Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com Joystiq http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://www.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Joystiq http://www.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Microsoft IllumiRoom unlikely to get public demo until July]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/30/microsoft-illumiroom-unlikely-to-get-public-demo-until-july/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/30/microsoft-illumiroom-unlikely-to-get-public-demo-until-july/http://www.joystiq.com/2013/04/30/microsoft-illumiroom-unlikely-to-get-public-demo-until-july/#comments
Microsoft's view-expanding IllumiRoom technology looks doubtful to appear at the next-gen Xbox reveal in May. Speaking to our tech pals at Engadget, Microsoft Research's Hrvoje Benko and Brett Jones said a public demo isn't likely until July's SIGGRAPH conference.

In addition, Microsoft Research says "IllumiRoom remains in the prototype stage, with much additional research left to be done before it could be made available broadly, but the progress thus far has been gratifying, and the possibilities are intriguing."

Following the info published yesterday, which earmarked the Kinect-incorporating coffee-table projector for next-gen hardware, Microsoft Research talked further about IllumiRoom at the CHI 2013 conference in Paris. In the presentation, Microsoft Research said it's only "scratched the surface of what is possible with IllumiRoom" so far.

The team wants to introduce more illusory effects around what it's calling "augmented gaming," and implement it around more genres; demonstrations to date tended to focus on first-person shooters and racing games.

JoystiqMicrosoft IllumiRoom unlikely to get public demo until July originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>illumiroommicrosoftmicrosoft-illumiroommicrosoft-researchnext-xboxxboxTue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Holodesk: More Kinect magic from Microsoft Research]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/holodesk-more-kinect-magic-from-microsoft-research/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/holodesk-more-kinect-magic-from-microsoft-research/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/10/22/holodesk-more-kinect-magic-from-microsoft-research/#comments
There are a lot of conspiracy theorists at Joystiq that attribute the human race's breathtakingly rapid technological advancement to ancient aliens, claiming that world-changing inventions like polymers, optical media and the Internet have all been reverse engineered from downed extraterrestrial spacecraft.

In actuality, very few modern conveniences can trace their roots back to ancient aliens; most mind-bending breakthroughs come from abstract corporate think-tanks like Microsoft Research. The lab that previously utilized a Kinect to create real-time 3D models has now developed an interactive, holographic 3D environment called Holodesk.

As is demonstrated in the (strangely silent) proof of concept video above, Holodesk uses a Kinect, projector and beam splitter to create interactive holograms. In a nutshell, the Kinect watches your hands and face, tracking their movements and projecting 3D shapes onto a semi-transparent surface above your hands, tricking the eye into thinking the shapes and your hand exist on the same plane. The interface is still fairly rough, graphically speaking, but the technology itself is so solid, we're hoping it'll eventually lead to a Kinect sequel to Time Traveler.

JoystiqHolodesk: More Kinect magic from Microsoft Research originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>holodeskhologramholographickinectmicrosoftmicrosoft-researchmicrosoftresearchtime-travelerxboxSat, 22 Oct 2011 19:30:00 EST<![CDATA[KinectFusion HQ creates 3D models from your surroundings]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/kinectfusion-hq-creates-3d-models-from-your-surroundings/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/kinectfusion-hq-creates-3d-models-from-your-surroundings/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/15/kinectfusion-hq-creates-3d-models-from-your-surroundings/#comments
We've seen people do some pretty awesome stuff with the Kinect that expands the peripheral's applications beyond the realm of controlling games, but we've yet to see anything that matches the wide-reaching implications of Microsoft Research's KinectFusion HQ concept.

Using the Kinect's dual cameras, KinectFusion HQ can construct an accurate, high-quality 3D representation of an entire room in a matter of seconds. The longer the Kinect has to look at a specific object, the more detailed that object then becomes; able to accurately scan and render millimeter differences in texture.

Once the room is rendered, the model can then be interacted with in real time, which the above (oddly silent) tech demo demonstrates in increasingly wild and mind-blowing ways. Since the Kinect is typically thought of as a stationary object, it will be interesting to see how this technology may eventually be implemented into gaming, since its primary functionality relies on moving the unit around the space you're scanning.

JoystiqKinectFusion HQ creates 3D models from your surroundings originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Kinectkinect-hacksKinectFusionKinectFusion-HQmicrosoftmicrosoft-researchxboxMon, 15 Aug 2011 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Microsoft Research shows the possible future of split-screen technology]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/27/microsoft-research-shows-the-possible-future-of-split-screen-tec/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/27/microsoft-research-shows-the-possible-future-of-split-screen-tec/http://www.joystiq.com/2011/02/27/microsoft-research-shows-the-possible-future-of-split-screen-tec/#comments Of all the projects teased by Microsoft Research's Applied Sciences branch, we certainly hope that this is the one that makes it to market. In the video demonstration posted after the jump, Steven Bathiche shows off a few of the interfaces and displays the company's currently researching -- the coolest of which is a "wedge" lens which allows the screen to generate and overlap individual images directed at your eyes, creating a holographic-esque image.

As radical as that sounds, Bathiche took the science one step further: The display can also track two viewers using Kinect, and show each of them a seperate image on the same screen. Considering the number of times we've had to strain our eyes to get our couch co-op Halo: Reach on, the possibility of split-screen gaming that doesn't actually split the screen is infinitely titilating. Check out the video demonstration below!

Continue reading Microsoft Research shows the possible future of split-screen technology

JoystiqMicrosoft Research shows the possible future of split-screen technology originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 27 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>applied-sciencesdisplaykinectmicrosoftmicrosoft-researchsplit-screenxboxSun, 27 Feb 2011 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Hands-on: The Path of Go (XBLA)]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/09/hands-on-the-path-of-go-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/09/hands-on-the-path-of-go-xbla/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/03/09/hands-on-the-path-of-go-xbla/#comments Ready to frustrate yourself forever? Learn the game of Go. It's an ancient Chinese game that's over four thousand years old, and games can last up to 16 hours in tournaments. Sounds just perfect for an adaptation into the frenetic world of video games, right?! Well, your wish is granted. The Path of Go or How We Came Up With A Proprietary Name For The Public Domain Game of Go is being developed in-house by Microsoft at the likewise excitingly named Microsoft Research Cambridge division.

We played the game briefly at GDC, and it's actually very robust. It includes a tutorial where your avatar has some faux back and forth dialogue with an ancient Go master, in which he really does teach you the game. I tried reading an old instruction manual for a set of Go I found at a thrift shop once, and was so confused by terms like "ko" and proper stone placement that I just re-thrifted the set. Now, I'm ready to take on Russell Crowe in A Beautiful Mind and kick his ass.

Additionally, the game features single player or two player both locally and through Xbox Live, multiple backgrounds, and full 3D environments where you can control the camera. There's also an actual story mode in here, where you learn the nuances of the game in "beat the situation" scenarios while heading down a path. The ... wait for it ... Path of Go.

Gallery: The Path of Go (XBLA)

JoystiqHands-on: The Path of Go (XBLA) originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>board-gameGDC-2010Gohands-onMicrosoftmicrosoft-researchmicrosoft-research-cambridgethe-path-of-goXBLAXbox-360Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Microsoft patents EMG muscle controller, is one step closer to Air Guitar Hero]]>http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/microsoft-patents-emg-muscle-controller-is-one-step-closer-to-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/microsoft-patents-emg-muscle-controller-is-one-step-closer-to-a/http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/04/microsoft-patents-emg-muscle-controller-is-one-step-closer-to-a/#comments Our elderly readers may remember all the way back in October of 2009 when we showed you the first video of Microsoft Research's muscle-based game control interface. While it'd be a safe bet to say that the project is still very much in the prototype phase, the experimental division of Microsoft recently filed a patent application for the "Wearable Electromyography-based Controller for Human-Computer Interface", effectively bringing us all one step closer to a future with fully realized air guitar.

Sure, the interface could be used for "computer stuff" or something we suppose, but what'd be the fun in that? Though, as Engadget points out, we're not likely to see anything more solid on this in the near future -- most Microsoft Research projects are "pretty far from market." That being said, a combination of muscle sensor-based control and the not quite 1:1 video capture of Project Natal could produce some rather intriguing results. Your move, Big M.

[Via Engadget]

JoystiqMicrosoft patents EMG muscle controller, is one step closer to Air Guitar Hero originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>air-guitarair-guitar-heroemg-muscle-controllermicrosoftmicrosoft-researchpatentproject-natalprototypeusptoMon, 04 Jan 2010 14:04:00 EST