Microsoft Wants to Own the Living Room for Gaming

The original IllumiRoom concept in action.

In recent years Microsoft has been working on various projects to turn the living room into an active area for playing games. IllumiRoom seemed to be a step in the right direction, but faded away from public eye as quickly as it came. Today Microsoft shows off it's newest solution: RoomAlive.

Similar to IllumiRoom, RoomAlive uses projector-depth cameras that are combined in a network that is scalable depending on room size. According to Microsoft, "the projector-depth camera units are individually auto-calibrating, self-localizing, and create a unified model of the room with no user intervention. We investigate the design space of gaming experiences that are possible with RoomAlive and explore methods for dynamically mapping content based on room layout and user position."

RoomAlive is still a proof of concept at the moment, and Microsoft is exploring video game capabilities for now. Though, don't expect this to be in stores next Christmas. According to the company, IllumiRoom was far too expensive for the average consumer, and RoomAlive doesn't look like it will fit that price point either, but it's interesting to see what Microsoft is thinking of next. For more on Xbox One, Microsoft or games today keep your eyes on The Jester's Court.