Taking the Wii Controller to the Next Level

funfail writes "It's a Wii without the $250 console. It's virtual Pong and so much more. Any object is now an input device, even your fingers. Camspace is a pure software solution that allows nearly any ordinary PC webcam (95% are supported) to track up to four objects — even as small as 5mm — in real-time and with very high accuracy and reliability (Windows only). Techcrunch has an in-depth article and a video." Very neat idea, but it appears that it is in a limited beta only, and source doesn't appear likely.

Comments

Nice tech, but latency?

[J-F Mammet]

This certainly seems to be a very nice software, but the main issue with using webcams as input devices is the latency. Your average webcam can take quite some time between what it's filming and what the PC is actually getting at the other end. And this is a very bad thing when it comes to gaming. You can even see the latency in their video at around 1:30 when they have the players and the PC screen in the same frame.
Nice for simple games I guess, but for serious gaming it would require special cameras with low latency.

There's been a few programs like this...

[argent]

But, man, this one has the best user interface I've seen, by far. And the other ones are either specific motion tracking games or are otherwise specific to some small part of the problem... plugins for particular applications, and the like.

I suspect there will be an open source clone out within six months though... possibly based on Intel's open source computer vision library.

3d telemetry?

[apodyopsis]

interesting.

my first thought was a black jumper, black glove, bright, UV dots at key joints and fingers with four of those webcams and some clever software, and hey presto - instant real time telemetry system.

hook it up to a remote arm and you have one nifty method of control. (seen the movie FX2?)

Source

[Archangel Michael]

source doesn't appear likely. So, if the source isn't available, we whine!

This is one of those very annoying parts of the whole Open Source Movement, the whining. Good Idea, no source = whine.

Code it yourself, and give your work away. Stop whining, please. It doesn't do the community any good when you whine.

Seriously, if the code isn't open and it isn't going to be, start your own, and stop whining. It would be so much better if we stopped whining and posting the whines to slashdot and started to code.

One of the side benefits of this (coding a good idea like this) would be that no company would dare release beta code, if it knew that the OSS version was on the way.

Now, get back to coding!

Re:Source

[mecenday]

Hrm... wow, how exactly is that whining? The comment is mentioning limitations, and no source is a limitation if you're sitting on a linux box. At worst he's suggesting the same thing you are: "Let's clone this" sort of follows from "good idea, no source."

Anyways, you're hearing whining where there is none... maybe your cubemate is a whiny linux user or something and you got some interference this morning. =)

Re:Source

[Archangel Michael]

The "no source" comment is a whine. It means "I want the code for free", and "I'm too lazy or incompetent to code it myself".

If what he meant to say was "wow, this is a great idea, who's got open source version?" then that's what he should have said, as it is much less ambiguous and actually would promote Open Source Coding. Someone (or a few) versions might come to light and those that were interested could pool resources and actually get to work on improving what exists.

It is better to promote what IS open than it is whine about what isn't. The best way to win for OSS is for it to actually compete with better software.

If we, the OSS community, can out-compete those developing proprietary, they'll eventually release it Open Source without us even asking (whining) for it to be open, or at least know that they will be doomed eventually to a freer and more open version.

Re:Source

[Archangel Michael]

Or, you know, just abandon and eventually lose the source code. So what? You never had the code in the first place, and if you'd develop open code originally you wouldn't care in the second place.

The code isn't yours, so why should you care if if disappears, especially since you never had access to it in the first place?

Your whole whine is nothing short of exactly what I'm talking about originally. Typical of many who want to decide what others can and can't do.

I don't whine about closed source software. It is pointless to whine about it being closed, because it isn't my code. Freedom also means free to keep things closed, or else it is meaningless.

Re: Taking the wii controller to the next level

[hypergreatthing]

So... this has nothing to do with the Wii or a controller for that matter. It's video recognition software.

GJ.

Patent infringement ?

[DrYak]

"one of these" isn't anything but a webcam. That's the problem too...

Massive lawsuits coming from Sony for infringement of all patents they managed to get granted regarding the Eye Toy in :
5 seconds...
4...
3...
2...
1...
Take of every lawyer !
For Great Justice !

PS2's EyeToy anyone ?

[Vapula]

What this is doing is basically the same than the PS2 EyeToy... Maybe with a better accuracy (but, well, the hardware is more recent).

I wonder What Sony will think about that... I guess their patent lawyers will be ready to jump on the case...

For Information, EyeToy Antigrav tracks
- both arms for character's arms movements
- head movements for the character direction change
- jump/duck to make the character do the same things...

thank you.

[Anonymous Coward]

As a guy who likes the open source movement, I'm well aware how those who think they love freedom really want to push rules onto other people.

Open source = good
close source = good

freedom = good

being forced to open or close one's source = bad

Re:Pitch, acceleration, etc

[Chris Burke]

Perhaps if they let you track Wiimotes with this device it could yield greater accuracy, but then you are right about the latency issue.

Well the genius of the wiimote is that it puts the camera in the controller, and the things the camera tracks are fixed points. This makes measuring Z-axis easy (distance between the points) as well as pitch (apparent angle), using only the small wiimote.

Whereas to measure tilt or Z, this method basically requires you to hold a sensor-bar-sized object (the steering wheels with the painted bar). In fact, you could play a lot of Wii games this way (ones that don't need the accelerometers), by holding the sensor bar in your hand and putting the wiimote on your TV. I think it's obvious why this is an inferior method.

On the other hand, what is cool about this is that you can use just about anything as a sensor, and it's use of a cheap webcam.