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View Full Version : The XBox 360 Camera Interface?

bapenguin
03-02-2006, 07:27 AM
XBox (http://www.xboxic.com/news/312) has the details on a recent patent application from Microsoft that employs a 2 camera system to determine spatial movement and time.

The main thing he found is patent 7,003,427, filed on behalf of Microsoft by the name of “Relative range camera calibration” on August 25th 2004, with a later update one week ago on February 21st 2006. To summarize, this patent describes a technique employing two cameras to analyze a three-dimensional scene to subsequently be able to determine object movement and their relative paths in time and space.
Apparently this is called Project Vision and will be unveiled sometime in the near future. The possibilities could be cool, but most likely if it becomes a 360 add-on it's just a gimmick.
fitbabits
03-02-2006, 07:31 AM
Interesting. I'm struggling right now to think of a practical use for it, but it's cool nonetheless.

Eek! I'm 47 posts away from being the top poster... :eek:
Atorak
03-02-2006, 07:31 AM
4 Words: XBox Live Virtual Strippers.
AniAko
03-02-2006, 07:48 AM
4 Words: XBox Live Virtual Strippers.

I know I'd shell out 1000 Marketplace points to see some nakedness ;)
Gel214th
03-02-2006, 07:57 AM
Why don't they just deliver a true HMD with head tracking?
That's the real killer new Input Device that we've been waiting for.
EternalGamer
03-02-2006, 07:58 AM
They seem to be attempting to use the camera to achieve an overly complicated version of what Nintendo is doing with the Revolution, that is, use it for gameplay motions. But setting up two cameras and positioning them correctly in a room requires a lot more effort than just plugging in a motion sensor controller and setting it under the TV. Plus, who is going to buy TWO 360 cameras just for this purpose?

Dan
phantomhitman
03-02-2006, 08:08 AM
i hope i can use one as my cross com in ghost recon, cause you know, i want to watch myself play games.
bapenguin
03-02-2006, 08:12 AM
They seem to be attempting to use the camera to achieve an overly complicated version of what Nintendo is doing with the Revolution, that is, use it for gameplay motions. But setting up two cameras and positioning them correctly in a room requires a lot more effort than just plugging in a motion sensor controller and setting it under the TV. Plus, who is going to buy TWO 360 cameras just for this purpose?

Dan

Why is this going to be any different. It'll be just like a the calibration that will be required with the Revolution. Position of the cams doesn't matter. The Rev is supposed to have 2 sensors placed on either side of the TV.
president_fred
03-02-2006, 08:42 AM
Why is going to be any different. It'll be just like a the calibration that will be required with the Rev. Position of the cams doesn't matter. The Rev is supposed to have 2 sensors placed on either side of the TV.
What have you done to the real bapenguin??!!! I refuse to believe that he wrote that ;).
RMan
03-02-2006, 09:33 AM
It's definately a valid way to do 3D motion capture, image based motion capture has been around for some time. Getting it to work in an easy and reliable way, such that it's a viable game controller would take an awful lot of work, but it'd be real nice.
Knite
03-02-2006, 09:43 AM
you know what would be nicer? TrackIR support for consoles. It would be sooo great for a FPS where you actually control where you look with your head, by turning your head!

I dunno, I love the TrackIR concept. I just hate the price. hehe
Grimmjow
03-02-2006, 09:47 AM
Interesting. I'm struggling right now to think of a practical use for it, but it's cool nonetheless.

Eek! I'm 47 posts away from being the top poster... :eek:

WOOOT go for that top poster!
EternalGamer
03-02-2006, 11:16 AM
Why is this going to be any different. It'll be just like a the calibration that will be required with the Revolution. Position of the cams doesn't matter. The Rev is supposed to have 2 sensors placed on either side of the TV.

Don't get me wrong, baps. I think it is a potentially cool idea. It's just that setting up and positioning two cameras at different angles to focus on your given position seems a lot more hassel than plopping a couple of stationary sensors down on the sides of your entertainment center.

I haven't really thought about the setup for the Revmote that much, and maybe it will be more cumbersome than I think, but from what I read, it is pretty easy to set up and self tracks. Much simpler than setting up a mini Hollywood film set in your living room.

Dan
RMan
03-02-2006, 11:22 AM
It's just that setting up and positioning two cameras at different angles to focus on your given position seems a lot more hassel than plopping a couple of stationary sensors down on the sides of your entertainment center.
I think your greatly overestimating how difficult it'll be. The camera's would likely have fairly wide angle lenses and easily adjustable, so it'd be about as difficult as adjusting a desk lamp, I'd imagine (I seriously doubt it’d be much more work than setting up the Revolution controller sensors). If so many people can install satellite dishes, I doubt the common gamer will have problems with this one.
Zaro
03-02-2006, 11:31 AM
The only problem i see is that you probably cannot play in the dark.
Roc Ingersol
03-02-2006, 12:12 PM
Actually, what 7003427 describes, is just the system of configuring cameras for use by a 3d vision program. It doesn't cover a 3d vision program itself. (though it does seem to cover a single point of access for other softare to retrieve observed data already processed into the common coordinate frame)

All this patent does is tell us what the configuration/calibration process will likely be like. And the answer is: pretty darn easy. Set the cameras wherever (with a reasonable coverage of the room), and then carry some designated 'object' around the room.

The software described will then determine where the cameras are, and where they're facing based on what they record of the designated 'object' moving around.

Beats the snot out of asking the consumer to pull out a tape measure and a protractor.
Mason
03-02-2006, 12:45 PM
Don't get me wrong, baps. I think it is a potentially cool idea. It's just that setting up and positioning two cameras at different angles to focus on your given position seems a lot more hassel than plopping a couple of stationary sensors down on the sides of your entertainment center.

You probably don't need precise alignment, so long as they're generally viewing the same scene. There are algorithms for deriving camera position/angle in sensor networks.

Mocap from binocular cameras is an elegant solution, if they can spare the horsepower to make the input relatively precise. It has potential, but like all of these new control types, it is nothing to get excited over until we start seeing public demos of real games.
mister_slim
03-02-2006, 04:45 PM
Apparently this is called Project Vision and will be unveiled sometime in the near future. The possibilities could be cool, but most likely if it becomes a 360 add-on it's just a gimmick.
Sony's already been working on this for a while, as part of the research that led to the EyeToy. It's a cool idea, but the cameras and image processing are both too expensive at this point.