DCEmu Featured News Articles

Since the dawn of Kinect hacking, we've seen cameras strung together (or rotated) to create 3D, video game-like environments, while others have tweaked it for headtracking. Others, still, have used it for teleconferencing (albeit, the flat, two-dimensional variety). Now, a team of researchers have gone and thrown it all together to achieve 3D video chats, and if we do say so, the result is greater than a sum of its parts. The group, based out of UNC-Chapel Hill, uses 3D mapping (and at least four Kinects) to render the video, and then employs headtracking on the receiving end so that people tuning in will actually see the live video in 3D, even without wearing 3D glasses. The result: a tableau that follows you as you move your head and spin around restlessly in your desk chair waiting for the meeting to end. That's mighty impressive, but we can't help but wonder: do you really want to see your colleagues in such lifelike detail? Have a gander at the video and decide for yourself.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/02/r...nferencing-vi/ ...

Apple is always filing patents for strange and fantastic things that never seem to find their way into actual products. But an application published today details some interesting tech that we could actually see getting jammed into a future iPhone (for better or worse). By pairing an infrared sensor with the camera already on board, portable devices could receive data from transmitters placed, well, wherever. Beyond simply blasting out text and opening links like a glorified QR code, transmitters could disable certain features, such as the camera, to prevent recording at movie theaters and music venues. If completely shutting off the cam seems a bit heavy-handed, watermarks can also be applied to photos identifying businesses or copyrighted content. Some potential uses are a little less Big Brother, like museums beaming information about exhibits to a user's or launching an audio tour. Obviously third parties would have to get behind the IR push and there's no guarantee that Apple will put this in a future iProduct. Still, we're a little worried that the days of blurry YouTube concert videos may be coming to an end.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/02/a...rs-in-their-t/ ...

With E3 2011 just around the corner, expectations for Nintendo announcements are mighty high, but you can get a glimpse at the heat Sony's packing before another day goes by. The official PlayStation.Blog spat out some footage of the quad-core NGP in action, and it's not just playing last-gen games; rather, there's yet another glimpse at Uncharted, a brand new platformer called Sound Shapes where you build levels with a music sequencer (and which procedurally generates tunes as you play) and a taste of the cross-platform PS3 vs. NGP wireless racing you can expect in Wipeout HD. There's definitely a lot of dual-analog action here, but demonstrators are also taking advantage of that five-inch touchscreen, and Wipeout will apparently use the front-facing camera to beam taunt-filled pictures and video of the victor to the losers in each race.

You'll note that Sony's focusing on software over hardware here, and that's not by accident -- the company's careful to state that we're looking at early dev units. "They're the right size, but they don't possess that final PlayStation-quality fit and finish," says the official blog, "What you'll eventually be able to pick up in a store will look a heck of a lot better." Two more vids after the break.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/02/s...l-demo-videos/ ...

The Adobe-Apple Flash war used to be one of the juiciest catfights around, but, much like two aging boxers, both sides now appear willing to act like adults put it all behind them. Speaking at yesterday's D9 conference in Palos Verdes, California, Adobe head Shantanu Narayen confirmed that he and Steve Jobs have reached an unofficial armistice, bringing an end to their prolonged war of words. According to the CEO, Apple's Flash issues stemmed from the company's "business model," rather than any legitimate concerns over quality. "It's control over the app store that's at issue here," Narayen said, implying that Flash's wide-ranging platform compatibility may not have jibed with the Cupertino ethos. He went on to remind moderator Walt Mossberg that developers can still use Adobe's AIR software to get their products to the App Store, adding that his company is looking forward to the rise of HTML5 and "actively contributing" to its development.

Mossberg, meanwhile, seemed to blindside Narayen when he brought up Flash's poor performance on Android devices. "I have yet to test a single one where Flash tests really well," the columnist claimed. "I'm sorry, but it's true." Narayen sputtered a bit, before pointing to the BlackBerry PlayBook as an example of the progress that Flash has made. When Mossberg reminded him that the PlayBook doesn't run on Android, the CEO not-so-subtly sidestepped the question by emptily declaring that Adobe's mission is simply to provide people with the best tools to create content. Apparently satisfied with this non-answer, Mossberg changed the subject back to Apple, allowing Narayen to wax poetic about their new Pax Romana -- and, perhaps, to breathe a sigh of relief.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/03/a...r-flash-perfo/ ...

One thing we criticized in our Xperia Play review was the lack of games specifically adapted to the handheld's controls. So it's only fair to mention that a bevy of new titles is on the horizon -- some old, some new, but all optimized for this specific brand of button-mashing. Headline acts include Minecraft (a port we've already seen in action) as well as Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard and Battlefield Bad Company 2, both of which have both been accruing headshots on iOS devices for a while now. Hit the PR after the break for the full list of titles, but don't expect much in the way of pricing or availability. Those details will be announced at E3 next week, when the Xperia Play will have to compete for attention against the Sony NGP. Guess we'll patiently have to twiddle our thumbs until it's time to twiddle them with vigor.

http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/03/s...ed-for-xperia/ ...

Japan's traditionally reliable Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper has printed a handful of purported Project Café details ahead of Nintendo's grand unveiling at E3 next week.

The report, translated and summarised by Andriasang, largely mirrors earlier speculation that the device's controller will sport a six inch touch screen. The pad allows for "tablet-like" controls for games played on your TV but can also be used as a portable gaming device.

The controller also reportedly has a built-in rechargeable battery and a camera.

According to the paper, the console is scheduled to launch in the second half of 2012.

For more on what Nintendo's new machine might have in store, give Digital Foundry's recent rumour analysis a once-over, then set your alarm for 5.00pm next Tuesday.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...t-cafe-details ...

The Welcome Back extras promised to PlayStation Network users in the wake of April's massive security breach are available now, Sony has announced.

As explained last month, PlayStation 3 owners can claim any two of Dead Nation, inFAMOUS, LittleBigPlanet, Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty and Wipeout HD + Fury.

PSP users can choose two from LittleBigPlanet (PSP), ModNation Racers, Pursuit Force and Killzone Liberation.

To claim your freebies, access the PlayStation Store from your XMB, click on the Welcome Back banner, select "PlayStation 3 free games", hit "Get now" and then make your choices.

If you own both systems, yes, you can claim four games in total.

You'll also be able to activate your 30 days free PlayStation Plus membership from the same menu.

Current PS Plus subscribers don't need to do anything to claim their 60 days free membership – it's been automatically credited to your account, with a further 10 days to be added in a few days time.

A number of free virtual items are available in PlayStation Home, and a selection of "on us" movies are available for rental free of charge this weekend where Video Service is available.

Finally, Music Unlimited Premium subscribers receive an additional 60 days of free premium membership. Any Music Unlimited free trial users affected by the outage get 30 days of service.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-now-available ...

Microsoft is working hard to improve 10-million selling motion sensing add-on Kinect so that the games you play feel and control better.

Improvements made by Microsoft to the way the Xbox 360 works with Kinect mean it will detect finger movement – and even pointing.

Eurogamer sources have indicated that gamers should see "pretty big improvements" in the short term via new software updates.

Improvements to face recognition, skeletal tracking and voice recognition are all planned.

Eurogamer understands Microsoft will soon announce that Kinect can detect voices in additional languages. Currently, it only understands English and a handful of other languages. An announcement may be made during Microsoft's E3 2011 press conference. 123Kinect.com reported today that Kinect Sports developer Rare will take to the stage next week for a demo that "will involve the voice aspect far more during gameplay".

It is not known whether this relates to Kinect Sports 2, which Eurogamer understands will be unveiled at E3, or Rare's secret second Kinect game, which Eurogamer exposed as being in the works last month.

Other rumours point to an E3 2011 announcement for a Xbox Live Diamond subscription.

According to Winrumors.com, Microsoft is working on a demo for E3 that would showcase "Project Orapa", discussed by Eurogamer this week.

Project Orapa is a codename for Microsoft's combination of Xbox Live and Mediaroom IPTV. If an Xbox app is planned, it could allow Xbox owners to control their TV settings, social networking, music and video with Kinect-fuelled gestures.

"Microsoft is currently in last minute negotiations to secure the necessary agreements in time," said a source. Microsoft plans to make Xbox Live Diamond available in November.

With regards Kinect, Eurogamer can reveal how Microsoft will improve its accuracy.

Currently, Kinect passes information to the Xbox 360 through a variety of streams. But Microsoft will soon allow developers to "turn off sound or depth", thus enabling Kinect to concentrate on sending a video feed, for example, of higher quality.

"If it had just have been a video feed from a camera, it would have been of really good quality," a Eurogamer source close to Kinect development said. "But the fact it's sending sound, depth and video is what tends to clog the bandwidth."

The Kinect camera outputs in 640x480, but the depth buffer is 320x240. Microsoft restricts the resolution of Kinect because of Xbox 360 USB limitations revealed by Eurogamer last year.

Most Xbox 360 games are 1280x720, but with Kinect outputting in 640x480, the video feed is smaller than the display picture, stretching it out.

"What people would ideally want is that it's at least 1:1 mapping," continued our source. "That's what they're working on. You can do Augmented Reality-type things, and if you want to just turn off the depth of the sound for a moment, then you can ask for the higher-quality video feed.

"Microsoft has been quite clever and canny in that they have put slightly more expensive pieces into the Kinect, which is why it's expensive, even though you can't access them immediately. But in software hopefully we'll be able to do this, now the PC people worked it out quite quick."

Improvements are also being made to the way Kinect tracks skeletons.

Currently, Kinect uses a 21 node skeleton to work out your movements. On every point it tells the Xbox, 'Here's the co-ordinate I believe the node is at, and here's how confident I am that it's there.'

For your hand, for example, Kinect sends through an X, Y and Z value, and says, for example, 'I'm 99 per cent sure.'

When you sit down, however, issues can arise. Kinect may say, 'Your knee is there, but I'm only 30 per cent sure it's there.' This presents problems to developers trying to work out if the information they are getting from Kinect is accurate.

"All the knees and ankles have always been a bit like it's semi-guessing," a source told Eurogamer. "But all those values are about to go up. They've been doing a lot of work on the seated position and said it will improve shortly with an update.

"If anyone thinks we're looking at fingers to see if you're pushing buttons, that would be really pointless. But if you were to hold your hand out and say, how many fingers am I holding up? Two, three, one, whatever... We're doing some work on it and it looks like you can do it.

"You can hold them out as well. If you point at the screen, you'll be able to work out whether you're pointing one finger or two fingers. The accuracy is actually pretty good.

"They're doing some improvements on their libraries. All game designers are just working out how better to recognise gestures, when to throw data away, and when data might be dirty. That's going to happen with the second wave of games."

The upshot of these improvements is a more accurate Kinect, and better games.

"Any Augmented Reality would look higher quality," Eurogamer was told. "The recognition on your body and gestures would be more accurate."
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Global Xbox 360 sales have reached 55 million, Microsoft has announced.

Sales are accelerating, the console manufacturer said this afternoon.

"Xbox 360 maintains its lead in the US as the top selling console in 2011, and 10 of the past 11 months," said the company.

"In the first four months of 2011, Xbox 360 has seen a 29 per cent year over year increase in sales, which is more than triple the growth of PlayStation 3 and the largest growth of any console on the market."

Going by latest sales figures, the Xbox 360 is five million ahead of the PlayStation 3, which as of last month had sold 50 million consoles globally.

A record 14.3 million PS3s were sold during the 12 months to the end of March 2011.

Both consoles are, of course, some way behind Nintendo's Wii, which sold a whopping 86.01 million as of the end of March.

Meanwhile, Microsoft said there are now nearly 35 million active Xbox Live members worldwide, spending an average of almost 60 hours a month on the service. Cumulatively, Live members log 2.1 billion entertainment hours a month. That's three times as much video consumption compared to a year ago.

Kinect has sold more than 10 million units and the same number of Kinect games.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...-to-55-million ...