Xbox 720 Controller: It Could Be Digits, The 'Wrist-Worn Gloveless Sensor;' Companies Still Focused On Current-Gen Consoles (VIDEO)

Video games have made some incredible technologies mainstream and affordable - from Blu-Ray players to motion-activated controllers such as the Wii remote and Microsoft's Kinect. The hopes are high for the next-gen of consoles including the next-gen Microsoft Xbox, and a new video released by Microsoft Research could indicate that a wrist controller might accompany the system when it releases.

"Digits, a wrist-worn gloveless sensor developed by Microsoft Research in Cambridge, U.K., enables 3-D computer interaction in any environment and is practical beyond computer gaming," writes MicrosoftResearch on their YouTube video.

Digits, at this stage in its development looks like an oversized wrist watch, with an infrared camera, infrared laser line, and an infrared diffuse illumination, and an inertial measurement unit. Website ZDNet reports that the bulky size is due to its "off-the-shelf" components and that in the future " the researchers are hoping to get it down to the size of an average wristwatch."

The amazing thing is that Digits requires no line of sight to an external sensor. You can simply let your arm go limp, and the controller will still pick up on your finger movements.

The video released by Microsoft Research shows a person making a gun shape out of his hand simply "shooting" with his fingers. Imagine the gameplay possibilities since there is no longer a restricting sensor-friendly area to have to stand or gesture in.

There is still no word on Xbox 720 or PlayStation 4 release timeframes, let along their controllers, but executives from both Microsoft and Sony have made it very clear that they are going to continue to invest in the current generation for some time to come - think until 2015. Sony is claiming its resources are stretched thin, while Microsoft has been ramping up security because we can only hope the company is making some real progress on the next Xbox. Until we get a solid statement from the companies regarding their next-gen consoles, there's not much to do but guess based off what we know - but let's hope the next-gen controllers are as intuitive as Digits.