Tag: motion controls

News

Fru might actually make the Kinect relevant again

New Xbox One exclusive game, FRU requires players to use the Kinect to play. That, in itself, is already strange, considering the Kinect was unbundled from the Xbox One two years ago. But FRU might actually be able to bring life back to the Kinect by doing motion controls in a completely different way. While many motion control games require the player to, in some way, imitate a natural movement, FRU doesn’t. Instead, FRU uses the outline of your body to demarcate portals on the screen. These then change the environment that the in-game character is in, granting them a way…
Article

How depth-sensing technology is changing videogames

This article is part of a collaboration with iQ by Intel. For anyone who has tried to get down to a catchy pop song while holding a controller during a round of Just Dance, or missed a clutch tennis shot because the Wii didn’t sense the swing, hands-free depth-sensing technology is a saving grace. When players can control a game using gestures and a computer that “sees” like a human, the options become a whole lot more interesting. Enter Intel’’s RealSense camera, which allows users to do everything from change their background during a video chat to scan 3D objects. The 3D depth-sensing…
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With the KOR-FX gaming vest, being shot never felt so good

Have you ever thought to yourself that shooters would be so much cooler if it actually felt like you were being shot? No, of course not, because that would involve pain and really hurt. But the KOR-FX (pronounced core-effects) delivers the experience of being sprayed with bullets painlessly, the tactile sensation of haptic vibrations pulsing through your ribcage. It’s basically a rumble-pack for your chest, although the dev makes it clear on the Kickstarter page that technically it’s a different tech.  Of course, the sales pitch for this thing is that it immerses you in the game, a popular aim…
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This device-less motion-control device could mean big things for games

Up till now, motion control has required you to swing around a remote-control baton, stand in front a motion-sensing camera, or swipe your iPhone. However, Chirp, a small chip engineered by a team at the University of California Berkeley, makes these bulky motion-capture devices unnecessary. You can control any electronic device with simply the wave of your hand. Chirp is a tiny ultrasound chip that relies on sound, transmitting sound waves into the air around it. The chip measures the presence of echoes, which accurately reports to the processor the exact location of objects, like say your fingers. No longer…
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Donkey Kong Country Returns to get 3DS remake, sans control issues

Nintendo has just announced that the truly excellent (and almost ridiculously hardcore) Donkey Kong Country Returns will have a new lease on life, in the form of a 3DS version, due out this summer. It will be in 3D, on a tiny screen, but unless Retro seriously messes with the title, this will also be the definitive version – mostly because it won’t require a Wii-mote to play it on. Let’s talk about controls for a moment. – – – I am the furthest thing from a Wii-hater (or even a motion control hater). I loved all the goofy Wii Sports nonsense, and I…