Sony's Gaming Wand

[aldo]

​

Sony’s new idea is to plug a webcam into the console, and give the gamer a handheld wand similar to a pocket flashlight. The wand has a battery, a few mouse-like buttons and several different coloured LEDs that can be switched on and off in various combinations.

By pressing the buttons and waving the wand towards the webcam, the gamer can click to shoot aliens, drag-and-drop images on screen and navigate menus.

The webcam is tuned to see only pure bright colours and map their motion in space, so it can ignore ordinary room lights. And if two people have wands with different coloured LEDs, they can play against each other.- n-gamers

Looks like Sony has had an alternate controller concept, albeit not much different than Eyetoy, but Nintendo appears to have knocked one out of the park with their design in comparison.

It appears to have been initially developed for the PS2, but has either been shelved or is pending release on the PlayStation 3.- joystiq

-aldo

 

[EndR]

Hmm..

http://research.microsoft.com/~awilson/wand/tf-andywilson-wand-2.jpg

http://research.microsoft.com/~awilson/wand/default.htm

 

[Titanio]

It's a wee bit old (they filed the patent for it toward the beginning of 2004, I think), but it would be cool if it or a variant of it was used at some point. Would be very good for mouse/pointer functionality (and it does detect depth aswell).

Also, it's more of a pointer than a wand MS's thingy is definitely a wand

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Sounds like one of the experimental concepts for EyeToy (before it was known as EyeToy). It's a possibility but not a confirmed product for future use, though if Rev sees lots of positive coverage and this contraption can cheaply achieve some of those features, I'm sure it of something similar will be on the cards.

 

[BlueTsunami]

OMG, Here comes the flood of "Sony totally stole Nintendos controller idea, teh horror"!!!111

XD

I'm actually kinda freaked on how this "could" turn out to be essentially the same thing as the rev controller (without the buttons and addons). I hope they don't add any buttons to this....then it would be a little to close.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Except as Deano pointed out in the Rev controller thread, an optical detection system can suffer from obscuring and lack of three dimensional accuracy. This device could handle, say, a shooting game or the 'frying pan' game seen in the Rev's promo video, but couldn't handle a baseball game AFAIK.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Except as Deano pointed out in the Rev controller thread, an optical detection system can suffer from obscuring and lack of three dimensional accuracy. This device could handle, say, a shooting game or the 'frying pan' game seen in the Rev's promo video, but couldn't handle a baseball game AFAIK.

ahhhh I see. Does that same thread point out the implimentation of the Revolution controller. If it does can you link to it?! or is it in one of those massive Rev Controller threads? I'm actually interested in how it works.

 

[HappyBread]

Didn't Sony have this back in '99?

They had that wand thingy with the Wizard at their SCEA headquarters, is this the same thing in a more advanced form?

 

[Shifty Geezer]

If it does can you link to it?! or is it in one of those massive Rev Controller threads? I'm actually interested in how it works.

find the Biggest Rev thread you can find and it's probebly in there. Deano added no info on it's working which are fairly standard by accounts. You've two sensors placed above or below your TV (going by Nintendo's statements on this) which measure signals frm the controller to determine position. The controller has gyros for orientation. I think it has a light sensor in the end for 'light-gun' behaviour too. Triangulation and orientation will provide 3 dimensional positioning. IIRC it uses BlueTooth for communcating with the base unit.

 

[aldo]

Optical point tracking used to be used for motion capture, but generally isn't these days for the obvious issue of occlusion. For example the simple example of a golf game, is almost impossible using a single camera.

Sorry but eye-toy and the rev controller aren't comparable. The have totally different pro's and con's. Eye toy is able to extract complex image data, potentially tracking a number of points simulatanously but the resolution and accuracy is fairly low. Rev is able to track one point (or maybe two with a second controller) but with extreme accuracy and reliability.

The Rev controller is very interesting as it much seems to be able to deliver a much better data set. Its (if the hype hold ups...) capable of delivering a full 3D path with rotational data without any lose in signal due to occlusion.

Found it in the Sony's possible answer to the NR controller thread.

 

[Guden Oden]

From what I've been able to gather, the Rev remote control uses solid-state accelerometers and not gyros (as those require immensely precise mechanics and have bearings that are susceptible to damage from wear and hard knocks, such as when players are clumsy and drop/bang their remote or get angry and throws it away in frustration ).

The accelerometers would be able to track the unit without using the bar down at the TV, that one should only be required for precise aiming at the screen... Well, hopefully anyway, or else the promo video Nintendo put out is lying through its teeth when people swing the remote wildly, clearly pointing the end of it away from any TV screen.

 

[BlueTsunami]

Found it in the Sony's possible answer to the NR controller thread.

Nice, thanks for the snipet and the link!. It seems like the Revolution controller is much more advanced than I thought. I shouldn't be surprised though, since the Rev controller is supposed to be Nintendos money shot. Its cool that a different type of interface is being created for the Revolution and the PS3 (well, being spanned from the PS2). Although, I also agree with DeanoC with the Revolutions interface being clearly superior.

 

[Guden Oden]

I also agree with DeanoC with the Revolutions interface being clearly superior.

Sony's interface may be inferior if the wand only functions while the glowing lights at the end of it are aimed at the camera attached to the console. However, if the camera also can be used like an eyetoy camera and pick up other images, that expands the use of the camera interface.

Neither solution really competes with the other I think, they sort of seem to fill parallel, though slightly different niches in the food chain. I really hope sony releases PS3 with an eyetoy/wand combo at least as a separate peripheral even if it isn't included as standard. It's just a neato, enspiring idea IMO, as is the Rev remote. I'd hate it if PS3 just has that banana-shaped dual-shock 2 controller and nothing more...

 

[Titanio]

I agree, both has advantages and issues compared to the other. I think I like the look of Rev's better, but it's a different piece of kit, and not superior in every way.

Now if we had Rev's controller crossed with eyetoy..

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Now if we had Rev's controller crossed with eyetoy..

...we'd have a cross-eyed toy??

 

[Shifty Geezer]

From what I've been able to gather, the Rev remote control uses solid-state accelerometers and not gyros

I've seen solid-state gyros on a chip exist. They're used in robots and provide orientation data where accelerometers provide motion data. From what little I know (and Im no expert) the ideal solution consists of a gyro and accelerometer combo as a 'bat-swing' will throw out all the accelerometers and provide no orientation, which would have a negative impact on a tennis game for example.

Gyro on a chip announcement, Jan 2002 :
http://www.analog.com/en/content/0,2886,764%255F801%255F15316,00.html