Video: Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's iPoint 3D Pong match gets heated

After hearing that Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft was bringing its newfangled iPoint 3D setup to CeBIT, we simply had to make the 5.9 mile hike from Hall 26 to Hall 9 to check things out. As with most things that this outfit touches, iPoint 3D was also a sight to behold. Without any goofy glasses, players and onlookers alike could easily detect depth in the display, and while we're some of the toughest 3D critics you'll find, even we were taken aback at just how not-gimmicky it was. An overhead motion detecting system fed signals to a nearby computer, which then translated the hand gestures into paddle movements within the simple two player Pong game. The gals we recorded seemed to have a pretty good time with it, and if you don't believe us, just check out the winner's victory dance at the end of the clip -- it'll make your day, and that's a Billy Mays guarantee.

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft's iPoint 3D paddle ball match gets heated

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:31AM]

That rules!!

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:31AM]

worst victory dance ever. But, I want this.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 12:49PM]

lol always a good time to bust a move!

[looselycoupled Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:03PM]

Probably goofy Germans!

[hellosven Posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:35AM]

They're missing the triangle of cups and a six pack of keystone lite
no one knows how to have fun these days..

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 12:03PM]

six pack? what kind of weaksauce parties are you going to? dirty thirties or bust my friend...

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:37AM]

who is she

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:38AM]

Well said iLuver.

¬¬

[no6969el Posted Mar 3rd 2009 11:45AM]

LOL ... see the whole time that other guy is giving that other girl tips and telling about the game. If you wait till the VERY end... the guy must trigger a new game.... you see the ball launched back at the victory dance girls side and then you hear her yell in fear!..lol

hope you enjoyed the breakdown.. :)

[Wang Tang Posted Mar 3rd 2009 12:01PM]

"And yes, users had to move their paddles forward and back to smack the tennis ball, not just up and down as in a 2D environment."
That's wrong.
The presentation guy in the clip said "Die Tiefe, die macht er für Sie.", which translates to something like "The depth-movement is done by the computer, you don't have to do it by yourself."

[Raul7 Posted Mar 3rd 2009 12:23PM]

And your nick has nothing to do with that, right?

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 12:48PM]

It is how I would imagine a robot would dance if robots could dance.

[2late2die Posted Mar 3rd 2009 1:17PM]

That's just crazy talk! Robots already dance - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l882xbFywho - and way better at that.

Good day to you sir. I said, good day! :D

[BratPAQ Posted Mar 3rd 2009 1:10PM]

that demo sucks, i had to replay a couple of times to notice the slight "3d" movement of the paddle, because the ball doesnt know how to move in 3d

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 8:06PM]

Kinda hard to tell how it looks when you can't see it in 3D yourself. It was filmed with a one-eyed camera, and then shown on your 2D monitor. Hence your disappointment.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 1:50PM]

The dancer looked a little like Veronica Belmont.

[texaspenguin Posted Mar 3rd 2009 2:19PM]

If that's what is to be considered as a "heated match", I'd hate to see how one would describe the Super Bowl or something.

[trankzen Posted Mar 3rd 2009 2:44PM]

A couple questions to the great reporters of Engadget, from an autostereoscopy nerd:

What is the technology used in this monitor?

Did the 3D effect was convincing at different angles, and most importantly when you got close to the screen?

[JoeJoeJoeJoeJoe Posted Mar 3rd 2009 3:34PM]

This is perfect for people who thought Ping Pong was great, but wished it didn't involve a table, ball or paddle.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 3rd 2009 5:29PM]

Ouch!!!