Bill Gates hints at plans for new videogame control system

[Oddmaker]

Gamesindustry.biz (http://www.gamesindustry.biz) has the story (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25524).
Bill Gates has revealed that his vision for the future of gaming involves a new control system where players swing a bat or racket as they would in real life - but said it won't be the same as the Wii.

As reported by AllThingsDigital, Gates' comments came during a panel interview which he took part in with Apple boss Steve Jobs.
Turning to the subject of how the home PC's role is evolving, Gates said, "As we get natural input, that will cause a change... Software is doing vision and so, you know, imagine a game machine where you just can pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it."

The interviewers suggested Nintendo has already created such a machine in the form of the Wii - but Gates replied, "No, that’s not it. You can’t pick up your tennis racket…And swing it. You can’t sit there with your friends and do those natural things.

"That’s a 3D positional device," Gates continued. "This is video recognition. This is a camera seeing what’s going on."Read the full story here (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=25524).

[Gorvi]

So he wants to make a more advanced EyeToy?

[Scramble]

This is just retarded. Why would I want to go out and buy a Tennis racket if I wanted to play a Tennis game in the future of Bills? Once again, this shows that Bill's "visions" are that of other people, changed slightly.

[Abednigo]

This is stupid. As if anyone has a room big enough that they could swing a full sized tennis racket around. Imagine playing doubles. Or playing a baseball game and having to worry about getting your skull cracked open with someone swinging a real baseball bat around.

It's as ridiculous as comparing the snapper (Night at the Museum reference) to the clapper ("Clap on, clap off!").

[Klade]

This is technology that has been demo'd already. In the demo's I saw they used a wand that the computer recognized as the thing it should look at and manipulate on screen even though the wand itself was just a solid piece of plastic.

Basically it works a lot like the PS3's card game that had the monsters standing on top of the cards. Only it would use that for input rather then just display. And, its also a few years off at the very least.

[Ancalagon]

So what happens if we want to play 1st person shooters.

System Requirements:

1 (One) x Heavy Plasma Rifle. If not available in this century, just wait a bit.
2 (Two) x H&K 9mm Pistol. if you are not legally entitled to a firearm we suggest you join the military or move to the USA.

[Yellowman]

It's an interesting idea, but Gates doesn't sell it very well. Swinging a tennis racket around my living room would not be a good idea!

[Arglor]

I actually listened to that panel discussion and all I could think was, "why are they asking these two people these questions?"

I just don't see gates and jobs as geniuses that can fix all problems. In fact the more i listened to them, the more i realized gates is a egotistical prick who won't reference the "good" outside his own corporation and jobs at least recognizes the flow of popular sentiment, and understands how best to capitilize on the change of popular opinion. Jobs: "People will choose the interactive devices they want to use, not what we tell them to use." But still I didn't see any drastic conclusions from Jobs that showed me his "unique" look on the world and ability to forecast the future.

These people are not going to define the future, because they are so segmented from the present. Gates doesn't realize that only 20% of the country own rackets, or even give a shit about country club-tea drinking elitist ball knocking.

[51|RandoM]

Note to Gates: It isn't the input system, it is the price. If the Wii was as expensive as the 360 there'd be a lot less waggle fans out there.

[bapenguin]

Meh. Doesn't excite me at all. I rather play real tennis or bowling or whatever. Sure it's fun for a time, in short bursts...but it's nothing that is going to radically change video games.

[Mista Mafiosi]

Just have to wait and see how it plays out. Who knows this might do well for the obesity problem in america more than the wii.

[feeble]

I was reading a good discussion over at Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/30/steve-jobs-and-bill-gates-historic-discussion-live-from-d-2007/) on this interview.

Essentially it boils down to "touch, ink, speech, vision"
Don't take these literally, ink could mean a touchscreen, speech could be voice commands, vision could boil down to a camera. not completely sure just yet.

but, I did come to a few realizations.

First off,
"As we get natural input, that will cause a change... Software is doing vision and so, you know, imagine a game machine where you just can pick up the bat and swing it or the tennis racket and swing it."
it doesn't necessary have to be a bat or a racket, its just a suggestion.
It could in fact be a remote, a ruler, a pen or even your hand.

When combining "touch, ink, speech, vision" you could essentially interpret any action and/or object then put it on the screen. example: to swing a racket in on the screen.

So anything really could become a controller.

To me it still doesn't sounds very appetizing to still be swinging around or using my hand as a gun.
But like anything, ideas will eventually come and new ways will be thought up off.
One day it might even be used elsewhere, instead of in front of a monitor. Outside in a field, on the street as advertisements, in a theme park.

I'm just speculating mostly, but it does sounds pretty amazing, eventually.

[Yellowman]

Just have to wait and see how it plays out. Who knows this might do well for the obesity problem in america more than the wii.

TBH I think the best solution would be to eat them. Even if we sorted out the obesity the world would still be overpopulated and they would still be consuming resources, quite a lot since they live in the 'free' world (and think how much energy it takes to suck the fat out of foods). Far better to simply round them up and feed 'em to the third world!

[agentgray]

Innovative and revolutionary.

[jacktion]

it doesn't necessary have to be a bat or a racket, its just a suggestion.
It could in fact be a remote, a ruler, a pen or even your hand.

So anything really could become a controller.

I'm just speculating mostly, but it does sounds pretty amazing, eventually.


So you could hold anything? Like a wii controller? I am kidding, but this sounds really expensive and complicated to achieve the exact same thing that we already have. And Nintendo did it simply and cheaply.

You're a little behind the times, Mr. Gates!

[Ancalagon]

If gates does this thing with a racket or whatever, I'll be the first to write a virus that alters the game code to make all tennis balls fly towards the players head! or nearby priceless vase or glass table.

[Bingley Joe]

TBH I think the best solution would be to eat them. Even if we sorted out the obesity the world would still be overpopulated and they would still be consuming resources, quite a lot since they live in the 'free' world (and think how much energy it takes to suck the fat out of foods). Far better to simply round them up and feed 'em to the third world!


Aww, Mom.. not glutton burgers again!!

[ccranium]

In the interview Gates isn't referring specifically to a game device, he's talking about Surface (the multitouch devices they're working on). RoundTable (their conferencing software) and projection technology.

They are using infrared cameras to detect motion and interaction with the computer instead of devices like a keyboard or mouse. Similar principles to an EyeToy, yes, but with significantly more intelligence.

[Derella]

I don't want to play sports in my 1 bedroom apartment. I goto the gym for a workout. I play games to relax and have fun.

[TheFlyingOrc]

Note to Gates: It isn't the input system, it is the price. If the Wii was as expensive as the 360 there'd be a lot less waggle fans out there.

Actually, since it's sold out, supply and demand seems to hint that at $300 (same as core) it would still be roughly selling the same. It's the novelty of it, because all video games sell on is novelty. It's just the novelty of better graphics VS the novelty of new control system.

[atariv8]

It's just the rich loosing sight of the average American. Bill may have a large room in which to play tennis, hell he probably has a real tennis court in his living room, but most people don't have that option. This was a talk about FUTURE gaming technology and visual recognition may not be that difficult or expensive in the future. I think the idea is that you're already a tennis/golf/whatever player and this system would allow you to use the tools your familiar with. I do agree that those guys are the wrong people to ask about the future of gaming in general, but their companies are the driving forces behind the desktop systems in everyone's home.

[Itchyeyes]

As far as products from Microsoft that have potential to revolutionize gaming, I don't see why they're not at least advertising some of the possibilities that Surface (http://www.microsoft.com/surface/) has. Just the idea of something that's a cross between a board game and a video game has me all excited.

Granted, it's pretty pricey hardware right now, but it seems pretty clear to me that this technology has a strong future and they even mention that they expect prices to drop significantly once it's on the market and for it to make it into homes eventually.

[Elrik Murder]

So...he wants to combine the Wii with the Eyetoy. I don't buy it. Sounds like sour grapes.

Hmmm...video recognition could vastly improve upon the control scheme, however. It could be used in conjunction to determine where my hands are so I don't have to bring my hands to some arbitrary default stance. Then I could actually use the putter in Wii Sports.

Edit: Cool, I'm a squire!

[Roc Ingersol]

A proper vision system that could recognize gestures and/or voice commands is the logical progression after the wiimote.

The trick is replacing the nunchuk.
Movement would be a sticky wicket without an analog stick and a button or two. Would you jog in place to run? hop to jump? Ok.
But how would you 'turn' or strafe or 'look left' or 'take cover behind object x'? Kinda tricky to turn yourself while keeping your eyes on a fixed display.

[TheFlyingOrc]

A proper vision system that could recognize gestures and/or voice commands is the logical progression after the wiimote.

The trick is replacing the nunchuk.
Movement would be a sticky wicket without an analog stick and a button or two. Would you jog in place to run? hop to jump? Ok.
But how would you 'turn' or strafe or 'look left' or 'take cover behind object x'? Kinda tricky to turn yourself while keeping your eyes on a fixed display.

This is a very insightful post. It could very well see motion (although everything with this technology I have used sucked), but how would it know where you were standing, etc?

[Gorvi]

A proper vision system that could recognize gestures and/or voice commands is the logical progression after the wiimote.
Wasn't this the big idea between the new EyeToy for the PS3?

[Roc Ingersol]

Wasn't this the big idea between the new EyeToy for the PS3?
i dunno, does it work?
The eyetoy stuff i've seen has a hard enough time with 2d motion, let alone 3d motion. I kinda tuned out one-camera implementations as more-of-the-same gimmicky stuff.

As far as products from Microsoft that have potential to revolutionize gaming, I don't see why they're not at least advertising some of the possibilities that Surface (http://www.microsoft.com/surface/) has. Just the idea of something that's a cross between a board game and a video game has me all excited.
You and WotC/Wizkids/Games Workshop/etc. Those companies are largely petrified of the digital age making their little toys obsolete. Something like surface would let them cheaply develop software to extend the experience while retaining a focus on the overpriced pieces of plastic they love so much.

Me? I'd go so far as to write my own damn D&D software for that thing -- all so I could use mini's without the problems of terrain, hand-drawing or (un)covering pre-drawn maps, tracking all the numerics, etc. You could have the software recognize on-board dice rolls.

Could you imagine having someone move a physical mini into a threatened area and having software calculate the attack and update the character's/monster's stats? Or even having it precalc allowed movement given terrain/obstructions/encumberance/etc? That's like pen-and-paper nirvana.
All those rules that people opt-out of in PnP games, because they're too cumbersome... all coming back, but without losing the advantages of meatspace gaming? that's hot shit.

Not to mention the applications for Warhammer. If you could get the rules out of the way you could add players far, far faster and fit schedules better. Being able to just stroll over to a friend's, drop my domino'd minis on the table and pick an army load-out file from a wireless device for the game at hand and get going would be pretty huge.
(fantasy mass battle, warbands, mordheim, bloodbowl, etc)

[MaiXu]

But surely the ideal would be a combination of this motion-sensing camera *and* a device like the Wiimote? Together, we could untether the world ...

[Elrik Murder]

Would you jog in place to run?

Sure! Just hook up the ole' Track and Field mat to the Wii.

[KSmitty]

I think Roc brought up the most important point, at some part of the game you will need some kind of button input, although that could be handled with a wireless remote.

You and WotC/Wizkids/Games Workshop/etc. Those companies are largely petrified of the digital age making their little toys obsolete. Something like surface would let them cheaply develop software to extend the experience while retaining a focus on the overpriced pieces of plastic they love so much. Yes they would love it. They could sell you digital packs of X game for some ridiculous cost and lose the cost of shipping, mass production and storage overhead. Although with a system like Surface and a network like LIVE, I would probably have kept tabletop gaming.

[DeathtollWRX]

really dumb idea. Bill Gates is missing the whole point. People bought Xbox360 for the type of games it already has. If more users wanted that type of interactivity they would have bought a Wii instead. Bills needs to get the X360's to stop breaking down and start devouring other companies to get more exclusives.

[Phanto]

This is stupid. As if anyone has a room big enough that they could swing a full sized tennis racket around. Imagine playing doubles. Or playing a baseball game and having to worry about getting your skull cracked open with someone swinging a real baseball bat around.

It's as ridiculous as comparing the snapper (Night at the Museum reference) to the clapper ("Clap on, clap off!").

Lol I can't imagine people swinging bats in their rooms, heck even with the Wii-mote people broke their televisions, lamps and other objects in rooms I can't imagine with the real thing in hand.

[Xerxes]

Smaller Surface screens for kick ass 360 rts games. That's where I would go with that.

[Mr.Green]

What I want is to be able to look where I want to in a 3D environment as quickly and precisely as I can in the real world damnit. The closest thing we have is a god damn mouse.

[51|RandoM]

Actually, since it's sold out, supply and demand seems to hint that at $300 (same as core) it would still be roughly selling the same. It's the novelty of it, because all video games sell on is novelty. It's just the novelty of better graphics VS the novelty of new control system.

If it were $300, it wouldn't be sold out, which kind of undermines your point. Well, it might be sold out, if we decided to assume that Nintendo would manipulate their production numbers to fall a hair short of demand.

[Johan]

I"d be happy if I could just play to my heart's content on my 360 without worrying I'll have another one die on me.

These other ideas are great, but...I want reliability.

[Tabasco]

The idea is great, although Gates explained it terribly. There are a lot of small problems that would need to be tweaked in order for it to support a variety of genres, but I think it could certainly be done. I just hope it dies less than my 360. I'm on my third one.

[ubartehbarbarian]

fuck that shit whats wrong with a mouse and keyboard or a controller.