Motion-tracking tech is really nothing new
![<p>Undaunted by the success and failure of the Power Glove, Mattel continued to explore motion control for gaming and in 2000, it teamed up with Intel to release a new line of smart toys. Among them was the Intel Play Me2Cam virtual game system. The computer-mounted camera worked by displaying players' images onto the computer screen, allowing for gesture control and object interaction. Player movements could trigger such actions as bubble popping, or snowboarding.</p>
<p>[Image and logos: <a href="http://www.marshmallowstudio.com/exhibit.html">Robert Ludemann/eightoeight</a> for Intel]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/4AIuLhbvMXVWakl_xoFHnA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEwMjA-/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/cNqss2Am5YbBNHu26I4.Hw--~B/aD02NDg7dz02MTA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/282/173/5/S2821735/slug/l/intel-a-1.jpg)
![<p>Capitalizing on the popular motion-sensing trend that Nintendo had set in motion four years earlier, Sony released its PlayStation Move system for PlayStation 3. Sure, the EyeToy had arrived years before the Wii, but the camera-based tech failed to catch on to the degree that wand-based systems did. The PlayStation's Eye camera does play a role in the Move's motion-tracking capability, though, by working in tandem with the controller to track the location of its glowing LED orb.</p>
<p>[Image: Evan-Amos/Wikimedia]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Fy5HWdoqdUTH0Ylpo6cjUw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2MA--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/IL.ivkxZ6N3K3YO3k_DEgA--~B/aD04MDA7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/282/174/4/S2821744/slug/l/playstation-move-set-1.jpg)
![<p>Five years after the launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft released its <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/04/kinect-for-xbox-360-review/">Kinect accessory</a>. Unlike Nintendo's and Sony's motion-control offerings, the Kinect offered truly hands-free interaction. The peripheral included a camera, audio sensors and motion-sensing tech that could track 48 points of body movement, as well as recognize faces and voices. As Microsoft put it, "You are the controller." But the "controller" did require a good amount of space, with the optimal location being six to eight feet away from the sensor in an uncluttered environment (read: your TV room).</p>
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<p>[Image: Evan-Amos/Wikimedia]</p>](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/wrk3m4mv3k1oeC8yCDr1bA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTMzMQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/bk990K.hagCCuuHZBR7jJA--~B/aD0yNzY7dz04MDA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/slideshows/images/slides/282/451/4/S2824514/slug/l/201401xbox-360-kinect-standalonebk-1.jpg)
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Motion-tracking tech is really nothing new
As children, we knew there were only two options to properly throw a fireball or raise an X-wing off the ground: through the power of our imagination, or through a controller and connected gaming console. Nowadays, the reality is different. Our gadgets can actually enable us to manipulate gaming worlds and everyday devices with the physical movement of our bodies -- no buttons required.
Care to see how motion tracking has evolved over the years? Then take a tour of the gallery for a brief retrospective.
