motion control
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EyeSight's hand-waving, gesture-based UI now available for Android (video)
Sure, the Evo's front-facing camera enables you to call your snookums and let them see your mug while you two exchange sweet nothings. But, wouldn't it be much better if you could tell your phone to talk to the hand? Now it can... at least in theory, with the availability eyeSight libraries for Android. EyeSight's Natural User Interface relies on a phone's camera to detect hand motions, enabling developers to write apps that change tracks, ignore callers, and display text messages with a wave. The down-side is that those apps need to be specifically written to work in this way, and while the libraries have been available for Nokia handsets since last year, right now we're seeing a whopping four programs that use it (including the hugely important "Fart Control," which turns your phone into a "motion detecting fart machine"). So, you should probably not expect a revolution here either. Video demo from the Nokia days is embedded just below.
Minority Report UI designer demos his tech at TED (video)
In February 2010, the man who built the technology of Minority Report twice -- once for the movie, and once in real life -- spoke at TED about the future of user interface design. Yesterday, TED posted John Underkoffler's entire fifteen-minute video presentation -- a copy of which you'll find right after the break. Get a curated glimpse into his company's tech in the following demo, and hear from the man himself when the gloves might come off. And if that doesn't satisfy your appetite, read an in-depth interview with Underkoffler at our more coverage link.
Project Natal to cost $149 by itself, $299 with 360 Arcade, according to latest rumors
Here we go with those trusted sources again. Edge has it on good authority that Microsoft's midlife rejuvenator for the Xbox 360, Project Natal, will cost a cool 149 bucks when purchased as a standalone accessory, or $100 when bundled together with the $199 Xbox 360 Arcade console. That's a mighty steep hill for early adopters to climb, but Microsoft did warn us that Natal will not be an impulse buy. An October 26 date is also proffered for the official launch, but that might shift, leaving us with the same window of expectation as before. Interestingly, the Natal name is expected to definitely change for the final retail product, which we should be learning a lot more about at E3 in a couple of weeks.
MIT tech makes gesture controls cheaper, more colorful
Sit down, Natal. Move over, Move. MIT researchers have unveiled a new breakthrough in gesture control technology: Multi-colored spandex gloves. Created by researchers Robert Wang and Jovan Popović, the gloves require nothing more than a standard webcam and special software and contain no electronic components whatsoever. The software simply recognizes various colors and shapes printed on the gloves and translates the image into an accurate 3D representation of the hand. Rather than translate the hand position data on the fly, the software actually identifies the image it sees and checks it against a database of hand position images. Upon finding a match in the database, the program displays the corresponding 3D image. The only apparent downside is that the program requires several hundred megabytes of memory to run, though Wang notes that the amount of standard computer RAM is continually increasing, with most current computers including 4GB. Wang cites video games as one of the most obvious applications for the technology, which would allow gamers to easily manipulate objects within a game world. Of course, every console maker has its own motion control solution, at least in the offing, but the gloves have an advantage: They should cost "about a dollar" to manufacture. The only thing the technology seems to be lacking is a punchy marketing name ... Cue Joystiq Publishing to the rescue: "The Amazing Technicolor Dreamgloves!" Give us a call, MIT, and we'll get these babies off the ground. The rest of you can see the gloves in action after the break. [Via GamePolitics]
Students program Human Tetris into 8-bit microcontroller, give away schematics for free (video)
Sure, Project Natal is the hotness and a little bird tells us PlayStation Move is pretty bodacious, but you don't have to buy a fancy game console to sooth your motion-tracking blues. When students at Cornell University wanted to play Human Tetris (and ace a final project to boot), they taught a 20Mhz, 8-bit microcontroller how to follow their moves. Combined with an NTSC camera, the resulting system can display a 39 x 60 pixel space at 24 frames per second, apparently enough to slot your body into some grooves -- and as you'll see in videos after the break, it plays a mean game of Breakout, too. Full codebase and plans to build your own at the source link. Eat your heart out, geeks.
Student moves quadriplegics with Wiimote wheelchair control (video)
There were certainly a couple whiz kids at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair this year, but high school senior John Hinckel's a regular MacGyver: he built a wheelchair remote control out of a couple sheets of transparent plastic, four sliding furniture rails and some string. A Nintendo Wiimote goes in your hat and tells the whole system what to do -- simply tilt your head in any direction, and accelerometer readings are sent over Bluetooth. The receiving laptop activates microcontrollers, directing servo motors to pull the strings, and acrylic gates push the joystick accordingly to steer your vehicle. We tried on the headset for ourselves and came away fairly impressed -- it's no mind control, but for $534 in parts, it just might do. Apparently, we weren't the only ones who thought so, as patents are pending, and a manufacturer of wheelchair control systems has already expressed interest in commercializing the idea. See the young inventor show it off after the break.
Cellbots get Nexus One upgrade, ad-hoc motion control (video)
Sprint and Verizon may have shunned the Nexus One, but that doesn't mean the handsets can't be put to good use: these Android-controlled, Arduino-powered Cellbots now feature the one true Googlephone as the CPU. At Intel's 2010 International Science and Engineering Fair in San Jose, we got our hot little hands on the DIY truckbots for the first time, and found to our surprise they'd been imbued with accelerometer-based motion control. Grabbing a Nexus One off a nearby table, we simply tilted the handset forward, back, left and right to make the Cellbot wheel about accordingly, bumping playfully into neighbors and streaming live video the whole time. We were told the first handset wirelessly relayed instructions to the second using Google Chat, after which point a Python script determined the bot's compass facing and activated Arduino-rigged motors via Bluetooth, but the real takeaway here is that robots never fail to amuse. Watch our phone-skewing, bot-driving antics in a video after the break, and see what we mean.
Natal's worldwide October launch apparently outed by MS Saudi 'vendor' [update]
In an interview on Saudi television, the marketing manager for Microsoft's entertainment and devices division for the region revealed Project Natal's launch window: October 2010. GamerTagRadio has the clip of Microsoft's Syed Bilal Tariq saying, "We will be in a position to confirm the date after E3, which is in June. But definitely it is going to be October 2010 and we will have it in Saudi Arabia for sure." The last official word we'd heard about the all-seeing, motion-tracking peripheral's launch date was "holiday season 2010." With E3 a little over a month away, we're expecting to learn specific dates soon -- likely at Natal's standalone press conference. Update: G4 reports that according to Microsoft, "Syed Bilal Tariq is not a [Microsoft] employee ... He is a vendor employed through a third-party company on behalf of the Microsoft subsidiary in Saudi Arabia." The company also wouldn't comment on the alleged October launch window. [Via Edge]
Sega to reveal Natal, Move projects at E3 suited for 'PS2 type' audience
Last September, Sega promised to clue the world into its plans for Project Natal and PlayStation Move in early 2010. Actually, back then, we were still calling it the PlayStation Motion Controller. Oh, so young and naive! Now that we and Sega are both a few months older and wiser, the latter's plans have been pushed back a bit -- in a recent interview with IndustryGamers, Sega West president Mike Hayes explained that the company's Natal and Move plans would be revealed at E3 2010. Though we haven't heard much about Sega's feelings on the upcoming wave of new motion control technology, Hayes explained the company is excited about "the fact that Move and Natal will bring in more of what I'd call the PS2 type of consumer for those platforms, which then suits very much the IP that Sega has." We've hypothesized that the PS2 IP he's referring to is the already motion-infused Sega Super Stars (pictured above) -- in our heart of hearts, though, we're secretly hoping for a motion-controlled Ecco the Dolphin: Defender of the Future.
Rumor: Natal test kit photos reveal 'motorized tilt mechanism,' power cord
Motion camera meta-voyeurism news now, with an alleged Project Natal test kit capturing every movement of a man ... taking pictures of it. According to Italian gaming site Multiplayer.it, the photos originate from a tester, who was tasked with having an unreciprocated conversation with the Xbox 360 peripheral in order to test its speech recognition capabilities. The surprisingly cheerful documentation included with the supposed test kit explicitly warns against tilting the camera manually, as it's already equipped with a "motorized tilt mechanism" -- all the better to see you with, my dear. The "Quick Start Guide" also shows how the early model of the camera connects to an Xbox 360 development kit via USB and a power outlet via a split cable. It's not known how representative these photos are of early Project Natal development kits, nor how much of it will change by the time the final product arrives this holiday. Microsoft did not comment on the veracity of the images, with a representative telling Joystiq: "We announced earlier this year that Project Natal will launch this holiday, and our teams are working hard to bring the best experiences to life. We have nothing further to announce at this time." [Via Engadget]
Miyamoto on retirement and the Wii's innovation
At age 57, you might think Shigeru Miyamoto would be taking it easy -- maybe plunking a few coins into his 401k, or taking to the garden to plant a few Fire Flowers. But not Shiggy, who tells gamesTM that retirement isn't an option quite yet. While Nintendo "has to retire me some time," he says, "I look around and see how aged cartoonists continue to work on their manga and how movie directors create new movies all the time, I understand that they would never retire. And by the same token, I guess I will still be making games somehow." Miyamoto also mentions Super Mario Galaxy 2, and says that the first numbered sequel in years was supposed to be version 1.5, but "we noticed that there were too many new experiences for it to be merely an incremental update." He gracefully refuses to comment on others' work, but affirms that Nintendo goal is "to provide fun and surprise" in video games, not merely to see "who can come up with the most violent depictions." Miyamoto says that the motion control mania going on with other consoles proves that Wii is "the de facto standard of the industry's control mechanisms," and new innovations, like the upcoming Vitality Sensor, are announced "only after being able to confirm internally that it is something that the general public will be able to appreciate." First we need to see just what the heck it does before we can start talking appreciation! And while almost every game developer out there has been influenced by Shigeru Miyamoto, who's impressed him? "Mr. Will Wright," he admits, "is a very unique person and someone very special." Maybe Miyamoto's taking notes on Wright's retirement, too: He's still having Stupid Fun after leaving the corporate life. [Via Industry Gamers]
Side-Kick founded to work on motion-based games for 'next-gen' consoles
Israel-based company Side-Kick is a new studio "focused on the creation of motion control games for next-generation game consoles and digital living rooms." We're not quite sure what a digital living room is (The Matrix?), but the rest seems fairly self-explanatory. Led by Guy Bendov, co-founder of Double Fusion, the new company also includes former Eidos and PrimeSense alums, the latter being responsible for the tech behind Microsoft's upcoming Project Natal. So, the studio definitely has built-in familiarity with Microsoft's new motion-sensing device and, based on that next-gen line above, we assume the company will also produce PlayStation Move content. Side-Kick has a few games in development right now -- Mini Demons is only briefly shown via its website -- and will be on-hand to display its new wares at Microsoft's ThinkNext2010 event and E3. We've contacted the company for clarification on which platforms it's currently targeting. Update: A Side-Kick representative got back to us, stating that "Natal and Move are the targets for now since they use camera systems to track movement." Well, we're glad that's cleared up!
Microsoft gives us a look through Project Natal's eyes (video)
Ilan Spillinger, Microsoft's Xbox 360 VP, was on hand in Tel Aviv yesterday for a showcase of Project Natal. Although there wasn't much in the way of groundbreaking stuff, the resulting video does show off the motion control system's gender recognition (done through Natal's facial recognition ... you filthy child) and ability to track two players within the frame at the same time. A tipster from the audience tells us that earlier lag issues have been eradicated, although some jitter was indeed apparent when the second person stepped into Natal's field of vision. Either way, it's looking like Microsoft's Xbox 360 peripheral is progressing well toward its release near the end of this year. Go past the break to see for yourself. [Thanks, Roy]
2K Sports is planning to support motion controls
An interesting landscape is starting to take shape out there, thanks to the fresh wave of motion-control technology coming to gaming this year: the PlayStation Move and Microsoft's Project Natal. And there's no other genre that calls for an immediate association to motion-control gaming than sports, right? 2K Sports' VP of Marketing Jason Argent recently talked with the[a]listdaily about the new tech and its potential for sports games. Argent confirmed that 2K Sports would in fact be employing the tech, though there's no time-line as of yet. Argent only offered that we all should "stay tuned" for more info. For certain games -- hockey, baseball and boxing -- we'd say utilizing the tech makes sense, but how could it make for a fun football or basketball experience? Well, 2K Sports, forgive the pun but the ball's in your court. [Via Industry Gamers]
Greenberg promises surprises from first-year Natal games
Aaron Greenberg, product manager for Xbox Live and Xbox 360, told Edge magazine (excerpted by CVG) to expect a wide variety of games in Project Natal's lineup. Well, actually, the way he puts it, you can't expect it: "I think people will be surprised even in the first year by the variety of experiences you'll get," he said, also noting that the company has "thought out the portfolio years in advance." We'll be able to evaluate the variety of that early lineup at Microsoft's E3 Natal event, according to previous statements made by the company. Seemingly transforming into Bizarro Reggie, Greenberg went on to channel the Nintendo promoter's gift of gab as he espoused the wonders of the Natal platform. "The beauty of Natal is that it brings you, male or female, young or old, an experience that everyone can enjoy," he said. "Whether it's gaming experiences or lifestyle experiences, everything we're doing in the design is about thinking of a way anyone can step in front of it and be able to use it in a matter of seconds."
PrimeSense fesses up: it's the magic behind Microsoft's Project Natal
Up until now, we haven't actually been able to find out too much about the ins and outs of Project Natal. For all we knew, it's a technology designed in the back stall of a unicorn barn, and the final name will somehow involve diphthongs from both "lasers" and "Robot Apocalypse." All jesting aside, this really does mark the first bona fide announcement about the nuts and bolts behind Microsoft's forthcoming motion sensing add-on for its Xbox 360, and lo and behold, the revealing is being done by the same company we sat down with earlier this month at GDC. Quite a few of you assumed that PrimeSense's webcam was indeed Project Natal in camouflage when we posted up our original hands-on, and while we couldn't confirm or deny those suspicions at the time, we can today. So, what's this mean for you? It probably means that PrimeSense is actively looking to get its 3D-sensing technology (which has obviously been tweaked quite a bit by Microsoft, to its credit) into as many living room scenarios as possible, so what you're seeing in Natal might just appear elsewhere in the very near future. Did your imagination just run wild? No? Have a look back at our GDC experience and try again.
Yoga Natal game appears on GAME retailer's Xbox 360 release schedule (update: Amazon UK too!)
Time for some more salacious prognostications about the future, courtesy of the wily folks over at vg247. The team there claims to have obtained internal documents from UK video game retailer GAME that lists the release dates for forthcoming Xbox 360 titles. The listing is headlined by new iterations of Crysis, Call of Duty and Metal Gear Solid, but the highlight for us gadget junkies is at the very end: Yoga Natal, scheduled for an October release. Now, even if this doc comes straight from the horse's mouth, game release dates are notoriously prone to fluctuation, so let's not read too much into that October date. What's intriguing is that Microsoft does indeed seem intent on creating specialist games for its Natal experience, and it may be that they'll all include Natal in their titles to make compatibility abundantly clear. Or this may be just a big bad April 1-related hoax, we'll live either way. [Thanks, Matt R.] Update: We've now also discovered a pulled Amazon listing for Yoga Natal, and we've stashed a screenshot of its Google Cache version just after the break [Thanks, Ian].
Ultra vague accelerometer patent filed in 2006 seems to cover every touchphone on the market, granted last week
We're going to try and avoid the hysterics: patents are a complicated business, and the fact that they're business usually means that in the worst case scenario, an appropriate amount of money can make problems like this go away -- nobody's going to take our phones away from us. Still, in what we have to chalk up to regular United States Patent and Trademark Office hijinks, or perhaps just a very forward-looking innovator, Durham Logistics (some secretive LLC based in Vegas) has been granted the patent to pretty much any use of an accelerometer in any computing device ever. Its "Method and apparatus for controlling a computer system" describes basically any use of a motion detection sensor in changing the state or implementing functionality in a device, which would obviously apply to most every smartphone on the market, along with a good number of laptops that use accelerometers as free fall sensors to know when to park the hard drive. The patent was applied for back in 2006, and is based on earlier patents from 2004 and 2001 to give it some extra cred (Apple's own motion control patents, for instance, weren't filed until late 2007). Still, it's rather general, vague, and obvious, and all the examples given seem to be about scrolling, selecting icons, and swiping through pages (not popular uses from accelerometers currently) so time will tell if it will hold up in court if Durham decides to go after any one of the multi-billion dollar companies that are currently "infringing."
Datel TiltFX adds tilt-based motion controls to PSP
Do you ever look at those iPhone gaming ads and say, "Gee, I wish I could do that on my PSP?" Well, if just buying an iPod is out of the question, Datel may have a solution for you. The TiltFX is a new accessory that promises to add motion controls to "all games" on the PSP. According to a press release, the device features a three-axis MEMS sensor and is able to replace the functions of the standard D-Pad and analog stick. Additionally, Datel is offering customized profiles for specific games, like WipEout, LocoRoco, and Super Monkey Ball. Presumably, these will tweak the controls for a better tailored experience. We haven't had a chance to test the TiltFX for ourselves, but it is advertised as compatible with all PSP systems, minus the Go -- meaning owners of PSP-1000, 2000 and 3000 series systems can use the device. According to a Datel representative, the device won't require custom firmware to operate. (It seems the device is sending control data via the PSP's headset port.) Apparently, it's available now and has a MSRP of £14.99 or $19.99. You can check out a commercial after the break.
Miyamoto wants to get DS into classrooms (with permission)
[Brandy Shaul] Ahhh, grammar school -- there was nothing quite like trying to hide that GBA under the desk in fear of Mrs. Rosencrantz confiscating our portal into Pokémon Fire Red. Back then, handheld games were little more than an obvious distraction in the eyes of our ruler-equipped teachers, but Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto plans on changing all of that. Speaking with the Associated Press in an interview recently, the legendary game developer explained his latest devotion: bringing the Nintendo DS and Wii into schools. He said that the DS would be making its way into "junior high and elementary schools in Japan starting in the new school year" (beginning this April). Miyamoto didn't get too specific on how his company's consoles would help Japanese students with their education, only detailing it as part of Nintendo's initiative to expand the audience for gaming consoles. We have to imagine that the kids won't be using them to decide whether or not Resident Evil 4 on Wii is the best version (besides, we all already know that it is). Thankfully for our unborn children, Miyamoto didn't mention any amorphous plans to bring gaming consoles into North American schools just yet. Presumably they'll have to play it fast and loose like we did -- keeps 'em sharp!
