Microsoft's Illumiroom: Holodeck?

[Depravo]

Game warnings always advise you to play in a well lit environment whereas this would seem to encourage exactly the opposite. Looks cool though.

 

[ForteGospel]

If the projector can be set up to display anywhere, you can get over that limitation.

so, what you are trying to make are 2 different separate screens for a single game... gee! where did I hear about that before?

I could argue that DOS games did it in the 90'ties because GUI's encircled the game screen.

as far as i know... there wasn't another console that used 2 different screens for a game until the ds, except for the screen on the dreamcast... (I never saw one so I can't comment on it...)

 

[Foxi4]

so, what you are trying to make are 2 different separate screens for a single game... gee! where did I hear about that before?

as far as i know... there wasn't another console that used 2 different screens for a game until the ds, except for the screen on the dreamcast... (I never saw one so I can't comment on it...)

This is not "creating a second screen", if anything, it's expanding on the screen you already have, and I'm pretty sure Microsoft pioneered that with Windows, but I may be wrong here. In any case, it's nothing like the DS - you don't actually have a second physical screen, you just plot elements around the border of the screen you already have. It's wrapping your main screen around the room, 360 degrees.

 

[Maxternal]

360 degrees.

And now that the 360's life cycle is almost over they FINALLY have a good reason to have named it that.

 

[Veho]

It's wrapping your main screen around the room, 360 degrees.

You only did this for the sake of the pun, didn't you? Admit it.

(No but seriously you'd need like 8 projectors for that. Or 4 really really expensive ones.)

 

[Foxi4]

You only did this for the sake of the pun, didn't you? Admit it.

(No but seriously you'd need like 8 projectors for that. Or 4 really really expensive ones.)

I actually didn't realize that there was one until it was mentioned. And yes, 360 degrees is a bit of an overkill, but only to illustrate the point.

 

[jakeyjake]

I think that reasonably they won't make it 360 degrees, because a person can only feasibly look at 180 degrees at once. Anything else is useless. And useless = costly.

 

[Maxternal]

I know it won't be like this but I just imagined a near 180 degree projector that you would wear strapped to your head and the image would follow your movement, kinda' a crappy virtual reality thing.

 

[Veho]

I know it won't be like this but I just imagined a near 180 degree projector that you would wear strapped to your head and the image would follow your movement, kinda' a crappy virtual reality thing.

Something like this, but on your head?

 

[Wizerzak]

You guys are completely missing the point of how amazing this thing is.

It scans the room and maps out the dimensions and depth of EVERYTHING in it in order to project an UN-DISTORTED image (by distorting the image to begin with). This means it can project onto ANY surface unlike a normal projector that look horrible on any other that a flat surface. (Obviously as a result of this the projection only really works for the person sat in the centre of the TV).

But it gets better.
Look at 0:43. It also appears to take a picture of your room and OVERLAY IT on top of your real room while distorting to image in order to create awesome effects as the one seen in the video!!!

Also, this is all being done in real time. This is completely revolutionary if you ask me and my only gripe is that it's only on Xbox.

 

[Maxternal]

Something like this, but on your head?

I was just talking about it tracking your head, kinda like a VR helmet does so that the image would always be in front of you ... just that it projects it instead of putting it on little screens for each eye.

That concept, though, added to this would be even better.

 

[Veho]

Also, this is all being done in real time. This is completely revolutionary if you ask me and my only gripe is that it's only on Xbox.

It's not exactly new, it's just projection mapping. All you need to do it on the fly is a projector and a camera (and a PC running the accompanying software... you get the picture). And it wouldn't work with moving objects in the room (it's not actually real time), it only works with static backgrounds. It's neat, but it's not really revolutionary.

 

[Taleweaver]

You guys are completely missing the point of how amazing this thing is.

It scans the room and maps out the dimensions and depth of EVERYTHING in it in order to project an UN-DISTORTED image (by distorting the image to begin with). This means it can project onto ANY surface unlike a normal projector that look horrible on any other that a flat surface. (Obviously as a result of this the projection only really works for the person sat in the centre of the TV).

But it gets better.
Look at 0:43. It also appears to take a picture of your room and OVERLAY IT on top of your real room while distorting to image in order to create awesome effects as the one seen in the video!!!

Also, this is all being done in real time. This is completely revolutionary if you ask me and my only gripe is that it's only on Xbox.

Erm...no. That's a promotional video. So of course, it's going to show some flashy overlay transitions to make things look more futuristic than they already are. That's what's happening at 0:43. I'll eat my shoes if that watery effect is caused by scanning anything and creating a perfect illusion of the room waving over the real room WITHOUT EVEN LEAVING THE SLIGHTEST TRACE of said room.


So...no, it doesn't scan the room. It just displays images around your monitor that are in sync with what's happening on the monitor. Don't get me wrong: it's still a very interesting piece of technology. But it's just not what you seem to think it is.

 

[Wizerzak]

Erm...no. That's a promotional video. So of course, it's going to show some flashy overlay transitions to make things look more futuristic than they already are. That's what's happening at 0:43. I'll eat my shoes if that watery effect is caused by scanning anything and creating a perfect illusion of the room waving over the real room WITHOUT EVEN LEAVING THE SLIGHTEST TRACE of said room.


So...no, it doesn't scan the room. It just displays images around your monitor that are in sync with what's happening on the monitor. Don't get me wrong: it's still a very interesting piece of technology. But it's just not what you seem to think it is.

They specify in the description that everything in the video is real. Not to mention if you pause it you can see the projected overlay.

 

[Deleted-236924]

They specify in the description that everything in the video is real.

I made a video where I saw aliens and specified in the description that everything in the video was real.

Spoiler

I actually didn't, but you get the point.

 

[zachtheninja]

Did anyone else notice that halo anniversary was one of the titles they used in their demo video? (@56 seconds)

 

[XDel]

No Sir, I didn't like it.

 

[DiscostewSM]

I could imagine multitudes of people playing this during an earthquake, and not realizing one occurred.

 

[Wizerzak]

I made a video where I saw aliens and specified in the description that everything in the video was real.

Spoiler

I actually didn't, but you get the point.

Unlike Microsoft you have no reputation to uphold.

Also, doing this would be perfectly possible with current technology, it's just an awesome idea to overlay if you ask me.

 

[Veho]

That's what's happening at 0:43. I'll eat my shoes if that watery effect is caused by scanning anything and creating a perfect illusion of the room waving over the real room WITHOUT EVEN LEAVING THE SLIGHTEST TRACE of said room.

If you pause the video at any moment you'll see the real room under the projection. But since the projected light is bright and moving and the room underneath is dark and standing still, you don't notice it as much, all you notice is the projection. And a camera (with a narrow dynamic range) will tone down the darker areas even further. But the outlines of the original room are still there. Check this out:

That's the shot with the wobbly furniture effect. It's the brightest projection of the entire show, but you can still see the outline of the original room (especially in the lower left corner. And the cupboard on the right).

So...no, it doesn't scan the room.

Why not? It projects a predefined grid onto the room, sweeps the grid across the room and records it with a camera at an angle. It's how 3D scanners work.