Microsoft IllumiRoom projects its vision for next-gen Xbox

IllumiRoom, Microsoft's game-expanding projector technology, is envisioned ideally for the next-generation Xbox, which is set to be revealed next month. Microsoft's Redmond-based Research group says its vision is for an "ultra-wide field of view device sitting on the user's coffee table, projecting over a large area surrounding the television. The device would be connected wirelessly to a next generation gaming console as a secondary display."

Microsoft is showcasing the proof-of-concept technology, first unveiled at CES earlier this year, at this week's CHI 2013 conference in Paris. In a paper published for the conference, Microsoft Research detailed how Illumiroom could be "developed into a next generation game console with game content designed from the ground up, or it could be an 'addon' for existing consoles with gamers writing scripts to mod their favorite games."

The paper adds, "Ideally, IllumiRoom would be directly integrated into a next generation console and new games would be designed for IllumiRoom from the ground up."

A new five-minute video expands upon the brief preview published earlier this year. It shows how IllumiRoom, which incorporates Kinect, projects images to alter the appearance of the room surrounding the TV, including a number of lighting and particle effects, as well as extended field of view. We should hear more about Illumiroom later this week at CHI 2013, and possibly at Microsoft's May 21 event, when the next Xbox is expected to debut.