Microsoft Surface
- Thread starter Dresden
- Start date
Since it's kinda ontopic...
I recently developed a little game for a multitouch table as part of my diploma thesis.
It's basically a multi-user Lemmings clone. People are having a lot of fun with it, and I believe that multi-touch has the chance to make interactions much more natural than they are now - at least for non-high-productivity applications.
The Microsoft stuff does look nice. I believe in it when they ship it
I recently developed a little game for a multitouch table as part of my diploma thesis.
It's basically a multi-user Lemmings clone. People are having a lot of fun with it, and I believe that multi-touch has the chance to make interactions much more natural than they are now - at least for non-high-productivity applications.
The Microsoft stuff does look nice. I believe in it when they ship it
To be completely honest I need something of this magnitude like Vic Morrow needs a hat rack, but that doesn't stop me from wanting it. Problem is I can't even begin to fathom what practical use a home user would need such a device for, other than bragging rights. It looks like it takes advantage of a lot of technology.... that a) isn't even released yet or b) incompatible with current technology i.e cell phones. I don't see how it could automatically detect and build an interface out of my year and a half old cell phone.....
If I bought one it would most likely turn into a $5k (or however much it turns out to be) chalkboard.
If I bought one it would most likely turn into a $5k (or however much it turns out to be) chalkboard.
The actual technology has been done by a guy of the name Jeff Han. His system is a lot quicker and has been put into very high end systems that will be stressed much further than anything Microsoft does. Han's company, Perceptive Pixel, has products are sent to the military. I believe much of the technology even used by Microsoft is through license from Han (not sure on that one).
The OS part that would make this even a bit useful is not something I'd want to put in the hands of Microsoft. A company that has proven time and time again that they simply don't get it. What they've shown already is supremely flawed for all but the most niche of markets.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysEVYwa-vHM
The concept of a mouse-less/keyboard-less interface is a borrowed concept, and it probably dates back further than Jeff Han's work also, but what Microsoft has done has taken the idea and made it more practical for people who don't need a seemingly 70 inch surface, and a little more user friendly for your average Joe. What I watched showcased a lot of military technology, and although I'd like to keep tabs on my enemies with blueprints from a 3d environment, I'd rather just play my Ipod.
I don't see how we can gauge whether or not it's practical or impractical by mere glimpses from promotional videos. The idea is neat, and if I were to take a shot in the dark regarding which aspect could take advantage of it with the most success, I would say the restaurant industry. Those tables alone could literally replace nearly the entire staff. Not exactly ideal or moral, but this isn't the first instance where technology took the place of a human being.
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I know that Jeff Han has done some really nice demos of multitouch for a while and done some stuff for military but to say that they seem more responsive is pretty obvious as they most likely don't have a complete OS with all the apps on them but they are custom built apps. And we have no idea about the hardware he uas used to show the demos.
But that's still of no real importance as he has only demoed the multitouch interface. No recognition of objecs in the surface (not that I've seen anyway) and the REAL easy and intuitive interface with those items (when they are supported) such as the phones and cameras. And don't forget the credit card stuff. That kind of thing would be real nice to have with a few restaurants that I know of. The idea that people might pay individually is complete foreign to them and results in a mess and shouting.
I'm not saying that all of the stuff is completely new, but this is the first real product that people will(?) be using and that might be affordable in a year or so.
I'd like to see some game consepts based on this. Some REAL nice stuff comes to mind.
-RTS with two or more people playing on the same side controlling the production and troops at the same time. (might need a bigger table)
-"classic" pen&paper rpg tools, drool
-puzzle games (and not just jigsaw puzzles)
-almost anything not fps really
It's still way too expensive for normal people to get for a while, but the stuff in it can end up quite cheap. I bet that you could get the electronics of the display under $2k now. It just needs to be mass produced.
And finally, no, I'm not predicting this to be a huge success, but it has the potential to be. Not at homes for a while but eventually. It's the workdesk+, you already know how to use a desk, it just got a thousand new possible uses.
But that's still of no real importance as he has only demoed the multitouch interface. No recognition of objecs in the surface (not that I've seen anyway) and the REAL easy and intuitive interface with those items (when they are supported) such as the phones and cameras. And don't forget the credit card stuff. That kind of thing would be real nice to have with a few restaurants that I know of. The idea that people might pay individually is complete foreign to them and results in a mess and shouting.
I'm not saying that all of the stuff is completely new, but this is the first real product that people will(?) be using and that might be affordable in a year or so.
I'd like to see some game consepts based on this. Some REAL nice stuff comes to mind.
-RTS with two or more people playing on the same side controlling the production and troops at the same time. (might need a bigger table)
-"classic" pen&paper rpg tools, drool
-puzzle games (and not just jigsaw puzzles)
-almost anything not fps really
It's still way too expensive for normal people to get for a while, but the stuff in it can end up quite cheap. I bet that you could get the electronics of the display under $2k now. It just needs to be mass produced.
And finally, no, I'm not predicting this to be a huge success, but it has the potential to be. Not at homes for a while but eventually. It's the workdesk+, you already know how to use a desk, it just got a thousand new possible uses.
Since when was it difficult for a program to sense wireless objects and sync with them? That's all this "magic" table is doing most likely. Its not shape, its not telepathic powers belonging to the computer... Putting objects on the table and using them as interaction would be rather simply as well I would imagine, simply outline a field and automagically you're done.
As long as there is support it should be easy. This table shouldn't be some remarkable thing with regards to this, in the end it has to sync in the SAME way your computer already does. Either through wireless of some sort or use of a cable. I'm not even sure WHY you'd need a camera to tell a object is near by, I guess it was be the final okay if you set it down on the table but other than that (very minor) "feature" there is nothing new in regards to that happening. This stuff should already be in the OS, there is no remarkably new technology needed and this table entire development doesn't hint at all of being that remarkable in the back end. A pretty interface on top of what? I guess I'll wait, maybe Microsoft has been playing jokes this entire time and does have a clue.
I don't understand the constant Microsoft bashing, but the only thing you should be waiting for is the price to change drastically by about half. Chances are by that time you'll be singing a different tune.
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Because it needs to know the exact location. It would be much less intuitive if you put on a camera and it just showed an icon for the camera.
Would it really? Why must it know the camera is where? I'd like to be able to just keep my camera off the surface, it has no real need being there. I just find some of what has been shown to be nothing more than a pretty cover over the same boring stuff, and the pretty cover is not even helping you out just making it "neat".
Neat, I can place the camera on the surface and it starts downloading! Oh... you're telling me I could have just turned it on and it'd done the same thing? But the camera noticing is just so neat!
Click on an icon? Give me functionality, not flash. What has been shown is all flash on what we already have. I'm rather tired of the same thing in new clothes. Clicking on a icon takes all of half a second and performs the same function. It might not be as fancy on placing the camera on the surface, but it performs the same exact function in maybe all of five seconds more time.
