E3 2009: Microsoft unveils motion-sensing camera

[Brendan]

E3 2009: Microsoft unveils motion-sensing camera by Brendan

360 News: It's called Project Natal.

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[A13x]

I'm gonna guess this thing emits a high intensity infra red light, much like commercial security cameras do to let them see in the dark. The camera itself will likely use the infra red to detect range, as closer objects would be lit brighter than those further away, and there would be a maximum distance of around 3m, perfect for the living room.

Interesting concept, hopefully it works as well as it did in the demos. With the exception of the avatar leg fuck-up, what I was wondering, was that if the avatars will copy your movements, what happens if you are sitting down? Will the Avatar also sit?

The fact that the bar is able to show a colour image at the same time as motion detecting, might mean it uses two cameras, one as a motion sensor for the infra red, and the other for receiving the visual spectrum.
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[waz79]

200$ apparently and thats just for 1 player.

[A13x]

[Phreakuency]

This is not going to work like the 'simulated' (and direct copy of Nintendo's...) ads are showing. Not at all.

It's nothing more than an advanced Eye Toy and no matter how much improved the technology is, things always go wrong with not detecting movements, detecting movements elsewhere in the frame and probably worse - lack of support.

I just don't see there ever being a decent game with this thing (or the PS3 Eye) apart from gimmicky XBLA games.

And I think MS are lucky that most of their fans and gamers looking at these video's have quickly said 'pass' because when it eventually comes out, people are gonna be disappointed that it won''t match the demonstration clips at all.

Just my opinion.
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[Benza]

Honestly I think this sounds really cool. I loved the eYe Toy and thought it was a great peice of tech that never really got utilised propperly.

Cant wait to see more for this.

Molleneux and Speilberg also gives me hope.
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[RichieT23]

Microsoft has just PWND Nintendo big time.

[?oe?oe]

[Appel]

[RichieT23]

Let me clarify. I hate all this motion sensing garbage. I won't be using it. I just like that someone has come out with something more advanced than Nintendo's piece of rubbish.

[Frozencry]

It actually looks pretty damned swish. She looked spastic, but it at least looked fun and 1:1ish.
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[sobriquet835]

How many Push-ups can chuck norris do?

Over 9000.

Anyway, It's just an Amped up Eye-toy. Nothing special. That racing game in particular- i never saw the girl controlling the accelerator/brake, only steering. Still too basic to do any real in-depth gaming, except perhaps JRPG's where I suppose you could use it to select options, but it won't likely get used for that.

[Benza]

[john_solids]

i actually like it. but unfortunately i dont think there is enough room in my loungeroom for half the stuff they showed. (not without causing an injury or breaking alot of stuff)
probably could do very well for them if enough kids see it. advertise like crazy during morning cartoons and afternoon kids programs.
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Steam id: john_solids

[A13x]

The eyetoy didn't have the same depth perception this would have to have, it was just receiving a 2D colour image from its camera.

To work as it was shown, the camera would need depth perception, which would as I said earlier, work by projecting a high intensity infra red light onto the players and the room, then using one camera to receive the infra red image in black and white, white would be things closest to the light, black would be things furthest from the light.

I'll do a render to show you what I mean.


So this is a colour image, like what the eyetoy sees, and what one of the cameras in microsoft's new bar will receive.


Now by using infra red light, and an infra red camera, depth will be visible to the camera as seen above. So it will be able to track your movement, separate from the background.

So as you know, infra-red is a light not visible to the human eye, it works the same way, can reflect, refract etc, and has a certain falloff or range, depending on the intensity of the light used.

The closer an object is to the infra red camera and lights, the whiter it will appear to the camera, if say the maximum range of the light is 3m, then anything at or beyond this range will appear black.
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[Phreakuency]

I think the only games for it will be stupid games like the Eye Toy/PS Eye. Which is also the only game shown live I believe, that stupid brick breaker thing.

The commercial was a mock-up, I very much doubt it will be like that.

And in the end, you'll never get Halo or Forza or any 'real' game playing on this thing.

MS haven't got a clue. They should have stuck to strengthening (is that a word?) the games for their target audience, instead they try (and fail) with crap like Scene It and Lips (stupidly thinking they would have the PS2 fans covered) and now this motion garbage, thinking they can grab the Wii fans over.
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[Benza]

[Benc82]

Technology looks really interesting. The Peter Molenyeux demo was pretty impressive (if real).

Still not sure if its my kind of thing, not really into casual Wii type stuff, but maybe they will develop some decent (and HD) games for it.
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[A13x]

Just a thought, but instead of using the infra red...

Perhaps the bar itself holds two cameras, one at either end, the console them takes both camera feeds and combines them into a stereoscopic view, able to calculate depth the same way as the human eyes do.

Or a combination of both, using the infra red light, an infra red camera on one side, and a colour camera on the other side, then using the resultant feeds to work out an accurate depth based off the light and stereo vision.
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[Charly]

Technology looks good, but as soon as I saw it I panicked.

Xbox 360's and kicking... and stomping... and bouncing... and people coming back to retail stores complaining about their discs not working. I mean the console was sodding vertical in the demo.

*grumble*

Looking forward to the inevitable drunken sex pose art, though. And the non-drunken.
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[Suetekh]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oACt9R9z37U

Looks like it uses 2 cameras to me.

If it works it will entice new people to start playing the console in much the same way as the Wii does. A positive step, if it works....
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[Benza]

If it works as advertised, judging from that skateboard bit in the ad, it makes Tony Hawks ride kind of redundant, on 360 at least.

Must piss off activision.
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[Benc82]

^Yeah I thought that too.

However who knows when this thing will be out. Not anytime soon id say since its still codenamed. Late 2010 or 2011 would be my guess.
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[Sin Ogaris]

[Benza]

Yeah it would be pretty hard to pull that stuff off without anything physical (Like wise the driving stuff) but as far as I can see theres nothing to stop you just chucking a deck on the ground and using it.

… although if you’ve gone that far you may as well just go outside and skateboard.

Mollenux I have enormous respect for, I don’t expect that demo video would be anything like a final product. He never really lives up to expectations but is always trying new stuff. So yeah I don’t expect what he produces to end up anywere near as good as what he presented but I can’t wait to try out whatever it is.

That said, Fable 3 using that tech for it’s NPC’s… Fucking awesome.
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