Finding rooms for technology

This is partially in response to V. Laird’s post about the new Xbox Natal.
While technological advances such as the Natal are great for immersion into games and interactivity, I feel like people are overlooking just how big an impact gaming such as this can have on the home. Early game consoles such as the Sega and Playstation 1 came with interfaces permanently attached to the console. Therefore gamers were encouraged to get closer to the screen as they became more immersed. After the advent of the cordless interface (and in some cases just longer cabling), gamers were able to sit back on the couch and unobtrusively play their games without causing much of a stir to the environment.
However the advent of interfaces like the Wii, and the Natal’s lack thereof has demanded a whole new space required to play games. Much like the advent of the television changed living rooms, where they were no longer set up for conversation but for gathering around the TV, Wii and Natal require larger open spaces that allow for grand gesture and movement. So while these products may be advertised as revolutionising gaming, what can they be doing for the dynamics of the home? In order to block balls in sports games, perform karate kicks and ducks, jump around simulating ollies and kick flips, you would require quite a lot of space. The physical exertion required in these games has demonstrated just how obtrusive and demanding new gaming technology can be. The modern home is already divided into the family room (where everyone gathers and can watch TV), the lounge (a space for ‘adult’ chatting sans TV), and sometimes a further ‘formal’ lounge (you would have to ask my mother what this is for). But where do the Wii and Natal fit in? They require too much space for a bedroom and playing in the family room appears very obtrusive even in the most spacious of homes (see the video in V.Laird’s post and also here for the large rooms where people are demo playing).
What I’m questioning here is whether these new gaming technologies are trying too hard to bring the outside world in. By doing this they are too obtrusive and over-physical for the domestic space. Are we coming to an age where we have to add yet another room for which we can entertain ourselves in? The advertisements for the Natal emphasise family time and bringing people together, but by demanding so much physical space, could they be further dividing the domestic environment?

K. Parlane