Recent developments in technology have enabled users to find new ways of interacting with and through virtual environments. And now, Microsoft has unveiled a new-and-improved version of its IllumiRoom concept, unveiled at last year's CES. It's also got a new name.
"IllumiRoom 2.0 is now called RoomAlive and is a huge leap over what it was last year," Engadget said. "The new system projects content throughout a room that you can interact with (or shoot)."
"Instead of a single Kinect and projector, it uses multiple 'procams' consisting of off-the-shelf projectors, Kinects and a control device," the site added.
Sounds like this is even better than watching movies or playing games using 3D glasses - the new technology doesn't even use a TV. It can self-locate and has an auto-calibrating feature, enabling one to install the technology in virtually any kind of room and be able to interact with the surfaces in that room. This is like enabling users to create a "personalized" Xbox gaming experience.
"Once installed, RoomAlive can track you and your weapons while you hit, kick or shoot creatures. It can also project textures and cyber-critters onto your walls and furniture, transforming your den into a holodeck or a factory, for example," the site also said.
Right now, RoomAlive is still a research project and is still undergoing development. GameSpot noted that Microsoft actually thought that this technology is too costly to be included in a home console, but the company continues to work on it though. Perhaps the tech firm will be able to release a more commercially viable version in a few short years?
"In the future we will explore approaches and experiences that involve multiple users and multi-user viewpoint rendering. We will also explore new ways to increase immersion with spatialized sound," the gaming news source noted the RoomAlive team as saying. "RoomAlive provides a glimpse of how a scalable multi-projector system can transform any room into an immersive augmented gaming experience. Many new and exciting possibilities remain to be explored."
IllumiRoom or RoomAlive seems to be the product of Microsoft's efforts to improve the gaming experience and make it even more realistic, IGN said. It also aims to eliminate "'out of context images' that sit next to your TV."
Engadget noted that the technology also holds viable possibilities for other fields, like military training or education. Plus, it can even have health applications as it may be used to turn consoles into "something that actually gets us off the couch."
Perhaps we'll be running and sweating about in our living rooms when playing through RPG titles in a couple of years.
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