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Microsofts RoomAlive transforms any room into a giant Xbox game
- Thread starter mocoworm
- Start date
Garrett 2U
Member
just watched the video, that is some cool tech!
FUNKNOWN iXi
Member
You mean, like a video game? ;b
wouldn't it be simpler to have something like google glasses or a VR headset with camera passthrough, and then project the game image overlaid onto where you are looking?
I like how they say 'maybe in the future as tech gets smaller'. They always say that in research stuff to try and pretend what they are doing might have a viable outcome. Even if the tech does get smaller, you'd still need some strange dome stuck on your ceiling to 360 degree map your room and contain multiple projectors. That is never going to be cheap.
Seems like a dead end research path tbh compared to VR/AR
I like how they say 'maybe in the future as tech gets smaller'. They always say that in research stuff to try and pretend what they are doing might have a viable outcome. Even if the tech does get smaller, you'd still need some strange dome stuck on your ceiling to 360 degree map your room and contain multiple projectors. That is never going to be cheap.
Seems like a dead end research path tbh compared to VR/AR
runnin_blue
Banned
Why do they call Kinects "pro cams"?
I found this weird for some reason. Trying to distance themselves from the Kinect name?
I found this weird for some reason. Trying to distance themselves from the Kinect name?
Alx
Member
A regular AR/VR headset wouldn't know the geometry of the room, which is the real innovative part here (adapting the projected images to the environment and the user positions). But the algorithms used for that project could indeed be used with wearable devices in theory, generating a virtual image to overlay on the user point of view isn't really different from generating a virtual image to be projected from a static projector.
You could actually consider it the next logical step in the evolution of such a project : illumiroom = AR from a single static position, RoomAlive = AR from multiple static positions, Fortaleza = AR from multiple dynamic positions.
But that's only one of the possible scenarios, there are many cool things that can be done with projectors, only not in living rooms but rather in public/commercial places.
but Vita does that with its basic AR features in games like Everybody's Golf or Hatsune Miku. Using the camera built in to map surfaces (fiducials?) in real time and then place objects on them. Sony have shown that working with more complex room layouts before too
So a camera mounted on a VR headset would probably be able to feed you a live view of your room, map surfaces and project images into that space.
Krejlooc posted this link in the Oculus Rift thread which I thought was a fantastic view of where things might go.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jpWiTVR0GA
SymbiantXenos
Member
Then it's time for klax.
Cool, can't wait to never see anything happen with this technology ever.
Besides, even if it could be released as a consumer product it doesn't seem like something that would offer any interesting game experiences. Even the Kinect had/has more potential than this. VR being around the corner makes this entire setup even more irrelevant.
Besides, even if it could be released as a consumer product it doesn't seem like something that would offer any interesting game experiences. Even the Kinect had/has more potential than this. VR being around the corner makes this entire setup even more irrelevant.
Phat Michael
Banned
It's research. This is what R&D teams do. You also don't known that any of what you said is true as you just made it up.
Alx
Member
Well, yes, and this is a more generalized expansion of such ideas, using depth information for better integration of the AR content into the scene (not only occlusion handling or ground detection, but full 3D interaction with any surface), and handling multiple virtual points of view, so potentially multiple users.
I don't understand the issue with the MS approach when it's another development of features you consider "fantastic" in other projects.
Robot Pants
Member
Another great gimmick.
lunchtoast
Member
Room Alive! There are...rooms alive in here
The concept of bringing your room to life is cool and all, but when assessing what it is trying to achieve, it becomes obvious that our tech isn't event qualitatively there yet. Whenever we need to
a) sense motion through a camera
b) project virtual reality through a lamp
the end result is just a fidgety, shallow mess compared to the grand vision that drives these kinds of ambitions.
We've all seen Star Trek, Minority Report and such, we often envision these technologies in real life. Thing is, if the interface isn't actually there, but we need to run the interaction through cameras and projectors, it isn't going to satisfy. Virtual reality in fiction has always been about removing the bridge between virtual and physical - cameras and projectors are obviously not doing that, but just introducing new observation and input methods for the virtual.
I don't claim to have any solutions, but the technology should, in some way, physically inhabit the space that we're in. Whether that is possible or not, I do not know.
a) sense motion through a camera
b) project virtual reality through a lamp
the end result is just a fidgety, shallow mess compared to the grand vision that drives these kinds of ambitions.
We've all seen Star Trek, Minority Report and such, we often envision these technologies in real life. Thing is, if the interface isn't actually there, but we need to run the interaction through cameras and projectors, it isn't going to satisfy. Virtual reality in fiction has always been about removing the bridge between virtual and physical - cameras and projectors are obviously not doing that, but just introducing new observation and input methods for the virtual.
I don't claim to have any solutions, but the technology should, in some way, physically inhabit the space that we're in. Whether that is possible or not, I do not know.
SerTapTap
Member
I know people are saying it's "just a concept" which it obviously is, but I still have to wonder why they even tried when they already admitted illumiroom was too expensive to live and this is like 5x the equipment. Can't imagine what they think it might be useful for at that point
Justice_Bolt
Member
Marky Mark
Member
All of the people walking around look as though they have shit their pants.
The thing where you control a character on your augmented reality looks cool but all of the other stuff looks stupid as all of hell.
The thing where you control a character on your augmented reality looks cool but all of the other stuff looks stupid as all of hell.
Final Verdict
Member
This looks like it would be extremely cool, though as many people have mentioned, it is not piratical as it uses way too much equipment.
Still, it is cool seeing all of the projects in MS research.
Still, it is cool seeing all of the projects in MS research.
Mugatu
Member
They say right in the video that "pro cam" is short for "projection camera," the combination of a Kinect and a projector.
runnin_blue
Banned
Oh, I must have missed that.
I didn't like the concept of Illumiroom, because it requires two display modules (the TV screen and a Projector) to perform the same function. Why not just use a single Projector to expand the view area?
Meanwhile, 'RoomAlive' is actually unique.
Lol... sums up my thoughts, exactly.
Its research, I bet a good proportion of research projects go nowhere but they are necessary in order to build on for future projects.
I know I'd never want to have this even if it was cheap and feasible.
Cornbread78
Member
So it's like those projections "games" in all the malls that the kids jump on, right?
SymbiantXenos
Member
Imagine minecraft through this.
Cool in concept I guess but how practical for the majority of homes would this be.
Cool in concept I guess but how practical for the majority of homes would this be.
That was fun, but moreso the "decorative" parts than the interactive ones.
They're just showing off the tech, not a game.
They're just showing off the tech, not a game.
SpongyRug10
Neo Member
The Dutch Slayer
Member
wow ! that would make one incredible horror game :O
jeff_rigby
Banned
There is a 4K glassless 3D scheme that requires 5 1080P streams. A Lecture by Sony about future Console designs mentioned needing stacked memory to support 5 video streams for S3D. So yes it's next generation where Pico DLP projectors which use MEMs are expected in everything and very affordable.
TheAssist
Member
I guess this would be cool for D&D like roleplaying. Instead of imagining being in a cave or tavern you can actually project the location onto your room.
There certainly are some thing that could be done with it. Plus a system like that can possibly still do what illumiroom promised last year.
And in some years time you can put all that technology into one device that includes several lenses and cameras.
Also ... military use is a thing ...
There certainly are some thing that could be done with it. Plus a system like that can possibly still do what illumiroom promised last year.
And in some years time you can put all that technology into one device that includes several lenses and cameras.
Also ... military use is a thing ...
Prophet Steve
Member
This looks great. It feels more immersive than I expected with the objects in the room. Only thing that was really bothersome was the television in front of the projection of the character, but even then it worked decent.
sankt-Antonio
:^)--?-<
Hey guys, I'm the intern that designed The Other Resident this summer with the great team at MSR. Thanks for posting the video!
Those are actually fake/projected TVs. The idea with that effect was to show different ways of networking with other rooms using RoomAlive.
At first, the TV is an actual live feed of another room using RoomAlive. Then, it cuts to a virtual representation of the room, and the monster has taken over. Finally, the array of screens becomes a window into the other room -- you can move around to get parallax effects and shine the light into the room.
Those are actually fake/projected TVs. The idea with that effect was to show different ways of networking with other rooms using RoomAlive.
At first, the TV is an actual live feed of another room using RoomAlive. Then, it cuts to a virtual representation of the room, and the monster has taken over. Finally, the array of screens becomes a window into the other room -- you can move around to get parallax effects and shine the light into the room.
Prophet Steve
Member
A bit late, but I mean the prop where the character at the start is partially projected on. But I now see it is a chair instead of a TV.