Smelling it as it is
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PS Vita’s Face Control is a Kinect Killer
REDMOND-BASED gaming firm Microsoft has not had cause to fear anything coming from camp Sony of late but facial recognition coming to the Playstation Vita might just set its boots quaking.
Sony revealed the new technology called Face Control alongside the PSP Engine, a middle ground platform for porting handheld games to the PS3, and Playview hi-res image viewing software at the Game Tools and Middleware event in Tokyo.
The face recognition and mannerism tracking software might still be in development but it looked pretty solid during Sony's demo. The Youtube footage below shows two individuals using the Vita to chat through their 3D avatars.
You can clearly see the 1:1 replication of not only the larger movements like head tilts, but everything right down to the raising and lowering of eyebrows. The only bug we can see shows the flappy eyelids of the female user. We're going to put that down to poor positioning of the camera in hands of the gamer.
Sony hopes to use Face Control to not only control games but also change viewpoints mid-play. Though Sony's Yoshikatsu Kanemaru told press at the event that there are no plans to develop the technology as a chat tool, the demo shows plenty of potential for other applications.
Imagine dictating the actions of your protagonist in a Heavy Rain port by simply appearing happy or anxious, angry or scared in front of the camera, or smiling and frowning to change the mood of your Sackboy.
So while the Kinect might still be king of the hands-free motion controller, Sony's latest claim in the 'You Are The Controller' arena certainly is a promising proposition. µ
Tags: MicrosoftNumb thumbs
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LOL, but you are SO right!
Sony PlayStation has been nothing but a moronic copycat this generation and is a complete failure with the retarded PS3 and tacked-on misery and continuous security patches.
The Vita (shitty name) will fare quite miserably in this era of mobile gaming and this looks atrocious. They can indeed F right off with their BS!
@john doe
a look, one of the last xbox people, who cant accept, that your xbox is running out of steam, ur nothing now!, so microsoft's is the one that needs to f!off in the gaming industry.
This looks like absolute shit and is in no way better than the full console experience and Kinect.
Sony, do yourself a favor and jump out!
no money no funny
Expected from the Inq. It's garbage, but sparks flame wars and readers. Facial recognition is about all you'd get on a handheld, but I can't see how that's competition with the likes of Kinect?
I find is incredible that people would connect a camera to a console that is connected to the sony or microsoft networks, to me that's unthinkable madness, even if MS hadn't leaked that your privacy is indeed not safe, and even if sony hadn't exposed themselves a dozen times.
Oh and even if sony hadn't be hacked a few times, that's an additional demotivator if the overabundant others aren't enough.
Sony has been in the AR arena for a long time. There work has never really caught my eye much save for invizimals on the psp. So far, while the MOVE is fun, it has yet to use AR as a means to grab my attention, although the prospects of Eyepet has proved intriguing and a great laugh for younger kids. This however is a great improvement. The Playstation Eye is 4 years old however. This isn't. The biggest plus I see with augmented reality on a portable, as I noticed for quickly with the psp, is that the enviorment becomes your playground as well as yourself and those around you. Consoles can't do that because they are on a base. As far as a Kinect killer, this is the separating factor. They are two different experiences. Face tracking and such technologies exist on the PS Eye as well, there have been demos, by few games implement it cause it's easier to map controls to an analog stick or other buttons. This camera comes built in, there's two of them, and it has the potential for mapping 3D positioning such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SDGG9HhbgQ I'm sure people will find cause to say "omg a portable device can do exactly what the kinect can", but it can't. It's just too small. Head tracking, facial recognition and the lack, yes. But there's more to the kinect than that. Although personally I'll admit that I am not a fan. I have seen little gaming applications in use with the full potential of the Kinect. Save integration with the microphone, what already established series have been used with Kinect successfully. Cause if Halo 4 is Kinect enabled, Microsoft is gonna have problems. But enough of that. Hopefully this technology can find a home in gaming and make better with how we play, more choices/in depth experiences/FUN! Yeah, I like the fun part.
This in no way is a threat to the kinect. This face mapping technology is pretty old. Its been done so many times before on various webcam type software. However, Kinect is about full body mapping, this is just face mapping, which doesnt have much use yet. If the process your face movements in a game, like you have to pucker you lips to kiss something, then it will have some competition. I love the looks of the vita, and im not a big fan of the kinect, but this face mapping software is not going to hurt the kinect in the slightest.