The interface is… YOU

written by Javier on 3/06/2009

OMG, this is so exciting!

There are 10 comments to this article:

  1. 3/06/2009ainiesta says:

    It´s amazing.. that´s true. but i don´t know, smell pretty trange, don´t you think?

  2. 3/06/2009Outsider says:

    eeer… I’m hesitant between commenting on this as:

    “Microsoft. Expanding our concept of what can be done with computing devices since 1978.”

    or

    “Microsoft. Raising wild expectations and crushing them to vapor since 1978.”

    Time will tell ;-)

  3. 3/06/2009Outsider says:

    This said, the tech makes me salivate, but the acting makes me want to throw up… Man, I don’t know whether they remind me more of Ferrero ads, or of Watchtower magazine covers. This kind of lame acting is not a monopoly of Redmond though… remember Wii Fit. They look so… silly.

  4. 3/06/2009aelygon says:

    yup, i had seen it… the promo video smells a bit fishy to me, but if they really pull it right then it will be very nice indeed.

    did you see sony’s new controller for the PS3?:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgLN7uOj8Jg&feature=player_embedded

  5. 3/06/2009Proyecto Natal: estás dentro | lemon lines says:

    [...] The Cosmonauts Tags: 3D, diseño de interfaces, juegos, visión [...]

  6. 3/06/2009Julio Loayza says:

    They forgot to start the presentation with “From the creators of Zune” :-D

    I’m sorry but coming from Microsoft I can’t avoid to be skeptical.

    Maybe it’s a new strategy. As they are the eternal copycats, now they prefer to anticipate and “copy” products that do not exist already. I mean: We show you a fake video of what we guess other companies are actually working on, so when another company presents the product we can say: “they just copied us!”.

    Well, I know the aim of the presentation is to show the whole potential of the product. Which looks great! But, IMHO what they do with this video is to create several doubts, at least to me.

    First. The aim of games is to be succesful in a difficult task. Otherwise there’s is no point. That means accuracy measurement is needed, and that task is left to interface device. With no device at all but some sensors coming from just one coordinate, and talking about complex tasks, what can be the level of accuracy?

    Some doubts:

    1.- In the demo of the father changing wheel screws, he just makes a number of movements but no accuracy at all in the task is measured (no difference at all between screws). I mean, it seems you can’t get the process done wrong at all. Would not be suppose the point of the task succeding or not on it. In that case, what would be the spacial reference taken from the device in order to know if you are changing one screw or another, or if you are failing? How can you point to a specific point of the screen? Don’t you need then a device?

    2.- What would be the trigger to activate the screwdriver in that case? Wouldn’t you need also a device to do that?

    3.- What happens when other persons are moving behind or around the player? What is the accuracy of the device then? Do they have to keep far? What are the minimum dimensions requirements of the room? :-D

    4.- Voice recognition? Knowing the general problems of voice recognition, is that an advantage nowadays? Have they managed to create a so accurate voice recognition device or software that is really prepared to be an active part of interaction? Cheap? Microsoft?!

    Second. Advantages of no having device control at all. Some other doubts:

    1.- In a driving game like the one shown, is an advantage not to have a steering wheel in your hands? I don’t think so!

    2.- In the same driving game, how the hell do you accelerate? Another device needed?

    3.- Football or other sport games. Apart from shooting penalties, how? how do you run or move? Again, a device?

    4.- Fighting games can reach a new dimension, that’s true, but, to be realistic, can you image jedi kid, among the rest bunch of fat geeks, giving out beatings and kicks?

    I mean, are there so many games that could be controlled enterily by whole body movement recognition and also being playable for most people? I think most of them will need at least one other device. Isn’t that actually Wii?

    Ok, ok. I know, this is really exciting and that if this really works like it’s shown a lot of new possibilities will arrive, and will make me eat my words one by one.

    I also know the presentation is just focused in the technology of movement recognition and maybe not showing the whole solution, but the concept. But, that’s the point, if they have the whole and real solution, why do they not show it to us, as is, and with real people instead of a trailer with the Brady Bunch?

    That’s just what makes me be so skeptical, apart from the fact that Microsoft is behind it. It seems more a desire than a consolidated idea to me.

    Or maybe is just that I’m very narrow minded for some innovations :-)

  7. 3/06/2009Julio Loayza says:

    (Me he quedao a gusto)

  8. 3/06/2009Xavier Pereta says:

    This gives me a bit of hope on this: http://procrastineering.blogspot.com/2009/06/project-natal.html

    However I think its a very big marketing gamble, I can almost hear the noise of designers and engineers scrambling to finish to make it usable. It makes me wonder what do they know about the plans of their competitors …

  9. 3/06/2009Javier says:

    @outsider and @julio I agree with what you say. Keep in mind, though, that Microsoft just dod the video and provides the plattform. It’s up to the game designers/developers to take advantage of the hadrware capabilities.

    @aelygon Wow! That rocks even more!! And it’s real. It kinda scared me when I gave it a second thought. Is it that easy to manipulate reality on a screen? Man, we are vulnerable. Anyway, I think I am gonna post that video too. I’ll credit you. Thanks!

  10. 17/07/2009isa says:

    howwww http://www.technologicworld.com/

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