Microsoft’s IllumiRoom is unlikely to launch with the next-generation Xbox, researchers have suggested. In an interview with The Verge , Microsoft researcher Hrvoje Benko said that the IllumiRoom is purely a proof of concept project designed to offer a glimpse into the future.
“At this point it’s purely a research project,” Benko explained, before suggesting that the technology is still five or ten years off.
Benko did, however, say that the IllumiRoom researchers had been working closely with the Kinect and Xbox teams and that a simple application interface had already been created for developers.
Meanwhile, talking about the advantages IllumiRoom has over virtual reality headsets, fellow researcher Brett Jones said that Microsoft’s device offers a shared experience.
“It enables augmented reality gaming, not just virtual reality, and it enables a shared experience, so you can see and interact with the player sitting next to you,” Jones explained.
Unveiled at this year’s CES event in Las Vegas, IllumiRoom is a projector device that can be used to extend the gaming content out of the TV or show in-game elements such as explosions and snow.
