Microsoft has hinted that the IllumiRoom system, which can project a game environment around users' living rooms, will reportedly factor into the next-gen Xbox and its Kinect 2.0 peripheral.
While Microsoft is planning to reveal more about the projector-style device at CHI 2013, new PDF documents released by the company reveal more about the new display device.
"Our vision for a fully developed IllumiRoom system includes an ultra-wide field of view device sitting on the user's coffee table, projecting over a large area surrounding the television...The device would be connected wirelessly to a next-generation gaming console as a secondary display."
In addition, Microsoft's Eric Rudder spoke to The Verge during TechForum about the device, and revealed a bit more about how it works:
"The LED is projecting for a frame and then turning it off and Kinect IR is reading those layovers," said Rudder. "Then the Kinect turns off for a frame and then the projector goes on and then Kinect will go back and forth."
It looks like Microsoft is planning big things for the IllumiRoom system and the next-gen Xbox, which is set to be revealed on May 21. The next-gen Xbox has been rumored to ship with a updated version of the Kinect, so it appears as though it will be easier for users to use the IllumiRoom without having to buy a Kinect in addition to the projector-style device.
IllumiRoom offers a unique new way for gamers to play games. The device projects the game's environments on a wide area around the television. This will allow players to see more of the environment, makers for completing tasks, or merely project weather effects around the television screen. No word yet on when the IllumiRoom will become available, or how much the projector will cost when it comes out.