I found this article the other day and thought it was really interesting stuff. Microsoft is coming out with a controller less gaming system called Project Natal that uses a 3-D camera and motion sensors to detect the movements of the player in real life and translates them into in-game actions. It also uses facial and voice recognition to identify and distinguish between different people. They're unsure when it is finally going to come out, but demonstrations so far indicate that the system works pretty well. I think this new system could change gaming as we know it.
In one of the articles we read last week for the virtual worlds discussion, they talked about "totally immersive virtual reality (VR)." This is definitely a big step toward reaching the goal of VR. I definitely think that it will provide gamers with a new sense of involvement and immersion in the game. I mean even now people get lost in their games, and they're not even moving. I can only imagine the kind of connection people will have when they are. And is this necessarily a good thing? Or are we just increasing the risks of people becomig addicted to their games?
I think that being able to play games by actually acting out the motions instead of sitting stagnantly and pressing buttons is a great thing. There's all this talk about how videogames are stopping kids from going out and playing with friends and is adding to the obesity problems this country already has. But what if you are moving while you play? Is this a healthier alternative? I think it will help to destigmatize videogames a bit and make it more of an interactive and healthy activity than it is now.
I was kind of wondering if maybe this will affect the way people relate to their avatars in games. Will it make you feel more connected with the characters than you would have before? I think that this gaming system will bring about a whole new area for research to be done. Any thoughts on the subjects? Negatives to the system? Cool questions?
Here's the article if you want to check it out:
http://digitaldaily.allthingsd.com/20090601/sucks-to-be-nintendo/
current motion capture technology is very iffy and inaccurate.. even with controllers like the Wii and the new motion sensor games for playstation (forgot what its called) but i'm very skeptical about this.. microsoft has enough problems getting their xbox 360s to run properly but i'm interested to see how this turns out.
ReplyDeleteafter reading the article it sounds like you will be "wearing" the controller e.g. motion sensors. this could be awesome
ReplyDeleteThis sounds incredible. If this actually works well, I feel like it could change gaming completely. I think people would definitely feel as "one" with their game character. I don't believe it would increase the risk of becoming addicted to gaming; I think the risk would remain the same because it depends on the person playing. If it gets people off the couch then, I think it can actually have many positive effects on gamers around the world. It would especially help fight obesity in America.
ReplyDeletePlus, it could be used for other activities online not just gaming. For example, for doing business or shopping--maybe you could try on clothes and stuff.
This looks very cool - especially the painting one. I can see little kids (and big kids) really getting into that. I wonder what a virtual world such as SL would be like with this kind of system...ooooohhh.
ReplyDeleteLike Mike said, I kind of thought there were already some game systems that incorporate the video camera technology to detect motion and translate it into the game, although I'm guessing that these games don't do it to the extent that the totally controller-less system will. I also am a little skeptic about it being able to function accurately and properly on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteAlso, it may not be very practical. Think about the spaces in which people usually hook up their game systems. For many gamers, especially college students, these spaces are pretty small and I'm not sure that it would be practical for you to act out every kind of video game out there. For example, in adventure or combat related games, players would have to perform motions that could potentially cause themselves bodily harm in they run into something (kind of like the accidents you hear about with the Wii remotes).
I do, however, think it's pretty cool how this system is supposed to be able to recognize the player based on facial and voice recognition.
I can understand the argument that if you're going to be playing video games anyway, it's better to be active while doing so. And I also liked the idea that this could possibly make you feel more in touch with your avatar.
Lastly, in Demary's comment I liked the idea of possibly being able to "try on" clothes if you use this system somehow to shop. What a great idea!