How IllumiRoom could win the next gen war for Xbox 720

"Simplistic reasoning? You bet. Simple sells. In today's woeful economic climate, and with PC and mobile beginning to bite serious chunks out of console revenues, the new Xbox can't simply amount to a bundle of almost-cutting-edge PC parts coated in fancy new production values. The distinction needs to be self-evident and qualitative, not a question of this processor over that, and IllumiRoom is like nothing I've ever seen before."

[Belking]

That title should ruffle a few fanboy feathers...lol

Fanboy rant in 3......2......1....

[jimbobwahey]

You don't need to be a fanboy to see that stuff like this is crap. People want good games, not goofy gimmicks.

Throughout the entirety of the current generation, we've seen Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony introduce their own gimmicky nonsense that has been poorly supported with little practical application in gaming. Sure you'll get some parents who don't know any better that are swayed by various marketing campaigns or what have you, but at the end of the day, I don't think anybody wants to see their favorite console dragged down by this garbage and a notable decrease in worthwhile games.

Maybe I'm being old fashioned here, but I like to think that the next gen war will be won by quality software.

[HardCover]

This is simply a foundation for future tech. Gaming used to be table top only. Then it went digital but was basically s*** because it was yet to be refined.

Fifteen years from now any non-stubborn gamer out there will be happy with motion control, 3D, tablet gaming, this shit, etc.

It's not something to get mad over. It's something to adapt to so when it's good you're prepared and not crying about how things used to be before you became a stubborn old man.

[dirigiblebill]

"Maybe I'm being old fashioned here, but I like to think that the next gen war will be won by quality software."

Except Kinect has sold something in the vicinity of 20 million units worldwide, and accounted for God knows how many additional sales of Xbox 360 consoles. Like it or not, this kind of move has a profitable precedent. And companies exist to make money.

Those who style themselves "the core" need to learn a little humility. You aren't the only piece in the puzzle.

[mcstorm]

jimbobwahey I get what your saying but gamers need to open there eyes. Its not all about the core any more and in a way its a good thing as the core market is very small and we would not be in a good place with gaming if it was just gamers.

I am a big fan of Kinect move and now the WiiU as it opens gaming to everyone and how anyone can not see that as a good thing I don't know.

Look at this gen and even with the none core market being massive you cant say the core market was hurt in any way as we have seen some amazing game. UC, GOW, Halo, Gears, GT, Forza, Zelda, Mario just to name a few.

I think IllumiRoom could be a good idea if done right but I don't see it having anything to do with next gen. Maybe the gen after but not next.

IllumiRoom will not be for everyone just like anything in life. I am not a fan of any apple products and I was a big android user but I have fond my self on the Microsoft side in the last 3 months and having a Surface RT, Lumia 920 and 360 as my main eco system it works best for me and my life style. Again not for everyone but it works for me better than the other.

I cant wait to see what Microsoft and Sony have to show us as there next gen console as im impressed with the WiiU so far.

[nukeitall]

@dirigiblebill:

"Those who style themselves "the core" need to learn a little humility. You aren't the only piece in the puzzle."

Well said!!!

For me the lines between core and casual is blurring. I don't necessarily see myself as core anymore. Just a gamer that spends a lot of time gaming (relatively speaking).

@jimbobwahey:

"Maybe I'm being old fashioned here, but I like to think that the next gen war will be won by quality software."

Software starts with hardware!

People don't just want "good games", because that gets old after a while too. People want "good experiences"!

[Psychonaughty]

I don't know man, I like me some gimicks, gadgets and widgets from time to time!

[ABizzel1]

Good for MS, and I'm sure it'll pick up some sells by the sheer instant appeal, but it does nothing for me.

I will be gaming with it off, as it's more of a distraction than a bonus. Unless they can use the tech to give me a true to life view of the gaming world (enhance my characters peripheral vision) then it's not meant for the core, but a sheer wow factor for casual gamers.

The most promising thing is the demo where the buildings appear on the wall, if I can see enemies in the buildings, then we'll talk.

Cool tech though. Now how do you apply it in every house that gets an Xbox.

[user3915800]

I always let innovation show itself and by far this is a good idea, specially when playing online. Lets hope that it will look better with kinect 2, my guess is that it will be up to developers to recreate great action that takes advantage of color blending, although its just light, the elements will be there to maximize the GPU colors. Lets cross our fingers and hope its a good product, cant wait to see what sony has... to compete against MS, WII-U its already dead to me and collecting dust, at least until a zelda game comes out it will stay hidden lol...

[BillySpandex]

I'm more interested in the rumour that Microsoft stole the idea of illumiroom from a british software engineer. Incidentally, the BBC holds that patent. It seems Microsoft is back to its old tricks, stealing patents.

[Belking]

If they stole it then that would make an easy lawsuit , now wouldn't it. You sound silly. You can't steal a patent....lol I'm sure MS has been creating this stuff for years. You do know they are a technology company too right? I would like to hear more about this "rumour" but something tells me that I won't. This tech has been around for years.
Has it been used like this before on a console? No, I don't think so. Very cool stuff IMO. Will I buy it. I don't know. I will have to see more. But from what iv'e seen so far, it looks sweet.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

They need games first..

[CrustifiedDibbs]

give it a rest. we get it, you hate ms, you love sony. you have to really be a pathetic individual to put this much effort into posting negative ms comments on n4g. get a life man.

[morkendo23]

Do my eyes decieve me this same article was presented here yesterday. N4G recycling articles now??? slow day in the office i see or not allowed to release NEW stories just yet??

since this is rehashed news i'll repeat my comment from yesterday

WHO WANT TO BUY THIS REFLECTING OFF THE WALL CRAPFEST!!!

[kayoss]

how much is this going to cost me and where do i send my money? Joking aside... I dont understand how this illumiroom things work. Is it an extra device that attaches to the TV and project images beyond the TV? So does that mean you have to play the game in the dark to really experience Illumiroom?

[specsmatter]

lol Your a big time loser and fanboy yourself and you have nerve to talk. Let me guess when ppl were criticizing Kinect they were wrong? It was just fanboys right?

hahahahahaha

[KING85]

It does look interesting and I gather the intention is to add immersion to the gaming experience. I am looking forward to what both Sony and Microsoft will bring to the table.

[g-nome]

I'm sorry but it looks like just a gimmick and does not add much to the video gaming experience in my opinion. Microsoft should rather invest their time in a decent handheld console.

[iamnsuperman]

Or securing exclusive. We all judge Microsoft for spending money on CoD map pack timed exclusive but it makes them a ton of money for them. They could just do more of the same than this

[piroh]

illumiroom is the same as 3D, first time people saw it "holy god", but then "meh, it´s expensive and useless"

[dirigiblebill]

I'll take some shonky projection tech over a new handheld, any day of the week :( Dedicated handhelds nowadays just feel like dumping grounds for cut-down instalments of high-end console franchises.

[DudeJets]

Looks interesting but gimmicks don't do not do it for me I am afraid, with little to even know about next gen I have no idea where my main console allegiance shall lie

[Zichu]

I do agree, it's a gimmick. I don't see a lot of people going out and buying it.

I'm looking forward to next gen, but I don't plan on getting gimmicky products.

[iamnsuperman]

I think all that needs to be said. No it wont. Ican see this coming off quite cheap especially when projecters really need dull white backings to work but i think main issue is the casual will not care and that is who it is aimed at. How many of us really darken the room on a regular basis and play. I know i dont and i know casual will not. I guess it could be ised for PR purposes but i see that more of a short term gain than long term

[zebrahim]

Dear Microsoft, although you might think I'm an idiot, I do applaud your hubris. Certainly your venture into the gaming sphere has been met with some success. I trust you are scratching your heads as you wonder about Soys recent lead in shipped units. Central to your idea of creating a more immersive experience, I believe you should firstly advertise your products correctly. The kinect, although bold, was an absolute hardware failure which simply cannot be defended. The first year of Xbox 360 was similarly filled with hardware failures. The launch of windows 8 has created an uproar from the PC community. I am however very impressed with the light show you put on for us. With the departure of Peter Molyneux, Phill Harrison seems equally enthusiastic to pose for your company. I however am left with a huge problem. You see dear Microsoft, my storage space for your consoles and peripherals has run out and my limited gaming space is now overwhelmed with Sony and Nintendo products. How do I overcome this dilemma? Perhaps your light show could transport all the other dusty Xbox products in to a black hole where all the Xbox fanboys live. I'm sure they're a rowdy bunch, given the ADD and all. But let me not digress. I wish you well on your journey with your future console. My only wish is that you stop destroying studios like RARE and also invest some money in exclusives that are not sequels. Consumers are only ever dumb the first time they try a product, you now what they say ' fool me once, shame on you.....fool me twice, shame on me'.

[juaburg]

It is really not THAT impressive, might as well just play on a bigger screen if you want. I dont think the illumiroom is enough to let MS win the next generation. The winning factors will most likely be: the price of the console(aka, is it worth that specific amount of dough), the hardware(what drive does it have, is it backwards compatible with my prev gen games, is the HDD space sufficient etc) and then the most important factor: THE GAMES. Does it launch with games that you really want(1st and 3rd party games), or games that shows off that the console stands out from the rest of the crowd, etc. There are SOOOO many factors to take into account when debating about the next gen wars. We'll just have to wait and see what happens, as well as let the gamers do the talking with their wallets.

PS: ENJOY THE WEEKEND :)

[B-radical]

They need to perfect it before release i reckon

[chukamachine]

What a POS, only children might want that. kinda like crapnect.

[Keyser]

This article should immediately be followed with the "How 4K could win the next gen war for PS4."

It's all speculation at this point.

[medman]

Anybody remember how Kinect was supposed to revolutionize controller free gameplay? How did that turn out? Like crap. This tech might have a relevant gaming application in 20 years, certainly not within the next console cycle.