Eye Toy for PS2

[classic_gamer]

Anyone looking forward to the Eye Toy for PS2?

http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/review/34213.html

It looks like it might be pretty neat (OK gimmicky but I like gimmicks, it'll look great next to my Juiceman Juicer), but I'll have to wait for it to come down in price a bit before I can buy.

It appears to doing well in the UK according to the reviews above.

[Bill_Loguidice]

I didn't think it was out in the US yet. It's VERY gimmicky and definitely targeted towards casual "gamers" (at this point), but I imagine it may in fact have some neat applications. Certainly it would take rythm games to the next level by having to move all body parts in sync to the music. I just worry that it's not accurate enough and the background facing my TV is a bit "busy", so that may confuse the camera... I'll be keeping an eye on the device, however, to be sure, as I too like gadgets and gimmicks, especially smaller ones...

[braveswiz]

I'm looking forward to this because it reminds us of DDR, those webcam games on your computer, and Konami's whole-body shooter, Police 911.

[Bill_Loguidice]

I'm looking forward to this because it reminds us of DDR, those webcam games on your computer, and Konami's whole-body shooter, Police 911.

Yes, there was speculation that Police 911 would be brought home via this device. The catch for someone like me though is that there still aren't any light guns that work on a projection television. Hopefully soon...

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

Heh, funny you should mention it. I was watching WWF RAW last night (Shut up, SHADDUP, I WAS YOUNG AND I NEEDED THE MONEY!) and they showed a commercial for it. I was like, "Now thats pretty damn neat". Then the crack wore off and i went to bed. Seriously, i thought it was cool but i can tell a game like that would grow old fast. Nice gimmick. I hope they make more games based on the cam.

Demolition Man, if you start trying to talk to be about wrestling i will kill you :)

[Mok_the_magic_man]

I played with it at this years E3 and it got VERY repetitive very quickly. A sort of "Wack-a-Mole" meets power glove type virtual game. I love innovation so I think this is a good thing for the system. Kids will love it. Heck. Anytime someone or ANYONE brings a new game that ISN'T another First Person Shooter I will welcome it with open arms. I look at this and think of the possibilities. What about a virtual drum set or band? You could have a Donkey Conga style game with it! Hmmmmm. I will have to wait and see were it goes in the future.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Now .. you put Police 911 on here, and we will have a killer app for PS2. Frankly, that game owns my entirely out of shape ass, and if I could actually play it at HOME for FREE, I'd look like Bill L in no time.

That damn boxing game too ...

[Bill_Loguidice]

That damn boxing game too ...

Oddly enough, I've never tried Police 911. I've seen it, but never gave it a go. I definitely will though when the next opportunity presents itself...

Mo Cap Boxing on the other hand, I'm a BIG fan of. It seems it's not 100% accurate though, and if they can't achieve that in the arcade, I hold out little hope for the humble Eye Toy. I'd be very interested in seeing how far they can push this thing as-is, without needing an Eye Toy 2 for the PS3. Certainly the PS2 Eye Toy has been a big hit in all territories, and Sony is expecting more of the same from the US release. We'll see what comes out as a result of this success... (let's remember, this is just an optimized USB 1.1 webcam...)

[Shane R. Monroe]

Police 911 is an evil evil game. Its horribly addictive, its actually fun, and it will work your entire lower body.

Its considerably more fun than the boxing game.

[YoshiM]

Now .. you put Police 911 on here, and we will have a killer app for PS2. Frankly, that game owns my entirely out of shape ass, and if I could actually play it at HOME for FREE, I'd look like Bill L in no time.

That damn boxing game too ...

May not be enough to make me buy a PS2 but it's getting close.

I got to play the game at the big I80 truck stop in Iowa a couple months ago on the way home after visiting my parents in Missouri. Very very cool game. The fact that I can shoot and then plop close to the ground behind some on screen boxes and not get "shot" then stand up to "peer" over them and shoot the bad guys was just fantastic. And I too am out of shape and had about 4 hours driving time already racked up, so my legs were like rubber for a while.

[Shane R. Monroe]

Its not the day that kills me .. nor the day after ... the third day, I feel like an invalid. My legs were on death's door.

And everytime I see one, I have to play it - and I'm ALWAYS SORRY for it.

The game has everything I want. The control, the gun, the setting. I mean ... really, these are the only REAL games that YOU have total control over. Sure, things are similar, but not dodging fast enough, or right, etc. really makes a difference. This ain't a rhythm game .. its ... a class of its own.

[jakdin]

A sort of "Wack-a-Mole" meets power glove type virtual game.

I got a chance to play with this thing last month at the Tokyo Game Show... by the way, here is a splash site of pics I took there: http://www.geocities.com/jaqdin/

I played some karate-punch type game where you have to HIT little ninja guys who come flyin out windows and pipes at the screens edge. It was quite easy, though....easier than "Wach-a-Mole" actually, but the premise is what I liked. The simplicity of the product and the ease of use. No big learning curve...I mean, hey, you just throw your hands around in mid-air.

Actually, I built up quite a sweat playin the game....have to move and never stop....could be a nice exercise device!

[Bill_Loguidice]

From GameSpy Daily:

"
EyeToy: Play Sells a Million - Celeryface
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) announced today that it has sold over 1 million units of EyeToy: Play since the Europe product launched 4 months ago. The EyeToy is a small camera that hooks up to your PlayStation 2, that tracks player body movements to interact with the included 12 mini-games. In November, SCEE will launch a second title compatible with the camera, EyeToy: Groove. Also, on November 4th the EyeToy will launch in North America. For more on the EyeToy, check out our preview. [back to headlines]
"

[Shane R. Monroe]

My kid would probably go NUTS for the mini-games .. but this guy needs a killer app before I'm spending the cash. Mini-games are a novelty .. I need a REAL game to whet my lips.

[rd1979]

It seems that most of you like this eye toy thing......I hate it. I hated the idea back when they came up with this on the PC. It sucked then, it sucks even more now to me becasue now this garbage is mainstream. In fact, I think some netcams CAME with such games for free.

I can at least see the draw if it had a game like Police 911 or that boxing game I've seen in the arcades, but other thanthat, smaking around crap on the tv with my hands would just make me feel stupid. :?

[fifthcore]

I hate the fact that Sony is facting like they spent a ton of money developing this great new idea, but like rd1979 said this idea has been out since like 2000, I remember I installed a webcam at my worked and it had games just like the ones with the EyeToy.

The EyeToy is the stupid idea, not its not even a new idea, they just ripped it off and are trying to sell it to all of the morons out there, this is not the future of gaming and if it is, I will just kill myself now.

[Bill_Loguidice]

Wow, such hostility towards some electronics and plastic that no one is forcing anyone else to buy! This may have been attempted before, as with most things, but why not make it idiot(console)-proof? Peripherals and add-ons have almost universally failed, be it for computers or consoles. People historically just don't buy add-ons. You have to figure that as the potential user base continues to grow, EVENTUALLY one of these gimmicky, silly little devices would be a hit.

I for one, despite several reservations, fully support the IDEA of the thing. Is it really all that bad having the OPTION? Mo-Cap boxing, Police Trainer, etc., would all be really great, but you can't always have the chicken before the egg (or something silly like that). Yeah, it's mainstream and gimmicky now, but it doesn't have to stay that way! I for one am excited about the physical implications of the device. Why not have yet one more way beyond Dance Dance or Samba De Amigo to have some fun while doing cardio? Why not introduce yet another way to play games? Yeah, right now it's literally a bunch of window washing and slap the pixel type mini-games, but to be fair, that's what's BUNDLED with it, so technically those are "free". It's not like this device is going to cost $100. It should be about the price of a game. Fair enough for me.

We all bitch about lack of innovation, but many of us complain when something even remotely new or "freaky" comes out. And yes, while done before on a limited basis, this IS new for 98% of the population, and probably the first time a device of this type will actually be really SUPPORTED. Same thing happens when a new console competitor (be it handheld or otherwise) comes out. The competitor gets SHREDDED for everything they're worth, yet many complain about the Sony/Microsoft/Nintendo tri-opoly or the Wintel monopoly in the PC world. It's a strange conflict of feelings...

[Shane R. Monroe]

I guess their bitch, Bill, is that this really isn't innovative. And in that respect, they are quite right.

If you've never used a hammer before, and the Circle K stop you always shop at suddenly carries them - that doesn't make the hammer innovative just because 60 million more people might actually buy one because its in a store THEY frequent.

I'm TOTALLY against gimmick items (I'm sure I made that clear in more ways than one). But ... if the gimmick can mature into something useful, then use the gimmick to get it to the people, so we get the numbers to show developers "you need to develop". Now, I'm sure the first goddamn thing they will make for this bitch is an FPS or YAP game - Even onion layers of innovation don't seem to be practical for the video game industry.

The problem with gimmick hardware is you RARELY see it mature because they don't bundle a killer app with it. It really pisses me off that we've left the "bundle the hardware with the best title possible" days. Colecovision built an empire by packing Donkey Kong in with the Coleco for "free". Now you get uber CRAP titles as pack-ins at Best, a wasted demo disc if you're lucky, and at worse ... YOU GET NOTHING .... YOU LOSE ... GOOD DAY SIR.

If you want me to buy bongo drums or cameras or $200 flight controls, you damn well better get someone to make a game commensurate with the cash you're asking me for.

That's my thoughts on it.

[Bill_Loguidice]

I guess their bitch, Bill, is that this really isn't innovative. And in that respect, they are quite right.

If you've never used a hammer before, and the Circle K stop you always shop at suddenly carries them - that doesn't make the hammer innovative just because 60 million more people might actually buy one because its in a store THEY frequent.



If it were as simple as that, sure, it's NOT innovative. But it's never that simple. I suppose for my definition it's innovative enough. Maybe there were all these Webcam games out there that I was unaware of for PC, but frankly if it takes a Sony to DO IT RIGHT (give it structure, give it focus, work out some of the bugs, etc.) and on a console, so be it. There's a big difference, again, between a PC environment and a console environment. With a console, you're playing on a big TV. This kind of game is made for that. It's like rhythm games. Sure, you can play them on your high resolution PC monitor, but you'll get the best overall experience on your big TV in the living room. That's neither here nor there though. My real point was this type of device is mercilessly bashed by some for reasons that I have a hard time believing are legitimate. Of course we're all entitled to our opinions, and of course most of these things suck, but we should at least be open to the possibilities that this will bring. Having a strong opinion is one thing and fair enough, but being closed mind is a whole different issue...

[Rowdy Rob]

My real point was this type of device is mercilessly bashed by some for reasons that I have a hard time believing are legitimate.
Personally, I'm all for whatever is fun, and whatever works within a reasonable cost ratio. I'm not paying $70+ for a game because it comes with a specialized controller unless it's an unbelievably good game.

I'm not sure how well a "mo-cap" device would work in a home gaming environment. One thing about videogames in general: they're SEDENTARY! You sit on your butt, mash a few buttons, and there's your adrenaline fix!

Games like "Mo-Cap Boxing" work very well in an arcade setting (I love that game!), but what would happen in a home setting? I can imagine knocked-over TV sets, busted vases, banged feet against table legs, squashed cats and such... a possible legal quagmire for sure! Heck, even in the arcade version I accidentally busted up some kid who got too close to me while playing!

I think if a game console came with a mo-cap sensor and a light gun (which they should!), we'd see some very cool games, but as long as they're non-standard peripherals, they're doomed to be "one hit wonders."

P.S. Radica Games has a game device called "Play TV Boxing" that sounds like a home version of Mo-Cap Boxing.... might be interesting!
http://www.radicagames.com/products_low.cfm?categoryID=6

[Bill_Loguidice]

My real point was this type of device is mercilessly bashed by some for reasons that I have a hard time believing are legitimate.
Personally, I'm all for whatever is fun, and whatever works within a reasonable cost ratio. I'm not paying $70+ for a game because it comes with a specialized controller unless it's an unbelievably good game.

I'm not sure how well a "mo-cap" device would work in a home gaming environment. One thing about videogames in general: they're SEDENTARY! You sit on your butt, mash a few buttons, and there's your adrenaline fix!

Games like "Mo-Cap Boxing" work very well in an arcade setting (I love that game!), but what would happen in a home setting? I can imagine knocked-over TV sets, busted vases, banged feet against table legs, squashed cats and such... a possible legal quagmire for sure! Heck, even in the arcade version I accidentally busted up some kid who got too close to me while playing!

I think if a game console came with a mo-cap sensor and a light gun (which they should!), we'd see some very cool games, but as long as they're non-standard peripherals, they're doomed to be "one hit wonders."

P.S. Radica Games has a game device called "Play TV Boxing" that sounds like a home version of Mo-Cap Boxing.... might be interesting!
http://www.radicagames.com/products_low.cfm?categoryID=6

Well, lots of people have dance pads and there hasn't been excessive mayhem. Fewer people had maracas - no reports of damage that I know of. There HAVE been even more elaborate devices than the eye toy as far as the Sega Genesis days, that required far more room and had far more potential for damage.

And you're 100% correct that "as long as they're non-standard peripherals, they're doomed to be "one hit wonders."" However, that's only true IF the device doesn't sell in the millions. A substantial user base changes everything. A good example is console online gaming. There is now enough of a user base to make a difference in how products are made now. Regardless, if the Eye Toy has the same success in the US as it's been having in Japan and Europe, we WILL see support and it may very well historically be the first unusual peripheral to receive legitimate support.

Finally, I'm no fan of Radica products, but the boxing game IS intriguing and something I'd consider purchasing for the right price.

[Demolition Man]

Demolition Man, if you start trying to talk to be about wrestling i will kill you :)

How did you.... d'oh! :roll:

(Oh, and for the record, its *WWE* not WWF - tho no matter what the name is WWE sucks, I quit watching them and gone on to watching Ring Of Honor, NWA-TNA, and MLW... nuf bout wrestling)

As far as the this Eye thingie, yeah it sounds like a cool product. I wonder how Microsoft is going to counteract this however. I wouldn't mind seeing them come up with a simular product. Imagine being able to import your face onto a football player, or the hero in some fantasy game. That would own. :)

[Bill_Loguidice]

As far as the this Eye thingie, yeah it sounds like a cool product. I wonder how Microsoft is going to counteract this however. I wouldn't mind seeing them come up with a simular product. Imagine being able to import your face onto a football player, or the hero in some fantasy game. That would own. :)

Well, it's logical and you don't need an Eye Toy to do it. Right now, ONLY because of contractual reasons ($$$), Tony Hawk Underground allows you to use your PC to send a headshot, then download it via the broadband adapter on your PS2 for mapping to a custom character in that version of the game (which, added to online play again only on the PS2, makes that the version to get, unfortunately). This has been available for years on the PC, and there's no reason why this can't be common on the Xbox and GC (*gasp*, the GC online?!), as well. Again, the PC environment can "innovate" it, but perhaps it takes a console to bring it to the masses and make it "easy"...

Having an ego the size of a planet, I find this face mapping thing very appealing... :wink: (though I think I personally would dig it most in a game like Greyhawk, for example)

[piers007]

My thoughts on the Eye Toy.

Well I can say first it is a great thing that ideas like this can make money, and are allowed to get off the ground. It means obviously the rest of the world can see them instead of being imprisoned in the R&D workshop.

I think we are seeing a great increase in the number of different "User Interfaces" available for all types of computers, commonly available.

60's Keyboards
70's Mouse and Joysticks
80's Touchscreens

Then scanners, camera's etc, the list goes on.

Check out the Joystick built especially for "Steel Battalion" for the Xbox(bits lip).

I mean love it or hate it, it expands the realm of User Interfaces available.

The reason is of course that the are now cheap enough to build. You can build a device for just one game and sell it (even if it cost a buck or too).

I think the eye toy is another example of the direction we are going in. Slightly gimmicky but the RIGHT thing to do. This is pure UNADULTERATED originality.

Some ideas for the future:

Virtual headsets
Microphones
Pressure sensors
Pain simulators
Orgasmatrons
Drug induced controlled gaming (I've read about this in Iain M Banks)

etc
etc

[Bill_Loguidice]

Some ideas for the future:

Virtual headsets
Microphones
Pressure sensors
Pain simulators
Orgasmatrons
Drug induced controlled gaming (I've read about this in Iain M Banks)

etc
etc

Microphones for both Xbox and PS2 are already starting to be used beyond the realm of online voice communication, so I'm confident that that's well on its way to being an occasional interface on consoles (the Dreamcast hinted at this with the microphone compatible with Seaman, Alien Front Online and Mr. Driller; and of course all the far earlier attempts (but those were one-time deals for the most part)).

There are already and have been pressure sensitive buttons on console controllers. They don't work as well as I would like (there needs to be more of a feedback for my taste about how far in you press), but when done with triggers, it's easier to get the connection...

The other stuff, well, when practical I'll look at it...

Too bad that company several years back making the virtually infinite smell generator went out of business. THAT would have been yet another dimension and sense to tap...

[Rowdy Rob]

Too bad that company several years back making the virtually infinite smell generator went out of business. THAT would have been yet another dimension and sense to tap...
In the 1960's, there was a movie "innovation" called "Smell-o-Vision" that would dispense appropriate smells during particular movie scenes. Sounded interesting, but it turns out the audiences tended to get nauseated from the continual bombardment of odors... :lol:

What I''d like to see, and it's already almost here, is 3D STEREOSCOPIC games. Yes, the LCD shutter glasses and red/blue glasses have been done, but simpler systems can work too. Plus, in the very near future, portable video/LCD devices will use a new "stereovision without glasses" technology (similar to "xographic" or "lenticular" images often seen on stickers, trading cards, and book images that appear to have depth). This will literally add a new dimension to gameplay!

[Bill_Loguidice]

What I''d like to see, and it's already almost here, is 3D STEREOSCOPIC games. Yes, the LCD shutter glasses and red/blue glasses have been done, but simpler systems can work too. Plus, in the very near future, portable video/LCD devices will use a new "stereovision without glasses" technology (similar to "xographic" or "lenticular" images often seen on stickers, trading cards, and book images that appear to have depth). This will literally add a new dimension to gameplay!

Actually, the Sharp Actius RD3D Notebook, which is out NOW, already has 3D without the glasses. Pretty soon the technology will show up in LCD monitors. Exciting stuff, though I have yet to personally see it in action to see if it's anything more than a nice gimmick...

[Rowdy Rob]

Actually, the Sharp Actius RD3D Notebook, which is out NOW, already has 3D without the glasses. Pretty soon the technology will show up in LCD monitors. Exciting stuff, though I have yet to personally see it in action to see if it's anything more than a nice gimmick...
Several electronics companies are planning to use this new 3D technology in upcoming devices, particularly (for some odd reason) LCD viewscreens in cell phones. I can't get a link to an article on the new stereoscopic technology going right now, but it's very fascinating stuff, and I'd be very interested in seeing driving games, in particular, using such technology!

[fifthcore]

First off I think the Eye Toy was marketed poorly, I still think nintendo is the best at marketing new devices with games. Take the N64 for example, Starfox 64 was bundle with the Rumble Pack, which is now a standard built in device on console gaming controllers. The reason this was good marketing was because they took a game everyone wanted and added more too it by adding force feedback in it early stages. If sony had developed a true full length game with a story then I would not be so hard on it, instead they just throw a few shareware quality games at you. This shows me that they is not much that can be done with this device and should be used and it was intended, as a webcam for adult sites. As sad as it is, its true.

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

Sony and Sega did the rumble pack long before Nintendo did.

The only N64 innovation was the Bulky Disk or whatever drive that never came here to the states which flopped big time.

[fifthcore]

Yeah you mean the N64 DD, but my main point with Nintendo was they were the first one to truely bring it to the masses by having good marketing

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

Yeah you mean the N64 DD, but my main point with Nintendo was they were the first one to truely bring it to the masses by having good marketing

LOL..thats why it was the standard pack in controller for the ps1 a year before nintendo did theres?

[fifthcore]

Not sure where you are getting your information, but Star Fox 64 came out July 01, 1997 and the Analog Controller Dual Shock Playstation controller was announced 2nd April 1998.

http://www.absolute-playstation.com/api_faqs/faq17.htm
http://www.mobygames.com/game/sheet/p,9/gameId,3536/

[Keith_N]

I'm looking forward to this because it reminds us of DDR, those webcam games on your computer, and Konami's whole-body shooter, Police 911.

Two types of games that would take advantage of this interface from Konami's Beatmani that I could think of off hand would be:
Para Para Paradise
Dance Maniax
Martial Beat (if you're in the kung fu style of DDR)

Sure its simon says type of game but it plays differently.

[Bill_Loguidice]

Sony and Sega did the rumble pack long before Nintendo did.

The only N64 innovation was the Bulky Disk or whatever drive that never came here to the states which flopped big time.

I'm pretty sure the N64 was first. Sega didn't have rumble until Dreamcast. Sony didn't have rumble until the single rumble unit (that failed a lot) in their first batch of analog sticks, if I recall correctly. They nailed it the second time.

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

Sony and Sega did the rumble pack long before Nintendo did.

The only N64 innovation was the Bulky Disk or whatever drive that never came here to the states which flopped big time.

I'm pretty sure the N64 was first. Sega didn't have rumble until Dreamcast. Sony didn't have rumble until the single rumble unit (that failed a lot) in their first batch of analog sticks, if I recall correctly. They nailed it the second time.

I could have swore the Saturn had a rumble pack first (but i guess that with everything else in this thread i've posted about rumble packs is incorrect). It will be fun to revisit this stuff when i start scanning my mags in (which is 80% of my reference material on stuff like this)

[Shane R. Monroe]

I'm going to say Q-bert invented the concept of using in-game 'feelorama' effects. Pinballs had knockers as 'announce only', but Qbert made it part of the game.

Let's not forget that Sega had video game rumblers first (REmember Outrun? Anyone? Anyone?)

[Bill_Loguidice]

I could have swore the Saturn had a rumble pack first (but i guess that with everything else in this thread i've posted about rumble packs is incorrect). It will be fun to revisit this stuff when i start scanning my mags in (which is 80% of my reference material on stuff like this)

Sega DID eventually go analog on the Saturn like Sony and Nintendo, but never to the same degree, and they most certainly NEVER did go rumble, which was a pity in some ways (they had a few games that would have taken nice advantage of the effect), but considering the lifespan of the Saturn in the US, not a significant competitive ommission relatively speaking.

The PC MAY have had force feedback/rumble first out of all of them, but the support was always limited (and still very much is, especially in comparison to console stuff, which is universal these days). I know Microsoft and Logitech came out with some pretty early versions of the technology (I have an old model 2 Microsoft Force Feedback stick and an old Logitech Rumble Pad).

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

I could have swore the Saturn had a rumble pack first (but i guess that with everything else in this thread i've posted about rumble packs is incorrect). It will be fun to revisit this stuff when i start scanning my mags in (which is 80% of my reference material on stuff like this)

Sega DID eventually go analog on the Saturn like Sony and Nintendo, but never to the same degree, and they most certainly NEVER did go rumble, which was a pity in some ways (they had a few games that would have taken nice advantage of the effect), but considering the lifespan of the Saturn in the US, not a significant competitive ommission relatively speaking.

The PC MAY have had force feedback/rumble first out of all of them, but the support was always limited (and still very much is, especially in comparison to console stuff, which is universal these days). I know Microsoft and Logitech came out with some pretty early versions of the technology (I have an old model 2 Microsoft Force Feedback stick and an old Logitech Rumble Pad).

Ok..THATS WHERE I REMEMBER IT FROM!!! There was a version of the sidewinder in 95 as well as wingman that had force feedback. I should have remembered considering those damn sticks cost about $80. They were used in flight simulation games (in fact it was a feature in M$ Flight Simulator). I remember at Egghead, playing with the demo stick thinking how cool but useless it was.

Whew..nice to know i am not on some trippy drug :)

And yeah, i know, i am still wrong, and we are talking consoles, so yeah, Nintendo wins

[piers007]

Funny that the sense of smell is the best "Sense" for remembering stuff. Apparently it has the largest effect on the memory of all the senses, but it has never been really exploited (the smell of freshly cut grass?).

Maybe it didn't take off because people thought it stank!? (Ahem..)

I remember reading a New Scientist a while back which mentioned "Smell research" and they could do a lot with it creating smells and such like, except people just didn't take to it. I think the creations were too artificial.

I think its because our noses are so sensitive that we just cant stand anything not real, where as our eyes, well we take in what we want to, and ignore the rest.

I think you can use smell-o-vision in games but only for short periods and it will have to be built right into the console or joypad. Can you imagine anyone going out and really buying a Fart machine?

Nuff said.

[Shane R. Monroe]

They still have one of those machines at the airport arcade. Where they spray smells during your 'virtual flight'... heh

[Shane R. Monroe]

Back on topic ... The Eye Toy ...

I'll be buying one.

I spent about 20 minutes playing it at Fry's Electronics today.

I played three of the 12 games .. hey, that's what you guys don't pay me to do ...

I played the Spinning Plates, the Ninja one, and the Ghost Catcher.

First impressions: You can't help but want to try it. I watched three other people do it before I did ... and even though I was reluctant to look like an ass, I figured I'd try it anyway.

The technology requires a still background ... when no one was behind me, the game played good .. as people walked by, etc. the game didn't like it. The more stuff that moves, the worse the picture gets too, which I thought was interesting.

The collision stuff is good ... better than I assumed it would be. The camera sampling was good as long as you were the only subject.

What about the games?

The plate spinner was impossible to with people behind me. The Ghost catcher was kinda cool.

The ninja game, of course, was the one to play. You get to break boards on the bonus stage, and the slapping noise it makes when you hit the guys makes you want to do slapping motions (a la Dungeon Keeper .... Imp slapping rules).

I was worried the games would suck ass - but no ... they turned out ok. Figure every game is worth $4 and change, and you're getting the hardware for free. Not a bad way to look at it?

I didn't buy today ... But I'll buy. Apparently, this is THE device used to map your face and graphics into games. As such, the people are already sold on it. EVERYONE that walked by knew what it was .. even the kids (the young Nintendo kiddies). I was impressed with the exposure.

[rd1979]

I guess their bitch, Bill, is that this really isn't innovative. And in that respect, they are quite right.

Yeah, thats bascially it, but in my case, I thought it to be lame when it was actually a new thing.

But I must admit, the scanning of your face is a useful feature, I think Perfect Dark was supposed to have something similar to that. I was reading in GamePro (SHUTUP, it's coming to my house for FREE, and I dont know why) that Police 911 was in development for the Eye Toy, but it was canned. Sad, that would have driven me to buy one.

[classic_gamer]

OK, I know I want one but I'll probably have to talk my wife into buying as a Christmas present. Shane says he's going to buy one.

But I want to know who going to be the first kid on his/her block (from this forum) to buy one?

Whoever gets theirs first please let us know?

[Shane R. Monroe]

That is a crying shame .. I wonder if they sell enough if they would restart the project....


I was reading in GamePro (SHUTUP, it's coming to my house for FREE, and I dont know why) that Police 911 was in development for the Eye Toy, but it was canned. Sad, that would have driven me to buy one.

[Bill_Loguidice]

That is a crying shame .. I wonder if they sell enough if they would restart the project....


I was reading in GamePro (SHUTUP, it's coming to my house for FREE, and I dont know why) that Police 911 was in development for the Eye Toy, but it was canned. Sad, that would have driven me to buy one.

It had to have been for reasons other than for sales since the Eye Toy has been a success everywhere. Perhaps it was technical?

[classic_gamer]

Could be some PC(politically correct) pressure from outside the developers.

Think about kids using a picture of a friend, teacher whatever and putting that image into the game to fire upon.

Just thinking out loud.

[rd1979]

That is a crying shame .. I wonder if they sell enough if they would restart the project....


I was reading in GamePro (SHUTUP, it's coming to my house for FREE, and I dont know why) that Police 911 was in development for the Eye Toy, but it was canned. Sad, that would have driven me to buy one.

It had to have been for reasons other than for sales since the Eye Toy has been a success everywhere. Perhaps it was technical?

Nah, I imagine they had games like Police 911 in mind early on, it's an obvious move. As Shane said, it truly is a shame. Had it come out for the Eye Toy, I think I'd buy this instead of DDR, which I plan to buy soon (no, I've never played DDR, but I gotta learn how to dance somehow right?).

Speaking of DDR, I hear some super pack is coming to Xbox with a number of older DDR games all in one, as well as a new PS2 game coming. My girlfriend doesnt play many games with me, so this is something she'd like.

[rd1979]

Just to settle things about the rumble in console controls (I wont get into the PC side, just becasue I dont know the details), the N64 was going to have rumble first.

When they anounced the N64, they showed off the control pad, and the rumble pack. Of course, the system was horribly delayed, and that gave Sega the time to release their analog pad for the Saturn FIRST, as was soon followed by Sony. I'm not sure if the N64 was released before the Dual Shock, so I can't really say who was 2nd, but Nintendo was first with the idea, but Sega was the first to actually release a product.

[Bill_Loguidice]

Speaking of DDR, I hear some super pack is coming to Xbox with a number of older DDR games all in one, as well as a new PS2 game coming. My girlfriend doesnt play many games with me, so this is something she'd like.

The only Xbox version I'm aware of is some kind of bizarre Xbox Live-enabled version (feature-wise it sounds great, but really, I can't see how this can be a really good online game without some type of webcam setup). Until I get PS2 to Xbox adapters, I wouldn't bother getting another set of dance pads for the Xbox since I already have them for the PS2.

As for helping you dance, my wife and are hopeless, but we enjoy DDR. We were so bad we practically got kicked out of ballroom dancing dance lessons (we quit before that could happen). DDR has done nothing to improve this, and when DDR gets too fast and too complicated with the moves we're lost, but there's much fun and exercise to be had on the more "normal" settings...

[Shane R. Monroe]

I bought my Eye Toy today ... I'm a slut.

My kid is a slut for it too.

Works good in the house. I got to see the tutorial on how to use it (features an old lady - totally funny in itself). Plus when you build a profile, you get to take pictures of your face happy, sad, and goofy. When you play the games, your face is shown and you get happy when you do good, etc.

You'll need some decent light - you'll need something that puts light on the front of your body.

Anyone have questions? Its fun ... my kid ALONE will get $50 out of it.

[Bill_Loguidice]

No need to justify the cost of admission, Shane. Sometimes if you want something that's fun, be it for a modern console or not, it's just nice to get. It's a bonus that your daughter gets such a kick out of it too. I know you hate Dance Dance, but I imagine this gives quite a workout too, no?

Personally, I'm worried about my background (living room). It would be fairly far between myself and a wall, so I wonder how it would cope with that? Perhaps not having a background to cope with in the traditional sense would be a good thing...

I also wonder how it copes with widescreen versus 4:3, projection versus CRT? I imagine all the functionality is in the camera, so the only issue would be with the user...

I may just have to bump this up on my Christmas list, along with Xbox Top Spin, PS2 Tony Hawk Underground and GC Mario Kart... (the only thing that see myself buying between now and then is the Midway Collection (PS2 version) - and $20 is hard to resist)....

[Shane R. Monroe]

This gives a damn good work out. My kid just played the soccer game ... she's panting like dog, but she's friggin' grinning and squealing. When you win a high score they take your picture for the high score screen. Pretty cool.

Not sure on the widescreen thing. Plays fine on my big ass 36" wega tho.

The camera appears to have an effective range of about 8 feet. You can SEE farther, but the camera seems to ignore anything further than about 8 feet.

The REAL secret seems to be excellent lighting. I took the shade off one of the lamps, and game play was MARKEDLY improved. It seems to feed off LIGHT reflection more than motion. I found that very interesting.

I hear you on Midway Treasures ... its a must have'r.

[The Game Doctor]

Fascinating that nobody seems to recognize the technology behind Eye Toy is, in fact, the original paradigm for "Virtual Reality" as conceived by Jared Lanier. I think he demonstrated it in the EG offices around 1983.

[Bill_Loguidice]

Fascinating that nobody seems to recognize the technology behind Eye Toy is, in fact, the original paradigm for "Virtual Reality" as conceived by Jared Lanier. I think he demonstrated it in the EG offices around 1983.

I'm all for any "virtual reality" that doesn't involve a headset. Those ALWAYS make me sick. I think the future always was and will always be the types of virtual reality that keep us in the environments we're used to, if that makes sense. In other words, the Eye Toy does its magic without attaching any do-dads to the user. Same thing for the new Sharp notebook displays - the ones that produce 3D imagry without glasses or a headset. The quicker the idea of virtual reality continues to involve "outside the pod", the quicker it will become actual reality...

Can you give a little more detail about what happened with Jared Lanier? I'm of course familiar with all of the console and PC 3D and VR attempts and many of the arcade or related projects, but I'm curious what went on there...

[Bryan 'KidHype' Smith]

DDR will not help you learn how to dance. It will just make it allot easier to tap your feet at 190 beats per minute :)

[The Game Doctor]

Bill L writes:

Can you give a little more detail about what happened with Jared Lanier? I'm of course familiar with all of the console and PC 3D and VR attempts and many of the arcade or related projects, but I'm curious what went on there...

Remember, Bill, this is back in like 1983 and Jared came up to our lavish new offices on 34th and 10th Avenue with all this cool technology, in his white boy dreads and kaftan looking like some new mutation of wonk. He basically set up a monitor, a computer and a video camera, then we took turns sitting in front of the camera. We could see ourselves on the monitor, but we could see other things as well -- musical instruments, for example. And if we tapped the place where the drum was on the monitor, it produced a sound like hitting a real drum. Pretty soon, we were whomping up a virtual Ricky Ricardo jam session, pounding on invisible bongos (people walking by the office would see us pounding on air, but they'd hear the sound of the drum from the monitor and wonder if they were going insane in the membrane).

He called it "virtual reality." I didn't hear the term again for many, many years and when I did, it was being associated with lame Oliver Stone fantasies where people in wheelchairs put on designer sunglasses and won mambo contests.

MANY years after the encounter with Jared, at an E3, Nintendo offered a special preview of a tech that later inspired a TV show. Guests rans over ordinary platforms and jumped over short gaps while being videotaped -- but both the guest and the people standing outside the enclosed area saw the guests romping through a Marioesque platform game on computer-amped monitors. Using the on-monitor images as a guide (avoiding monsters, etc.), the guests/players actually engaged in a VR platform game experience. Versions of the tape -- with game overlays -- were then given out as souveniers.

According to the textbooks, there are something like 8 different species of VR. But the headsets never took off, mostly because the minute you got rid of the cumbersome tether, you had people wandering off their balconies and plummeting down stairs, so no insurance company would cover them.

[Flare]

Whatever happened to the Eyetoy? there are no more games being announced or anything... all game-related websites talk about games like Kinetic, Chat, Monkey Mania but none of them were released in the states.

I hope they don't abandon this gadget.

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

A new game that has just released is Anti Grav (http://www.us.playstation.com/Content/ogs/SCUS-97414/site/) you fly through hoops and do stunts i think its coming to the US. It meant to be the most accurate Eye toy game so far

[Shane R. Monroe]

Anti-grav kicks ass. Its a LOT more fun than PLAY or Nicktoons stuff.

Give you a good work out too.

[Flare]

Yeah, actually I meant what's next after Antigrav; that game has been out since Christmas.

I think you guys in the UK are getting all the fun with Eyetoy games... as the ones I previously mentioned are developed in London.

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

ah my apologies, anti grav has only just come out in the UK

Did you get sega superstars?

[Shane R. Monroe]

I haven't seen that yet :(

[Flare]

I saw it in EBGames last christmas as well... it's PLAY but with Sega characters...

[Flare]

In another thread I posted that I'm waiting for Konami to release POLICE 911 or MO-CAP Boxing for the Eyetoy...that would be the killer app.

[B_Rik_Schitthaus]

Sega superstars (http://www.sega.com/gamesite/segasuperstars/base.html)

Puyo Puyo and Monkey ball own big time :D

[Danny]

If you like Eye Toy get Sega Superstars... nothing like pretending to be a character from some of sega's classics like nights in dreams and super monkey ball etc.

Oh yeah also get Eye Toy play2 since that is fair suprior to the prevoius version, very good games on that like Baseball and Kung-Fu 2.