SonyPlayStation4.org

Who is Jim Spare and what does he have in common with Tom Cruise? And what does any of this have to do with the PlayStation 4 (PS4)? Jim Spare is the CEO of Canesta, Inc., a California-based manufacturer and seller of 3-D, chip-based, image sensors that will soon allow users to interact with computer systems the way Tom Cruise did in the movie “Minority Report”. And yes, this includes video gaming systems like the PlayStation 4.

Canesta has finally come up with an image sensor that is built upon a single, standard CMOS chip. Unlike the image sensors used in most digital cameras, which see in only two dimensions, Canesta’s sensors see in three dimensions. The capability to process 3-D information in real time opens up a new range of possible applications, including no-touch interfaces that would allow a user to use body movements to control a gaming system such as a PlayStation 4.

This very technology was demonstrated by Microsoft in June of 2009 at the E3 Expo in Los Angeles, California. “Project Natal” technology uses a 3-D sensor to translate a user’s real-life movements into virtual game movements. Extend your fist in a punching motion and your character punches his opponent. Extend your foot in a kicking motion and your character kicks his opponent.

Of Course, any PlayStation 4 equipped with this type of real-time tracking would require more computing power to achieve a level of performance comparable to a more conventional hand-held controller. My guess is that Sony would use 3-D sensors to enhance, rather than replace, the upcoming PS4 game controller. Maybe users could choose to toggle between different modes.

However no-touch technology is used in the PlayStation 4 (PS4), or whether it is used at all, 3-D motion sensing technology will allow people to interact with and control technology in ways previously thought possible only in science fiction.