Kinect object scanning adds some color to Joy Ride

Microsoft's Kudo Tsunoda has expressed an optimistic viewpoint on Kinect's rarely utilized ability to scan real-world objects and incorporate them into games. At a recent Tokyo Game Show demonstration of Kinect Joy Ride, he revealed a small example of how Microsoft-owned developer BigPark utilizes the motion-sensing camera's capture capabilities.

[iamnsuperman]

Still not the same as the skateboard thing.... But still nice to see it there considering the Move can do it too. They should advertise it more because then it will show that Move isn't the only one with that feature

[Imperator]

Is this game on rails? I heard the only thing you can control is the direction and in certain cases get a boost in speed.

[lashes2ashes]

you can turn and boost and thats it

[kneon]

I wonder how they got around Sony's patent on this feature.

[ActionBastard]

That's considered object scanning?

[Imperator]

Yep, anyone who played Eyepet/ any game on the PSeye in the last few years has already used this so how exactly is this so new? I'm not referring to this particular article, but just in general. People seem to forget that the PSeye has been doing everything that Kinect does for last few years.

[beardpapa]

sadly, only the core would know of something like that. the casuals will think of how magical it is.

[doG_beLIEfs]

MS fans and the media seem to forget that the PSeye can and HAS done everything that the Kinect has shown us so far....and in many cases the Eye does it better. 60fps eye vs. 30fps kinect allows the eye to track at 2wice the speed of kinect.

It is really sad that the media is allowing MS to get away with this BS of "never been done b4".....its ridiculous.

PS...I just got Move yesterday and I am floored by what it CAN do now and the potential of it from seeing the tech demos.

Once you go Move you DISkinect and stop playing with your Wii.

[tiamat5]

That is true iamnsuperman. Beat Sketch can scan real objects into the game. Sony needs to tell everyone that they can do basically everything Kinect can.

[Hyrius]

And more ( = hardcore games ).

[Christopher]

Beat Sketch does have some limitations to how it draws things in. The major difference here is that Microsoft is attempting to match the depth of an object in-game. So, it's not just a flat scan, but a rendering of the object in 3D from a single side as well.

Both have issues with identifying what to scan in general, let alone doing it well enough for it to be worthwhile.

[WharenPeace]

Kinect it only does rails!

[Christopher]

So, the exact same thing you can do with Move, minus the on screen painting/drawing with a wand?

C'mon Microsoft, you've only got two more months until release. If you can't do it by then, be honest with us. I mean, honestly, it's something that's going to be extremely hard to do since you're attempting to tell the camera to scan only one object in an environment possibly filled with them at different depth levels. And, even then, you're capturing the image with a low-res camera, so it's likely not going to look that great even when scanned in.

[BrianC6234]

Sony had this ability back on the PS2 with the Eye Toy even. He seems to be making a lot over nothing.

[tudors]

In theory all they would have to do is use a stencil to scan objects in, once in game you select scan skateboard and the stencil looks for the closest match, i know it is not that simple but it is only software.

[PLAYER5095]

22111

[Moonboots]

As someone has said above. This isn't just doing a 2D stencil scan of the object, it is attempting to match depth as well.

How about just waiting to see and not condemning it at the first attempt from a developer.

[btk]

I find a number of the gaming sites interesting. Lots of Kinect news - no mention of Move launch during the Move launch window. It is asif they are trying their damnest to ignore the fact that Move is launching and are trying to market Kinect.

[niceguywii60]

It's just Wii HD, the gaming world has been seeing it for 5 years it's nothing to get exited about, media or consumers.

[SpideyNut]

...Sony isn't pushing Move, like MS is Kinect.

[rob6021]

That or they don't have as much 'pull' with the US/UK media.

[plb]

I think the only thing Kinect will be good for is perhaps navigating the dash board but even then what if you are sitting on a couch with a bunch of people. The games may appeal to some casuals so I don't know. They all look laggy and buggy to me. I think there are many reasons why Nintendo passed on this technology for the Wii. It seems very limited in scope.

[SpideyNut]

...when people bring up the old "EyeToy did that" crap.

NOBODY BOUGHT EYETOY OR THE HANDFUL OF EYETOY GAMES.

Seriously...if EyeToy were so mainstream and successful, Sony wouldn't JUST NOW...4 years into the NEXT generation...be touting the PSeye/Move. EyeToy was an utter failure, because Sony failed at marketing and dev support for the EyeToy (surprise, surprise). MS is taking the concepts of EyeToy, amping it up with some new tech, and...wait for it......

MARKETING THE HELL OUT OF IT.

Kinect WILL succeed, where EyeToy failed MISERABLY, just like anything else MS throws it's marketing $$ behind. The vast majority of current gaming consumers NEVER HEARD of EyeToy....MOST aren't even aware of the PS3's PSeye, for that matter. Move will be their first exposure to the camera...and like I said, it's been FOUR YEARS.

Pathetic.

[WharenPeace]

That's news to me bud (or should I say x-bot?), EyeToy was actually hugely popular and hardly the failure you're trying to portray it to be, however the Eyetoy provided a limited gaming experience, something Sony has noted on more than one occasion, and something many have brought up regarding Kinect. Will the future of gaming be onrail? If microsoft is to be believed yes.

By the way, Sony didn't have confidence in the precursor of the PS Move (even though a tech demo exists for it in 2000 for the PS2 and eyetoy). Nintendo on the other hand, took the bulls by the horns and ran with the concept, hence the Wii was born.

[ApocalypseShadow]

i guess selling 10-15 million eyetoys was a failure to this guy when it didn't have a lot of advertising.seems to have sold just as much as the best halo game.but it was very popular in europe where it was created.

but it's funny he speaks of sales but doesn't dispute the fact that eyetoy did years ago what kinect is trying to do now.

and sony is not touting eyetoy/pseye.they are pushing the move controller.as it does what it says.instead of microsoft **saying** kinect does what they say but show nothing.

[skrug]

Even if Sony took the motion controls by the horns and launch PS3 with 'ps move', Sony would get a HUGE backlash. think about it, even just a redesign of a controller, 'boomerrang' everyone was making fun of it and what ever.

And think about the media in 2006, most media was bashing the PS3, if sony went and launch PS3 with Move as the main controller, they would say how Sony is leaving the hardcore and going for the casuals etc etc..

[Anti-Fanboyer]

Many people used it to scan images and add them in into their customized levels, and a lot of those level are freakin insane. They brought a whole lot of originality than using the stock images the game gives you.

[mcstorm]

What is it with the hate for kinect on this site so what if the eye to can do it every console keypad add on do the same things as another so do it better than others. Kinect is a new type of eye toy in that it can track players in the dark or bright light where the ps eye can not. Sony are still using the ps eye but added move 2 use with it where ms have decided on kinect and controller support just different ways of doing things. If you don't like kinect then fine don't get it but if your a gamer then you get what you enjoy playing if its on the rails spots shooter driving at the end of the day its not about what the fan boys think its what you like.

[baodeus]

^agree, great comment

however, N4G compose mostly of fanboys (right now the sony ones are strong since the others are too busy playing halo). It is kinda pointless talking to these guys (they don't care about anything beside their precious plastic toy).

I thought the eye can only scan 2D image, it doesn't generate an actual avatar of your self in 3D (as in a real character in games).