Microsoft IllumiRoom Extended Demo (IGN)

A new, extended look at Microsoft's game-enhancing projection technology, IllumiRoom.

[Donnieboi]

This is kinda cool! Not necessary, but it's alrigtht. I hope it's not too expensive, because frankly I don't need it if it is.

But I want to say something here first: IF Sony ends up showing a similar tech at E3 this year, DON'T say they were copying Microsoft (as people like to say that Sony copies idea's).

Sony showed of a similar tech in 2011, with the PS3, and I will provide the video below. Also, Sony filed a patent recently for "Panopticon" which is rumored to be a camera that can project at multiple angles. Know one knows if the rumor is true, but the name Panopticon was registered, and the name Panopticon would fit for a device like the one in the video I provide below (A kind of all seeing cell or prison/room that allows "eyes" to see from all angles--or in this case, a camera that can project from it's eyes/lenses at all directions).

[Donnieboi]

Also, with 3D effects, or multi-angled camera's, look at what else this kind of tech can do (video is below):

[JoGam]

Dude WOW...Questions...When the video started it looked like they was in a livingroom but when It ended, the room was white. Was the room at the start of the video real?

[Donnieboi]

I believe the room was white. The bricks on the wall and the floor (if u look closely in HD and make screen bigger) appear to be 3d rendered projections. The whiteness of the room stands out all the more in the end because the projection ended, as well as the fact that they turned on the ordinary lights for the room.

[maniacmayhem]

Because we all know that since it's on Youtube that means they did it first right?

C'mon now, the whole "Sony did it first" is more played out than the "media biased" angle. Who cares who did it first, it's about who utilized it and brought it to the masses for everyone to enjoy.

[Donnieboi]

Nobody said Sony did it first. All i'm saying is that Sony was the first to PRESENT it to the public. So if anyone says Sony is biting MS, they will know better. And WHY will they know better? Because the video being on youtube goes to show how far back Sony's tech was shown (by looking at the date the video was uploaded). Of course, NEITHER Sony or MS created room illuminating projections. That has been a round a while. But I just wanted to clarify that Sony was doing it ALSO.

So curb your fanboy rage, because all i'm doing is showing tech Sony already showed. If that angers you, I couldn't care any less. The video (and it's date stamp) speaks louder than some guy on n4g.

[maniacmayhem]

A lot of differences with what was shown on your example and what MS is offering to the public.

My point is this, this is what MS is presenting and no one accused or even mentioned Sony of copying or being copied. And do you think that just because a tech demo was put on youtube and "x" date is stamped that no other company had this in their R & D labs doing the same thing?

Maybe you should curb your Sony defense and enjoy what is being shown instead of jumping up and waving "THEY DID IT FIRST" so quickly.

[mcnablejr]

wow look at the other dudes agrees,
n4g for you.

[DigitalAnalog]

Pre-emptive defence is nothing to be surprised about considering that the "copying" arguments have been emphasized in this site for years. If anything, it quells off any unnecessary fuel for a foolish discussion.

Trying to be the middleman and deliberately ignoring such factors in order to present yourself as the Mr. Righteous is the most pretentious stance you can make. This is N4G, ANYTHING that can be used to fire off CLICKS and HITS can and WILL happen regardless, you can't eliminate the impact only lessen it.

[Hicken]

I find it interesting that people can't defend Sony. As if, for some reason, all the hundreds of times anti-Sony articles and comments are somehow forgotten and won't be brought up.

Yet, at the same time, you won't be found responding to Microsoft or even Nintendo defenders, preemptive or otherwise. Likewise, while you'll comment on the ones you consider Sony trolls or fanboys, you're nowhere to be found when it's a Nintendo or Microsoft troll.

greenpowerz trolls and you say nothing.
midnighter(endoran) trolls and you say nothing.
ALLWRONG, NeverEnding1989, SDF, witwicky, DK286K, jcnba all show up talking unfounded nonsense in Sony articles, but you NEVER have anything to say to them.

But don't let someone talk about Sony, in one of their articles or not. Can't do the perfectly VALID thing Donnieboy did here and bring up comparable Sony tech- that people WILL say Sony copied- and note how it was shown off prior to Microsoft doing so. That's a no-no.

What's up with you?

[maniacmayhem]

@Hicken

Again your hypocritical posts knows no limits.

I'm not a troll hunter and keep names of people on this site on a speed Rolodex like you seem to have. How sad that you remember those names and are so wrapped up with them that you need to call them out like a coward every chance you get and even in unrelated posts.

I don't mind a person defending Sony, MS or Nintendo, but to come into an article and deliberately try and turn the conversation into a console war debate is what I was referring too about Donnieboi. In no instance was this illumiroom trying to say or state that it was first to do this. So why the sudden urge and need to announce who did what first even brought up?

I know this is hard for you to understand since you are the biggest #1 cheerleader for Sony on this site. But feel free to keep calling out people in unrelated articles and behind their backs that YOU believe are "trolls".

Edit:
I find it strange that there's this Pre-emptive defence for Sony. Nintendo copied Sony with Move, MS copied Sony with Eyetoy, and now MS copied Sony with illumiroom and all because of youtube videos. It's almost as if Sony did everything first before any other console. And god forbid anyone say anything different.

[Root]

IllumiRoom...Illuminati....

Kinect apparently rumoured to watch you all the time

Coincidence...I think not

[Cryptcuzz]

I think you're way into deep with the conspiracy theories my friend :)

[Root]

They said Mel Gibson was too deep in them in Conspiracy Theory....he wasn't, plus he saved Julia Roberts because of this

Just saying :)

[GameCents]

"I think not " Well I agree with THaAT.

[UnHoly_One]

I want this thing right now.

[majiebeast]

Just buy a 60inch TV.

[miDnIghtEr20C_SfF]

Dang! So you're telling me if my TV was 5 inches bigger, I'd have snowflakes falling outside my tv screen! I'd have explosions going off on my wall and all the other stuff?

I should of bought a tv 5 inches bigger.

[Jek_Porkins]

This thing looks so cool! Hopefully it's something that can be hate for a decent price later on.

[thebudgetgamer]

Lame.

[stage88]

Agreed. Just a gimmick that distorts the game image outside your TV apart from the snow which looked alright.

I could only game about 5-10 minutes then I'd have to switch it off. Far too distracting.

[Urusernamesucks]

I strongly disagree with these coments.

People call this a gimmick because the playstation advertised it firts, or because its seems like something a "casual oriented company" would do ?God forbid they do something inovative, right?

Distracting? hardly, this would be helpfull to gamers who want a wider wiew of their enviroment, dont want to miss certain items and an experience that realy lets you feel like your int the game. Something weve always wanted since the 80's.

And trust me a regular projector cant distort the wall or do many of the features the illumiroom offers.

[StreetsofRage]

Game beyond your television. Amazing. This is real next gen. I can't wait to see this tech in 5 years.

[GABRIEL1030]

Its a nice concept, but impractical and expensive. You'll need to have a large obscure room all the time, an expensive projector and maybe you can enjoy for movies like 3D TV, but not for playing because at short time you'll get tired. Good for Microsoft, they are trying to innovate.

The lastest tecnologies for change the visuals of the games failed, first Sony with 3D Tv for gaming, later the Nintendo 3DS, the WiiU tablet and now this new idea. The problem is that are the Tv manufacturers who need research to develop a real 3D TV, cheap, accessible and comfortable.

Sony tried in 2009 with this technology, but they realized that requires an expensive projector, also the console and the games will require aditional work for run the images, implement this idea could cost a lot of money for the developers and the users.

[air1]

I wonder how much it would cost if ms or sony sold us a tv with the console built in and a feature like this built in to the tv.. And cloud! So much clutter gone...

I would pay a pretty penny for that.. I would get a 55" assuming they would produce it in different sizes..

[Skate-AK]

I wonder how it would know the size of your wall without extending to the ceiling.

[GraySnake]

So whats with the Altoids box on the cables of the controller?

Also really cool concept, will most likely keep my eye on this.

[FITgamer]

Lol i was like WTF when saw that.

[r21]

Very cool next gen ideas but i really think it will limit the gamer's way of play.

[HurtfulTimez]

not for me thanks my concentration when gaming is on the tv not around it... and does that mean all of you who do like it will buy a coffee table if you dont have one?!

[Jdoki]

Looks like it could add a lot of immersion, but for me I think I'd have to pass. I don't have a room that would work well with the tech, and I don't want to have to put a projector in the middle of the room, or mounted on the ceiling.

Will be interesting to see the cost if MS really are looking to add it to the Next Xbox. it seems to fly in the face of the rumours that MS are trying to keep the costs down.

There's some interesting questions this raises... If this works with the Next Xbox, will it use the rumoured HDMI passthrough, or will it have two HDMI outputs (in which case would this also allow a set up using two TV's instead - which would be great for local multiplayer). Or will it use a proprietary connector.

How does outputting to a projector AND a TV impact performance of the console. What would be the resolution of the projector - it would definitely have to be below 1080p for cost reasons.

If the projector is aimed roughly at the TV screen, how will they stop the projector beam reflecting off the TV and creating glare. Does it mean the projector has to be in a very specific position (distance and angle).

If this is an optional add-on, how will they get devs to support it. Devs tend to like to develop for something that comes in every box - which why it's a good move for MS to add Kinect 2 to every device.

[DJO479]

This does look cool, don't get me wrong. However, for a gamer like me, this isn't practical. The way my room is set up wouldn't cater well to this. It's a bit of a gimmick and I don't know how they'll be able to justify the cost of this and sell it as a "must buy" for gamers.

[lema008]

It does have a gimmick look to it, but as of right now this looks way to cool and I want it.

[Toon_Link]

This is some pretty cool tech if it's cheap enough I'm sure I'll end up getting it. It's seems like the people watching you play will get the most out of it considering you probably won't want to be taking your eyes off the screen while playing a game, none the less still really cool idea.

[josephayal]

i want one

[Patrick]

Looks pretty cool, but.. I think the Oculus Rift is a much better and more immersive type of device. Plus its likely to be cheaper and easier to just use out of the box. Plus I have no coffee table and I am not going to mount that to my ceiling.. Thanks but no thanks.