All we've got to say is that they'd better be selling seats to the first living room demonstration of this tech when somebody gets cute and grabs a real baseball bat for a demo. Sony has filed a patent for technology using the
PlayStation Eye which can detect regular objects in 3D space and file them away in a database for later use in gameplay. Naturally, the camera already does object motion detection of a sort with the blocky embedded codes on
Eye of Judgement cards, but this seems to be taking that tech to a new level, and would imply that you won't necessarily need to be waggling that goofy ball-on-a-stick controller
that Sony demoed at E3 for all upcoming motion control titles for the PS3. But for some reason we're sure we should be scared of whatever combination it does turn out to be.
[Via
Joystiq]
posted Jul 5th 2009 10:13AM
Yay! Let's break some HDTVs, clumsy gamers!
They'll have to give us wrist straps that we can attach to anything, or any MLB game is gonna cause plenty of trouble.
The camera would also need to know the depth perception of the object. So in theory, if you held up a baseball bat right close to the camera, you would have a giant freakin' bat in the game as well. :)
Also, the illustration shows the upcoming Electromagnetic Radiation Dowser Hero game.
@saad, you sad sad person don't do your research, do you?
eyetoy also did all the object, voice and movement recognition
waay before motion controlling. no one just gave a crap about it.
now microsoft come in and they were like
"O HEY THATS COOL. LETS USE IT TO COMPETE FOR THE WII AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT, LET US ALSO IMPROVE IT AND MAKE IT LOOK LIKE WE'RE THE FIRST ONE WHO MADE THIS KIND OF TECHNOLOGY"
dammit, that's supposed to be a respones to saad's comment below.
I can finally play horseshoes indoors!
Doesn't Project Natal do this I thought?
Zombie game, got myself a chair, bat, and a few random objects. Lets play.
Yes, they are desperately trying to play catch-up.
Can I use my pets too?
I remembered a video where a kid used project natal to scan his skateboard
I did not know that Natal was shipping yet so how can it be playing catch up.
In fact, Sonys tech may well be out before Natal.
yes but as I recall the PS2 already had a basic version of controller-free gameplay with the eye-toy. Sony is just improving this technology with the playstation eye. They aren't playing catch-up or anything
No company plays catch up with Microsoft...Microsoft plays "copy and destroy".
Ariel and Jon, as until this moment I have never seen a company introduce or demo a device that recognizes objects, faces, voices and movements all in one tool for a gaming device, except for Natal.
Microsoft isn't playing catchup nor is stealing an idea, they are improving and taking many ideas and putting them in one single place within your home entertainment system.
If you disagree then buy your awesome eye-toy and/or keep writing your "Microsoft is evil" essays forever.
you guys are all wrong. all of it is garbage! long live minesweeper!
MS isn't doing anything but talk, pure hot air "maybe something will be released, but if so it'll be more than 2 years from now".
So stop acting like 'project natal' is a tangible thing, it is not.
natal rip-off
Natal doesn't use a controller. The oddly-shaped object in the man's hand appears to be some sort of controller.
If anything, it's more of a Wii ripoff.
@bartoron
"Sony has filed a patent for technology...which can detect regular objects in 3D space"
How did you translate "regular objects" to mean specialized remote control?
I wonder how many of those patents are based on actual working technology or are just cheeky attempts by companies to register any concept they can come up with and then sue whoever is actually able to create the tech.
I don't know much of patent law, what kind of proof do you have to provide to patent a technology?
Your exactly right, they probably will just sit with the patent and wait for someone to try and copy it. To patent some thing you need nothing more than the idea.
Exactly what Apple does
Did they have to draw the goatie?
Woo Hoo! More useless patents! I won't be holding my breath for any (Sony PS3/PS2 backward compatibility) patents until I actually see the tech demoed.
The guy in the picture looks like he's getting ready to attack the set up with a magnet.
I was thinking: Boomerang, your doing it wrong!
Will it recognize the Wii-Mote?
+1
"Sony nabs patent for everyday object motion detection"
NO Engadget they applied for a patent is has yet to be awarded but congratulations on the headline have you ever thought of starting the worlds first gadget themed tabloid newspaper ?
Gotta love Bill Hicks.
If they had nab the patent, Peter Molyneux might have to pay Sony some money to make his Xbox game.
Exactly.
Very very poor choice of words on Engadget's part.
Besides, Project Natal already does this and more.
Nothing to see hear folks, besides some shoddy reporting.
Bill Hicks is a legend... +1, just for your Display pic
That picture is ridiculous looking.
Hum, looks like if i'm doing the devils sign with mmy hand, my TV will recognize it and change channel ... awesome
I like how they very purposefully gave the guy a goatie.
well, if this patent tells the future, my playstation 3 is going to have more life and wont get outdated by the ps3 slim that everyone's talking about!
Im more interested in the cordles ps eye thats potrayed here.
Looks like the guy is enjoying Extreme horseshoeing 4.
That was funny. I +1 for that.
does anyone else think that the chair is totally unnecessary?
I have gone through 5 Plasmas and now have a big net in front of my tv due to the others in the Extreme Horseshoeing series. and the wrist strap just takes away the real "all in the wrist" action that I need to win. This is one great Idea I someone takes it I will sue, and and create a Archery game with my winnings. This is proof so don't try it.
Now we can finally play virtual horseshoes...
That's what I was thinking too. He must be playing with low-resolution Atari-era horseshoes.
I wonder if it recognizes his chair. Also if you look at his facial expression, he looks kinda distressed. I wonder if it is because he is losing at Extreme Horseshoeing 4.
They should make an iphone the supported controller item you have to hold, think of the support they'd get and what a perfect opportunity to wave about your iphone to show you got one and are oh so cool.
Hello?! Legend? Anyone? Ok, I will.
100 - Game Area (Preferably a parent's basement)
101 - Customer; goatee preferred, not necessary. (Sold Separately)
102 - Electromagnet; counters harmful radiation. (Sold Separately)
104 - PlaystationEye. (Patent Pending)
104a - Range of harmful radiation; See 2 Above.
106 - High-Definition TV (Sold Separately)
108 - Sony Playstation 3 (Slim Edition Only) (Sold Separately)
110 Dual Shock Controller; to be used when actually playing games. (Sold Separately)
No, no, no.
100 - FIG. 1
101 - Human.
102 - Magnet. The humanoid thinks it will protect him against machines as he used to think garlic would help against vampires.
104 - AWP (Advanced Waveform Accelerator - a typical weapon used by machines against humans). Machines will eventually kill us all. We all know that.
104a - Range of angle of attack. Notice how it can easily hit any part of the human body at normal confrontation range. Machines typically like using radiation dangerous to humans, but it wouldn't mind using lasers or other waveforms if the primitive human manufacturer wouldn't equip it properly (vertical lines indicate typical ranges for different types of waveforms)
106 - Display. The human will get distracted, thinking he is playing a cool game.
108 - Machine. The reason machines will be so angry at us is because we make them so short.
110 - Remote control. If the human was intelligent enough, all he would have to do is press the power button and turn off the console.
What have the machines done to you?!
Well done.
MLB 2k11: Wiffle Ball Edition.
Does this mean it will only works if we own a barcelona chair?
Horseshoes?
That is an EVERYDAY object?
I think Sony is trying to get their marketshare back in TVs buy promoting playing Horseshoe Video Games
This would go great with dance dance revolution!
:D
I notice a severe lack of slim-ness on the PS3.....
the funiest thing is that the TV looks like a samsung LEDTV.
How can you tell what the tv looks like from that angle. You just want it to be a samsung. It could be anything. But yes Sony tv's are not quite up to snuff anymore.
There are an awful lot of people in this comment section that have absolutely no clue what they are talking about.
After seeing how incredibly bad Eye of Judgement was, I hope this thing dies an early grave before wasting my time again. Honestly, the Playstation Eye is such a horribly bad camera I don't see how it can 'recognize' anything being moved around. Sure, they could update it, but they'll always be behind the curve and it will end up a poor gimmick until tech improves.
Also, is anyone else bothered that you can patent something that people have been doing for years? Just because the technology has been too poor/slow for general use. I mean, this is hardly a new idea. Please reject this patent, guys at the patent office. It's an obvious application of technology and not the least bit innovative.
Looks like MS and Sony need to find a way to attach a wrist strap to "everyday objects". First one to patent it wins.
How many months before we start hearing about some random guy who blew up his tv by shooting through it while he was playing house of the dead with a loaded gun?
[quote]No company plays catch up with Microsoft...Microsoft plays "copy and destroy".[/quote]
So does sony.
They filled but I bet they wont get it, Bet you MS already have this filled too.
Project Natal has this whole scan and use etc thing planned And you can not see MS not having this filled already considering they been working on Natal for a while.
They also bought out a company working on such a device too so they could snap up what ever assets/patents/rights that project had as well.
If it is Sony trying to stop Natal from being able to do stuff I doubt they will get it and if they are trying to do this I am sure MS will have something to say about it too.
@Ariel
Eyetoy recognised contrast not physical objects.
Natal however does recognise objects and even body parts.
Cause standing in front of my tv with a giant horseshoe magnet is how I want to spend my evenings.
HAHA!!! that's one of engadget's funniest titles yet!!!!!!!!!
Am I, am I supposed to conduct with my penis?
SO far Natal does a decent job of tracking jumping jack motions to hit virtual balls, that's it. All of the other stuff hasn't even been coded or demonstrated. It was just featured in a "Product Vision" movie that was 100% fake. The object recognition used in the Natal video was just to place your object in the game, not to use it to control the game.
Also it takes around a year for a patent to be published after it is first applied for. The Sony stuff has been in the works for a very long time, since the early PS2 days.
Microsoft bought out a motion tracking camera company for thier patents and threw together a tech demo for E3. If anyone threw somethign together at the last minute for a good press release it was Microsoft.