read my great article about it at Israel21c. CamSpace is still maturing, but already you can play dozens of games that let you be “in” the game, waving your hand around while playing tennis, boxing, playing Donkey Kong type games, etc.

Well, it turns out there’s yet another Israeli company working in this space – and its technology is apparently going to be at the heart of Microsoft’s Project Natal which will be included in future Xbox editions. According to Engadget, Israel’s 3DV Systems’ ZCam, which

“is at the size of a typical webcam, and provides home users revolutionary gesture recognition capabilities in addition to real-time background replacement, enabling them to control video games and personal space through intuitive body gestures and immerse themselves with virtual reality”

will be the piece of hardware Natal uses to connect users to the their screens!

The ZCam is actually a hybrid between the Wii’s approach and the CamSpace approach (but closer to CamSpace); using dedicated motion detection hardware and software like the Wii does (CamSpace is software and works with any web cam), with a full body orientation like Camspace allows, instead of just limiting you to interactivity with the remote control, like the Wii. According to Engadget,

“Project Natal really couldn’t be further from the Wii when it comes to motion controls. Instead of representing potentially arbitrary controller motions and gestures, Microsoft has its sights set on capturing the motion of the entire body. The technology is certainly impressive, combining an infrared camera and traditional camera to capture motion and 3D location in with glorious resolution and responsiveness — from furious full body flailing to the subtle motion of an imaginary steering wheel, gas pedal and gear shifter.”

And that camera combination will apparently be coming to you courtesy of Israeli startup 3DV Systems. Apparently a deal for MS to buy 3DV has been or is about to be completed, and it’s possible the first ZCams (or whatever they evolve into) will show up in Xboxes next year.