530°

Microsoft's IllumiRoom is 'a coffee table projector for next-gen consoles'

That's according to new details which have arrived ahead of this week's CHI 2013 conference in Paris.
According to Microsoft, IllumiRoom can "change the appearance of the room, induce apparent motion, extend the field of view, and enable entirely new game experiences."

Combining a projector with Kinect, game effects such as falling snow and explosions can be projected into the living room, while illusions can appear to distort furniture around the television.

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computerandvideogames.com
kassler4012d ago

Consoles? So this isn't exclusive to Xbox? Wonder what price it'll come with.

Andronix4012d ago (Edited 4012d ago )

Not essential but I'd love to try it.

Gazondaily4012d ago

Yeah I watched Ironman 3 on the weekend and he brings out a digital map that covers the room (as always) and I thought of Illumiroom. Could be pretty cool but yeah, doubt it will be essential for gaming.

MurDocINC4012d ago

Only see this working with a clean white room.

kneon4012d ago

@MurDocINC

I don't know why you got disagrees, it's going to look like crap unless you have a sparsely furnished, light colored room.

Microsoft hasn't found a way to overcome the laws of physics so projecting images on to dark colored objects just isn't going to work well.

thechosenone4012d ago (Edited 4012d ago )

Looks too gimmicky for me, but you guys enjoy if that's your thing.

Gamer Muzz4012d ago

@MurDocINC
Why would it only work with a clean white room? I thought one of it's cooler features was it's ability to change the appearance of the objects around the T.V. and even distort them.
With nothing in the room, that wouldn't really do anything.
Remember, it's not supposed to make a movie screen out of your wall, it's just supposed to augment reality and add more of the games features/view to the room around you.
personally, I think it's a pretty innovative idea and great way to make games just a little more immersive.

thechosenone4012d ago

the projector they're using costs $800? Yikes.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Gam...

Sony's version of this immersive tech

Part 1

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Part 2

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Part 3

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

WrAiTh Sp3cTr34012d ago

@Murdocinc and kneon, the video as its shown is relatively the opposite of what you're concerned with, lol.

SilentNegotiator4012d ago (Edited 4012d ago )

@WrAiTh Sp3cTr3

Not really. The room they showed it in was a big white wall, a flat shelf with a bunch of picture frames at 85 degree angles that covered 95% of the holes in the flat shelves that they were in, two tiny plants with massive, broad leaves, and the absolute worst...tiny empty vases.

https://www.youtube.com/wat...

The room might not be empty, but they chose the most inconceivably flat conditions to show it in.

@Gamer Muzz
"Remember, it's not supposed to make a movie screen out of your wall"

Then why is 80% of the footage of it extending the screen? Don't pretend like the main attraction was the pulsing shelf bit.

TechnicianTed4012d ago

@thechosenone

Yeah, Spandex People Technology™ is the future, clearly.

thechosenone4012d ago

@TechnicianTed

so the men in tight spandex is what caught your attention first? huh..lol there's more going on there if you'd just look around. xD

kneon4012d ago (Edited 4012d ago )

$WrAiTh Sp3cTr3

Actually the video illustrates my point prefectly. They have used a light colored wood and have plenty of blank wall above the tv. Take a look at the black xBox, it's essentially a black hole in the image since it's reflectivity is near 0. Likewise the two dark color squares to the left show little detail.

My Main TV is in a 10 foot wide entertainment unit made of medium brown wood. The top of the unit above the TV has my subwoofer, AV receiver and left/right speakers which are all black. On the right and left are open doorways. There are almost no surfaces that would reflect light well enough to see a decent image.

This technology is fine to add some special effects but that's about it. Because there is no guarantee that the player can see any particular part of the off screen image the games can't put anything important off the screen.

Below would be your worst case scenario

http://www.mennonitefurnitu...

This large black entertainment unit would reflect almost nothing.

B-radical4012d ago

Id prefer it to kinnect

malokevi4012d ago

I dont understand how any gamer could complain about that video.

Seriously cool stuff. Not sure about cost, but Xbox + Kinect2 + Illumiroom... sounds about as close to full immersion as I've ever seen. (besides that crazy machine on Mythbusters)

This is the kind of stuff I've been dreaming about for the better portion of my life. I think its gonna b a TRIP.

FriedGoat4011d ago

For someone like me who has a projector and screen that covers the whole wall, what exactly is the point of this?

+ Show (13) more repliesLast reply 4011d ago
Gamer-404012d ago

"Microsoft's IllumiRoom"

Microsoft.

greenpowerz4012d ago

Yeah MSFT is going to make products for the competition in the gaming industry :p

MrDead4012d ago

@kassler

It makes you wonder and it is posted in the PS4 section.

4012d ago
AngelicIceDiamond4012d ago

It looks and sounds cool, but I have see more on this sorta thing. I'm not quite sold yet.

Retroman4012d ago

This is nothing more than a projected hologram
ENTERPRISE we found your holo-deck.

rather have yu-gi-oh holo duel disc.

Gamer19824012d ago

IKt wont be exclusive as it will be a camera that outputs an image just like anything else so unless it uses a special adapter that stops it being compatible with ps4 etc.. It will work with it and probably ps3/360/wiiu also. This is a good move by MS as it maximizes sales. They couldnt do it as an xbox product as people would maybe put it down as an overpriced accessory. Especially as this will no doubt come out at well over $100.

BitbyDeath4012d ago

@kassler, further in the article it states it requires Kinect.

"Currently Microsoft's prototype utilises a wide field of view projector (InFocus IN126ST) and a Kinect for Windows sensor."

fr0sty4012d ago (Edited 4012d ago )

I do video projection mapping for a living, so I know exactly what kinds of hurdles this device is facing when used in the real world. I actually wrote an article about this tech when it was first announced detailing the pros and cons of using this tech for video games (search under my username for submitted articles, I'm sure it's in there somewhere). It has a lot of issues to overcome before it'll be anything more than an expensive gimmick. One that requires another expensive gimmick (Kinect) to even work.

nirwanda4011d ago

I have an older infocus dlp projector, I don't use it much because you really need a dark room to get good contrast and images, I would liketo try this but I'd be worried about reflections on my tv screen.

nirwanda4011d ago

Do you think a DLP projector will block out enough light to stop lots of light reflection on my LCD.

fr0sty4011d ago

You would get no reflection at all. Part of what video mapping does is masks out certain areas of the projector's image so that it only projects where you want it to. There would be a big black rectangle shaped hole in the projector's video image where your TV is supposed to go, so there would be no light to reflect.

However, you are right about needing a dark room (with light colored walls) in order to get a good image. This is why, in many cases, you see them using black and white outlines on the parts of the image that is not on screen. Black and white are high contrast when put against each other, so it stands out a lot more than a full color image would. I would imaging this would end up being the default setting for most living room environments, as you aren't going to get a projector for under $500 that is worth a crap, especially not one that has a super short throw lens on it like the one in this video concept does. Those lenses aren't cheap.

The projectors we use to do most of our video mapping are 5000 lumens (unless we rent more powerful ones), and that is on the extremely low end of the brightness scale that is required to properly video map a room. Go price a few 5000 lumen projectors... And you'll see why I say this will either be a very expensive gimmick, or one that does not work very well. The main thing this projector has going for it is the short throw lens, which enables brighter images using dimmer bulbs because the light does not have to cover as much distance (shorter throw from projector to wall). However, if you have dark colored walls, or a dark colored entertainment center that covers most of the wall, you won't get very good results out of this.

FamilyGuy4012d ago

Looks cool enough, I don't agree with needing a light colored room though, have you guys ever had/used a projector? You still see the stuff fine, it's just obscured.

You're not meant to focus on the images on the wall anyway, it's the background giving you more immersion.

It'd be cool if they really do release this thing. Not sure if I'd bother with something like that but I can at least admit it's cool.

popup4012d ago (Edited 4011d ago )

The tech is great, the immersion would be great and it seems pretty cool having the items seemingly come out of the screen but if you have a projector, why not just display the whole 120" image using only that?

I use a projector for gaming and, other than the 10 minute gimmick of confusing my pals with it in the above setup, why would I want to put a little TV in the middle? I know that the furniture is scanned and included but you need to buy a projector to use it and, if you did, I bet you would rather game using that!

Interesting but odd at the same time to me.

Jaces4011d ago

Looks to distracting for me. I'm only going to be looking at one thing and that's the tv.

+ Show (10) more repliesLast reply 4011d ago
MonkeyNinja4012d ago

Looks pretty cool, but extremely gimmicky. Like something that I'd really enjoy for 5 mins and then get tired of. I'd much rather have something similar to Oculus Rift.

JsonHenry4012d ago

^^ Me too. The Rift just seems more practical for gaming. But then again it takes double the processing power because it has to render the frames twice.

MonkeyNinja4012d ago

True, but if next-gen games are already going to be in 3D, then it could just be used in place of the TV. If the PS4 was already rendering Killzone 4 in 3D, then it might just be a matter of sending the image to the headmount instead of the TV.

Didn't Sony show a headmount similar to Oculus Rift years ago at some convention center? Does anyone remember that? It was right around the time that rumors about PS4 started to surface, back when it was being called Orbis...

nukeitall4012d ago

I don't think the majority of the public will enjoy Oculus Rift with a case of "finding your VR legs" any time soon.

That is nausea after 15-20 mins of use while trying to build up a stamina over time.

I'm very intrigued by VR, but realistically that is a huge barrier to entry.

IllumiRoom though seems pretty awesome. I would get one if there was genuine support for it that hopefully extends beyond games into movies.

4012d ago Replies(1)
OhMyGandhi4012d ago

gimmicky? in what way? While I do enjoy what I've seen and heard about the Oculus Rift, I think this may have it beat because it doesn't require every player to wear a head piece.

nukeitall4012d ago (Edited 4012d ago )

Other than the placing it in the room, I think this is an easy setup.

I hope MS releases this for the next Xbox. I would likely buy it if it was reasonably priced.

Technology like this will really set you apart from the competition, just like Kinect.

MonkeyNinja4012d ago

I see it ads gimmicky because it's generally known that gamers have tunnel vision when playing games, especially fps or action games. It's almost a distraction from the game to see stuff around your TV. Although I do like the snow effects, and maybe some sand effects would be cool in a desert level of a game, but then again, is it worth the price (whatever it will be) just for that?

just_jeff4012d ago

well... from what @fr0sty is saying there are some major hurdles that MS will have to overcome if this is going to work properly in your home. He does projection mapping for a living, at least he says so (no, i'm not doubting @fr0sty claim)

I'm afraid that the tech is not ready, but MS will want to release it asap. Like they did with Kinect. I don't think the original Kinect was ready to be release at that time. It never performed like it was suppose to. It was never very accurate and for the most part frustrating to use. The illumiroom could run into the same type of issues that the original kinect ran into.

_-EDMIX-_4012d ago

This crap looks to "mimic VR" Oculus Rift IS VR! I'm looking more forward to MS whole smart glasses thing then this crap. It looks more like some Kinect crap then anything I would ever use. That doesn't look immerse....that actually looks just the opposite and annoying.

Oculus Rift is a day 1 for me and its looks to be the future of PC gaming and gaming in general.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 4012d ago
Root4012d ago

I know what I'm getting.....a new coffee table :)

JsonHenry4012d ago

I will mount mine from the ceiling.

konnerbllb4012d ago

Coffee table efficiency doubles when mounted to a ceiling.

Chitown712914012d ago

konnerbllb's logic is flawless. I love it.

Fishy Fingers4012d ago

Rather put the money towards a bigger TV but its an interesting concept.

4012d ago
StrongMan4012d ago

How much will this thing cost?

Godmars2904012d ago

Same as a projection TV since that's what it is?

Also have to figure that light will effect it. The room will have to be dark.

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190°

Bethesda Needs to Reduce the Gaps Between New Fallout and Elder Scrolls Releases

Waiting a decade for new instalments in franchises as massive as Fallout and Elder Scrolls feels like a waste.

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
-Foxtrot13h ago

Microsoft have Obsidian but I feel it's Bethesda who just don't want to play ball as they've always said they want to do it themselves.

Once MS bought Zenimax in 2020 they should have put the Outer Worlds 2 on the back burner, allow Bethesda to finish off its own Space RPG with Starfield (despite totally different tone why have two in your first party portfolio with two developers who's gameplay is a tad similar) and got Obsidian for one of their projects to make a spiritual successor to New Vegas.

When the Elder Scrolls VI is finished Bethesda can then onto the main numbered Fallout 5 themselves.

The Outer Worlds 2 started development in 2019 so putting it on the back burner wouldn't have been the end of the world, they'd have always come back to it once Fallout was done and it would have been nicely spaced out from Starfields release once they had most likely stopped supporting it and all the expansions were released.

If they did this back in 2020 when they bought Zenimax and the game had a good, steady 4 - 5 years development, you might have seen it release in 2025.

We are literally going to be waiting until 2030 at the very earliest for Fallout 5 and all they seem bothered about is pushing Fallout 76.

RaidenBlack11h ago(Edited 11h ago)

Its not just only Todd not playing ball.
Obsidian have made a name for themselves in delivering stellar RPGs, but most famous once have always been sequels/spin-offs to borrowed IPs like KOTOR 2, Neverwinter Nights 2, Fallout: New Vegas, Stick of Truth etc.
Obsidian wants to invest more in their own original IPs like Outer Worlds or Pillars of Eternity with Avowed.
Similar to what Bluepoint & inXile wants to do or Kojima is doing (i.e not involving anymore in Konami's IPs).
So yea, even if New Vegas has the most votes from 3D Fallout fans, Obsidian just wants to do their own thing, like any aspiring dev studio and MS is likely currently respecting that.
But a future Fallout game from Obsidian will surely happen. Founder Feargus Urquhart has already stated an year ago that they're eager to make a new Fallout game with Bethesda, New Vegas 2 or otherwise. Urquhart was the director of the very first 1995's Fallout game after all.
And don't forget Brian Fargo and his studio inXile, as Brian Fargo was the director of Fallout's 1988 predecessor: Wasteland

KyRo7h ago(Edited 7h ago)

Obsidian should take over the FO IP. They're do far better with it than Bethesda who hasn't made a great game for almost 15 years

RaidenBlack1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

@KyRo
So, by 15 years, you mean Fallout 3 was the last great game Bethesda made?
You don't consider Skyrim a good game, which came out 13 years ago?
I'd consider Fallout 4 a pretty decent game as well. It's Story & RPG elements were a bit downgrade from New Vegas but the exploration and shooting on the other hand, were upgrades.
FO76 was disappointing and Starfield could've been better at launch I'll agree.

Duke197h ago(Edited 7h ago)

I disagree. Part of these games is the support for the mod community. If they move to releasing a "next game" every 2 or 3 years, the modding support plummets and the franchises turn into just another run of the mill RPG.

Make the games good enough to withstand the test of time, to keep people coming back to them and expanding on them with mod support.

--Onilink--4h ago(Edited 4h ago)

I dont think anyone is saying they need to come out every 2 years (not to mention almost no game is released that quickly anymore)

By the time Fallout 5 comes out, it will be more than 15 years since Fallout 4 came out (same with ES6 coming out 15 years after Skyrim). Even if you want to use F76 as the metric for the most recent release, that one came out in 2018. It will be a miracle if F5 comes out before 2030

The point is that for a studio that doesnt seem to operate with multiple teams doing several projects at once, that their projects normally take 4-5 years as a minimum, and that now they even added Starfield to the rotation, it becomes a 15+ years waiting period between releases for each series, which doesnt make sense. Imagine that Nintendo only released a mainline Mario or Zelda game every 15 years…

They either need to start developing more than 1 project at a time, let someone else take a crack at one of the IPs or significantly reduce their development times

Duke193h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Why should someone else take a crack at one of the IPs? Look at what happened to Final Fantasy as a recent example - there is pretty clear FF fatigue setting in because they are now pumping out titles in the franchise every few years. Pumping out more games faster doesn't always make a series better.

There are plenty of options to make new games, not just create more titles in the same universe at a faster pace.

-Foxtrot53m ago

"Why should someone else take a crack at one of the IPs"

He's literally just told you why

We're waiting like 15 years before a sequel comes out, it's insane

Skyrim came out in 2011, the next game is expected to come out in 2027 at the earliest so that's 16 years apart while Fallout 4 came out in 2015 and might not release until 2031, again 16 years.

We're fine with Bethesda trying new things and doing new IPs like Starfield but adding a new game to the cycle now means a bigger wait. Also Starfield didn't meet most peoples expectations, can you imagine waiting 15 years or so for a sequel and it's disappointing? It would feel even worse because you would have to wait another 15 years to see if they manage to come back from it.

They need to give it to another developer, we don't need main numbered titles but a spin off of Fallout and Elder Scrolls should be cycled in between the long gaps of the main releases.

Once again you are making out people want these games as quick as possible when all we want is a standard development time of at least 4 years or so rather than waiting 15.

mandf4h ago

Yeah I’m going to say it, who cares about the modding community when making a game? Half the time developers only tolerate modders because they fix there game for them.

Skuletor6h ago

Yeah, let's all advocate for smaller gaps between series' releases, then we'll probably get headlines about how the series have dropped in quality and they could have benefited from more time in the oven. Let them cook.

SimpleSlave5h ago

"how the series have dropped in quality and they could have benefited from more time in the oven" So every Bethesda game then? Got it.

Listen, I would agree if this was about From Software or something, but Bethesda?

🤣

C'mon now. What timeline are you from?

Skuletor3h ago

Think about it, they're already bug filled messes on their current schedule, can you imagine how much worse it would be if they rushed things?

-Foxtrot50m ago

@Skuletor

Who's saying to rush the releases? No one is saying that...

People just don't want to be waiting 15 years for a sequel, they aren't working on the game for that long, you do realise that right? The issue isn't coming down to them working on the game and us "rushing them", it's the fact they are working on other games like Starfield now meaning bigger gaps before they even get started on them.

I bet you any more Elder Scrolls VI only entered full development last year when Starfield was finished despite being announced in 2018.

Duke193h ago

I mean you aren't wrong. People are going to complain about anything

isarai5h ago

Hows about you focus on quality, just a thought 🤷‍♂️

Sciurus_vulgaris4h ago

Bethesda [or Microsoft] would have to reallocate internal and external studios towards fallout and elder scrolls titles. Bethesda has the issue of developing 2 big IPs that are large RPGs on rotation. If you want more Fallout and Elder Scrolls, development will have to be outsourced.

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