Augmented reality, real-life gaming, immersive gaming, etc.—so many intense words have been used by Microsoft to define its next generation “IllumiRoom Concept.” Microsoft is no stranger to bringing innovation to the room (Kinect was a bit revolutionary, if not perfect), and this time they go a step further by combining the Xbox set (Kinect, TV, and console) with a projector, hence turning your whole room into a virtual gaming environment.
IllumiRoom is an extension of Microsoft’s last year registered patent for Holodeck-style gaming (an immersive holographic video game system). It is the perfect mergence of virtual and physical worlds, in which effects are rendered in real time and captured live.
In a way, it is similar to what we saw in the film “Gamer,” in which the character Simon is playing a game “Slayer” in an enclosed environment, just that here you don’t control real-life characters.
The video shows objects flying off the screen and into the room, changing environments, and the TV being the center of the whole experience, basically giving the gamer an in-game feel.
According to the developers, “The system can change the appearance of the room, induce apparent motion, extend the field of view, and enable entirely new game experiences.” “Our system uses the appearance and the geometry of the room (captured by Kinect) to adapt the projected visuals in real-time without any need to custom preprocess the graphics.”
The new Xbox along with Kinect 2 release is due, most probably this E3, and this “IllumiRoom” thingy might prove to be the USP of the new launch.
