Home Gaming I may have been wrong, IllumiRoom may be awesome

I may have been wrong, IllumiRoom may be awesome

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IllumiRoom

It’s been a while since we first saw Microsoft’s IllumiRoom concept and at the time it looked like a decent idea but not really one that I could see very much use in. That however has now changed.

While I think there is still a long way to go before the technology is really useful I can’t help but be impressed by this Microsoft research video that has popped up on the Internet.

What really intrigues me is how the projector can actually change the colour and styling of the room and playing Borderlands 2 with the dark edges just appeals to me.

And not to mention the partial wall coverage that only works with explosions and bullets, now that’s nice immersion. While I’m not sure this will work in 90% of South African lounges I can see Microsoft setting up awesome IllumiRoom experiences in shopping malls and to add that wow factor to professional tournaments.

So are you impressed, do you have a favourite effect? What about the idea of changing the snowflakes to rain in Forza 5?

Last Updated: May 2, 2013

68 Comments

  1. AndriyP

    May 2, 2013 at 09:20

    This would so destroy my eyes, i wouldnt be able to use this
    Take your virtual reality out of mah living rooms!!

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      May 2, 2013 at 09:40

      my wife gets bilious just watching movies like Lord of the Rings on the big screen. 3d, she cannot even last 5 minutes. Some people just are not made for it. I do not like 3d, to be honest, but I can watch it (my laptop has a 3d screen, for example).

      Reply

      • Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

        May 2, 2013 at 09:44

        I get motion sickness in games at times. This would guarantee an upchuck from me lol

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          May 2, 2013 at 09:50

          The wife will not watch me play any RPG, like fallout, because I move the camera and view around, spin and look and so forth.

          She played and loved Eternal Sonata, no camera moving you see.

          Reply

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 2, 2013 at 10:28

            Yeah, mine also loves to watch me play RPGs. She says she loves to follow the stories. WIth Ni No Kuni, she actually sat with me for hours while I played it.

            PS: I always wondered if other guys had their significant watching them play and enjoying the stories? SHe can’t handle FPS games though. She once watched me play Battlefield 3, and she said that too much was happening.

          • Brady miaau

            May 2, 2013 at 11:22

            yip. Too much on screen at once seems to be the big complaint when listening to my friends and significant others.

            My wife has asked about stories before, and I summarise and tell her. Like Dues Ex, for example.

          • silverscorpio

            May 2, 2013 at 11:57

            The only game my wife watched me play was God of War and she dabled in Tomb Raider Underworld. Nothing after that despite me trying to get her involved.

      • AndriyP

        May 2, 2013 at 09:50

        I can watch it but prefer not to, i like to relax while watching and after a 3D movie i feel like i used to when i was a young lad lanning for 3 days with no sleep, well thats how my eyes and brain feel like

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          May 2, 2013 at 09:55

          me too, to be honest. Like Dues Ex, could not play in 3d at all.

          Reply

  2. Faeez Hendricks

    May 2, 2013 at 09:23

    I just dont see this working for me unless i have a plain white room with no furniture etc etc then it would be better. At the moment it just looks like one big distraction.

    Reply

  3. Martin du preez

    May 2, 2013 at 09:25

    Microsoft.. thinking of everything except games.

    Reply

  4. Martin du preez

    May 2, 2013 at 09:26

    Also,this will make me want to throw up before my pizza arrives.

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 2, 2013 at 10:29

      Maybe that’s the secret strategy to get you to keep on ordering pizza through Xblox live? Vacated your bowels? Well order another one… it’s only 300MSpoints.

      Reply

  5. OVG OfflineVideoGamer

    May 2, 2013 at 09:28

    Just use a big ass white projector board. The wife will not like this shit.

    Reply

    • Brady miaau

      May 2, 2013 at 09:35

      you telling me!

      I wanted a pool table, she moved her Piano and sewing kit into the spare room. I can just imagine trying to do this in the lounge (TV room not wide enough, I fear at 3.5 meters wide). Wow. Agreement not forthcoming, but it looks absolutely awesome.

      Reply

      • OVG OfflineVideoGamer

        May 2, 2013 at 09:40

        lol It’s just not worth the compromise if one has watch Sex in the City with wife at the cinema 😉

        Reply

        • Brady miaau

          May 2, 2013 at 09:49

          Shudder!

          Reply

        • umar bastra

          May 2, 2013 at 09:49

          lol Married for almost 6 months now and I have already experienced this. I have to now keep up with the kardashians too

          Reply

          • Brady miaau

            May 2, 2013 at 09:53

            An older friend told me once that he makes all the big choices, his wife the small ones. Like where they live, what they eat, what they do, where the kids go to school. But he makes the big ones. 🙂

            All joking aside, marriage is awesome and you can lean on each other and play to strengths. For example, I am partially colour blind, so I tend to let the wife decide on curtains, tiles and stuff like that. We work together and it works very, very well. I am far more analytical than my wife, so I look at finances and so forth. We must both agree before something big and that is the way it should be.

          • umar bastra

            May 2, 2013 at 10:00

            before I say anything more, beautiful story man 🙂 that is really awesome.

            I whole heatedly agree with you man. I don’t agree with you.I’m not too fussed about decision making. we work together as well. ad come to an agreement or compromise. It’s also very good when your spouse tries to indulge a lil in your hobbies. My wife sat with me during the first hour of Ni No Kuni , and we were both crying big time lol your wife will always complement you and I think that’s the coolest part

          • Brady miaau

            May 2, 2013 at 10:01

            Yip 🙂

            Although my wife has her own things, and I have my own things, space is also great

  6. Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew

    May 2, 2013 at 09:31

    All I can think while looking at this is what would Eve Online look like with this?

    What I want to know is does it actually take the existing resolution and add on to it or does it simply throw 1080 or whatever your res is over a larger area?

    Reply

  7. umar bastra

    May 2, 2013 at 09:39

    Man, this is so cool. I can’t wait to enjoy my games for 5 minutes at a time

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 2, 2013 at 10:31

      LOL! Also, the cost to keep on cleaning your carpets, after every seizure and vomit eruption. Microsoft… sigh!

      Reply

      • umar bastra

        May 2, 2013 at 10:45

        hehe E3 2016

        New Xbox bundle unveiled : Xbox(django and durango or whatever) + IllumiRoom + Easy Off Bang

        Reply

    • Anon A Mouse

      May 2, 2013 at 10:36

      I must say I don’t get motion sick and can watch 3D all day without any fuss but just watching this bit of video made me taste my breakfast again. Imagine having to sit and play a game like this.

      Reply

      • umar bastra

        May 2, 2013 at 10:47

        Man i know what you mean. I don’t think you can sit and play games like this … you could however be flat on the ground with a foamy mouth and play games this way

        Reply

  8. Unavengedavo

    May 2, 2013 at 10:01

    This would be perfect for something that starts with a P and ends with ORN

    Reply

    • Unavengedavo

      May 2, 2013 at 10:06

      And for those of you with a dirty mind… I was talking about PopcORN 😛

      Reply

      • OVG OfflineVideoGamer

        May 2, 2013 at 11:39

        ROFL

        Reply

  9. FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

    May 2, 2013 at 10:19

    The modern day projector requires half a meter to project an image greater than a 42″ TV so room size would be a moot point.

    We may never see this idea hit retail but it sure could do well in theaters.

    M$ have R&D moola to mess around with while over at Sony HQ, 40 of the top Sony execs are not taking bonuses(totalling $10 mill), thousands of jobs are being cut by Kaz and multiple headquarters are been sold globally.

    Reply

  10. Dawid Gericke

    May 2, 2013 at 10:21

    Why not then just use a projector???
    Pretty much makes your nice and pretty HD TV useless if you are going to use a projector in any case just to extend your display.

    Reply

    • Gavin Mannion

      May 2, 2013 at 10:23

      It’s a lot more than a simple projection though.. that’s why I’m more interested now

      Reply

  11. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    May 2, 2013 at 10:26

    Dear god no! Just NO! NO! NO! NO!!!!!

    Reply

  12. Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

    May 2, 2013 at 10:37

    What next Microsoft…. vibrating pillows?

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief Erwin

      May 2, 2013 at 11:48

      Will you order one though?

      Reply

      • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

        May 2, 2013 at 11:58

        Yes, but only if Kinect promises to watch….

        Reply

  13. Tbone187

    May 2, 2013 at 11:37

    Can’t see why all the negativity toward an effort to enrich the experience…bet ya 2 yrs from now, the same people would queue up to purchase it…

    Reply

  14. silverscorpio

    May 2, 2013 at 11:55

    I think for the majority of gamers it will be useless. It reminds me of the Kinect where there was a big blowup on how every gamer will use it and then the games was stupid or it did not work properly. Only time will tell but I am sceptical.

    Reply

  15. Mathias

    May 2, 2013 at 12:00

    I bet that if it was Sony releasing this the comments wouldn’t be so whiny…

    Reply

    • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

      May 2, 2013 at 12:10

      No, the comments would be knee deep in snarkiness. Regardless of who comes with gimmicky crap, if it’s crap, they will be ridiculed. Microsoft just seems to be on a roll these days. Of the big three, they’re yet to show us the games, but they sure love to show us this gimmicky superfluous crap.

      Reply

      • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

        May 2, 2013 at 14:03

        That’s the problem with Tunnel Vision Jimmy, it only goes one direction. It’s either up or down but no in-between.

        Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          May 2, 2013 at 14:40

          But even as one of the last remaining Xbros (remember I too was once a member), you have to admit… this and kinect are CRAP! It’s head-shaking, eye-watering, nasal-passages abusing crap…

          Reply

        • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

          May 2, 2013 at 14:40

          But even as one of the last remaining Xbros (remember I too was once a member), you have to admit… this and kinect are CRAP! It’s head-shaking, eye-watering, nasal-passages abusing crap…

          Reply

          • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

            May 2, 2013 at 16:12

            Crap indeed but I’m sure a certain Korean manufacturer would be interested in buying the tech.

          • Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)

            May 2, 2013 at 16:47

            I wouldn’t mind one of the South Koreans getting involved in the console race, but then it has to be about the games.

      • Mathias

        May 4, 2013 at 00:53

        Please… There’s people here that still supports the Move piece of crap.

        Reply

    • FoxOneZA - The Chosen One

      May 2, 2013 at 14:02

      Tells a lot about the supporters of the Titanic Sony 😉

      Reply

  16. Skyblue

    May 3, 2013 at 08:37

    We always whine about lack of innovation in the industry and when something remarkable does come along we tear it down before it’s potential is fully realized. I think this looks rather innovative and can def add to immersion in games. The snow collecting on surfaces and the room distortion are very impressive imo.

    Reply

  17. Paul Fouche

    May 6, 2013 at 14:38

    i would love this.. how cool could this be used just to set an atmosphere incase you have visitors can just make it seem like its snowing or balls flying around or something awesome

    Reply

    • Yateen Dayaram

      May 6, 2013 at 21:27

      yeah to impress your lady friend hee hee

      Reply

  18. Yateen Dayaram

    May 6, 2013 at 21:19

    could be the closest thing we have in reality to a holodeck

    Reply

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