Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Is there an exercise game in the works for the Wii?

Alongside some odd rumors, this blog seems to have their bases covered.

Main Blog Page (Index): http://www.wiiwii.tv/category/fitness-freak/

Related Blog Articles:

http://www.wiiwii.tv/2007/09/19/tgs-07-konamis-show-line-up-looks-pretty-healthy/ (DDR)

http://www.wiiwii.tv/2007/09/06/its-tantra-baby-yoga-training-on-the-ds/ (Yoga)

http://wiinintendo.net/2007/01/15/wii-sports-experiment-results/

http://www.videogamefitness.net/wii-exercise-experiment-day-30-164-pounds-lost-and-final-results/

Above all the question is:
Is exercise via consoles like Nintendo's Wii and the Xbox's DDR the wave of the future to staying physically healthy? With XBox's Dance Dance Revolution Series going strong, Nintendo is sure to follow suit, if not improve, on the trend that is inviting the user to not only exercise but to have fun while doing it.

Virtual Reality people in simulated games?

Links I found out that best address this topic:

http://www.alltopsoft.com/Games/Adventure-RPG/CAVEMAN.html

http://www.e-motek.com/simulation/simulation/index.html

http://csdl2.computer.org/persagen/DLAbsToc.jsp?resourcePath=/dl/

What's most amazing about this, in general, is that the technology used here, in most if not all cases is bulky and not at all practical to say the least. In terms of ideals, however, it re-defines the multimedia experience, and although, there is not much in the way of grace or elegance of presentation, one thing is for certain: it's a sign of things to come. What things, you ask? A sign of yet another advance in technology that will revolutionize the human-machine experience.

GestureTek

It was astounding just being in the same room as these creations. Everywhere you looked, was some interactive adventure waiting to happen. Whether it was the floorFX, or the webcam game with the green screen, there was plenty of fun to be had!

But don't start thinking I'm only about fun. There was some serious work and technology standing behind each and every project. What was the technology they used to make these things? Trade secret. They naturally kept it under wraps. But, when you have such a good thing going, why give it all away? All in all, whether it was the interactive floors, or the keyboardless/mouseless computer-like interface, there was something for each and every one of us.

The almost hardware-less computer interface, made navigating on the screen seem effortless, and makes keyboards seem like a thing of the past, even though they were back at the lab waiting to be used again.

The floorsFX area allows the user to kick things around or wipe the "screen" clean from "debris." Some very simple graphics, but it could be easily full blown into something full-scale. Like a kind of virtual-reality animation kind of thing. Ok, that was the first thing that came into my head, but really, the possiblities are endless!

Is this amazing or what?

If you said no, get out of that cave you call home, and get out there! There is a lot of things happening in the multimedia industry, the latest of which is using motion to create interactive content.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0awjPUkBXOU

Isn't this great? You can make something cool and fun, that works with a Wii remote a little LED reflective material, and some reflective tape, things you can easily find, and create an interactive application, or, if you feel so inclined, make endless streams of them! What would life be like if we stepped into a whole other world, and physically control the character on the screen! If you're playing a first person shooting game, you can wear the tape and track movements and based on those movements, with the right code, you could have a load of fun, or a very useful interactive education application on your hands.

2. http://www.lastclock.co.uk/

Now this is innovation at work. I don't know about you, but people out there would spend hours trying to make certain images appear in certain places. The layout of the clock is unique, not seen anywhere in Canada, maybe even the world. It is a nice, and interesting, contrast to the regular digital and analog clocks that we see here in Canada everyday. All in all, another intriguing way to display time: innovative and creative.

3. http://naturalinteraction.org/

The name says it all. And the one thing that gets me is that it looks so natural, it's easy to forget that there is a lot of technological evolution behind the thing you're interacting with. It's so seamless, you'd think we had this technology and that it was as common as a desktop computer. This will revolutionize, not just technology, but this interactivity has the power to change the human experience.

4. http://intactive.de/category/video

This is something about technology at a bar that is interesting. First off, How many bars do you see where stuff is happening right under your drink? Usually, just a slab of wood, marble, and the like are all that can be seen under your glass, but thanks to this technology, looking under your glass might just be that much more appealing. And of course the animation interacting with whatever pressure is being applied or sensing that, makes things much more, well, appealing.

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZpTGMvDRag

Ok, so this is where the rubber hits the road. Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens when technology is put to the extents of its limits. True enough, a setup like this costs about $10k+, but the effects and the experience far outweigh the cost of any expensive outing such as the one pictured at the above link. Isn't that cool or what? Now imagine, what if this we're pushed to automate our lives. You get in the morning and walk to the sensor in the hall, wave at it, and bam! Coffee gets made downstairs, the shower warms up, your clothes for the day are out on the bed, and suddenly, your house springs into life.

All in all, this proves that technology is catching up to human innvoation. Although this isn't entirely true, and can't completely replace pencil (pen) and paper, in the creative process, it does so quite well among most other aspects in reality.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

This is simulation from the 2000's?!

Believe it or not, this was quite normal for a select group of individuals who created things like this everyday. What kind of things am I talking about, you ask? Visit the links below and see what I mean!

1. http://www.adobe.com/products/flex/

I found this link interesting because there were things that added definition to the user experience, beyond just clicking buttons.

2.http://www.ogre3d.org/wiki/index.php/GetStarted

I found that this program, called Ogre, that, with a basic grounding in programming, can be very helpful in creating 3D environments, animations, and games. All in all, with the right background, it can really help create those 3d thigns you've always dreamed of.

3. http://www.edcenter.sdsu.edu/geowall/

I like that this lets you controls cameras, but still a little let down that you can't control the plane. Not completely interactive. This is in the first download. Nothing needed to install, but doesn't seem like a complete interactivity project.

4. http://www.forgefx.com/casestudies/prenticehall/ph/ants/ants.htm

I personally enjoyed this simulation. At this link, you control ants, add them via anthills, add or erase pheromones. There were a couple of things that I would have changed

5. http://www.pleasetouchmuseum.org/exhibits/test.html

The things that I liked most about this was that it lets the user controls the zoom. Most web applcations have no control over zoom level. Otherwise, nothing unique.

Observations:

I liked the fact that there was some interaction, based on not only the choices we made, but also based on how long it takes, if you hesitate. Not only are events based on actions, but they are also based on non-actions.

I'm also very amazed that the graphics were as good as they were. Based on the software that they had all that time ago, the graphics that we saw today, were very advanced at that point in time.

I was a little disappointed that the screens weren't in sync, but maybe that was the case because the facility was not in use for awhile, or whatever that case may be.

One of the things that I liked a lot was the facial recognition system using a webcam. It's really handy, because it makes facial animation that much more easier to create and implement.

Another thing was that I looked at some of the tools on the shelves and was really surprised that I knew some of them from previous courses. I recognized 3D Studio Max and Maya. I'm mainly familiar with 3D Studio Max, but I have heard about Maya as well, so I was surprised that those programs, in conjunction with other 3d applications, to create the games we see out on the market today.