Microsoft, along with Sony, is rumoured to be revealing the Xbox 360’s answer to the Nintendo Wii at next month’s E3 event. But while Sony seems to be angling for a Wii-like zapper, Microsoft is rumoured to be going for a full-body motion sensing bar that needs no additional controller. Sounds a bit like science fiction, but get this: the very same technology may have been demoed already at a previous tech shindig – CES.
Doubts have already been raised about Engadget’s ‘leaked’ image, but the finer details are reckoned to be close to the mark. How intriguing it is then that another company, called 3DV Systems, has already demoed a full-body motion sensing technology in a product called ZCam.
Ars Technica reports that it went hands-on with the ZCam sensor back at CES 2008 and found that the technology “felt even better than Nintendo’s”. The next twist? Back in February, Microsoft was strongly rumoured to have been splurging $35m on the Israeli startup, 3DV systems. Coincidence? We think not.
Now we’ll just have to wait and see whether Microsoft does choose to spill the beans at CES. But with E3 shaping up to be the stage for Nintendo’s MotionPlus, Sony’s rumoured PS3 Motion Controller and Microsoft Xbox 360’s 3DV accessory, it’s looking very much like motion sensing will be the order of the day. Hopefully the big three will still find time to announce some, y’know, adult games too.
