Illusion Labs Demonstrates iPhone Games on a Large Multi-Touch Table

[MacRumors]

http://www.macrumors.com/images/macrumorsthreadlogo.gif (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/06/illusion-labs-demonstrates-iphone-games-on-a-large-multi-touch-table/)

The potential of multi-touch technologies generate a lot of attention here at MacRumors. Apple has clearly invested in multi-touch and we expect that they will slowing introduce more advanced versions of the technology over time. One possibility that has been discussed is that of a large multi-touch tablet or keyboard. The larger surfaces could offer unique applications including gesturing interfaces.

iPhone developer Illusion Labs (http://www.illusionlabs.com/) released a video today showing off what their current iPhone games would look like on a large multi-touch table. The technology behind this table is from TouchTech in cooperation with Crowd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RljkmXP-JX4

Both TouchGrind [App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=297694601&mt=8)] and Sway [App Store (http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=302900092&mt=8)] are available for the iPhone and iPod Touch, but the large table interface certainly adds to the experience.

While Apple's not expected to introduce a full multi-touch table, even a smaller tablet or multi-touch netbook could introduce a number of exciting new applications.

Article Link: Illusion Labs Demonstrates iPhone Games on a Large Multi-Touch Table (http://www.macrumors.com/2009/04/06/illusion-labs-demonstrates-iphone-games-on-a-large-multi-touch-table/)

[Grimace]

The iTable...I can hardly wait :rolleyes: It's gotta have software that makes sense to be on a touchscreen...

Bring on the multi-touch tablet!

[Stately]

Just the mention of new tablet devices puts me in a daze lol.

[Cboss]

Now THAT is how you play iPhone games. :)

[the kid 05]

that skateboarding game was pretty cool, can any one tell me how much it is? i dont have an iphone all thought i might cancel the bb storm now

[mikeinternet]

finally a use for surface.

[talkingfuture]

That is cool, roll on the tablet Mac I say!

[cvorden]

that skateboarding game was pretty cool, can any one tell me how much it is? i dont have an iphone all thought i might cancel the bb storm now

Touchgrind is $4.99

[Jayomat]

that skateboarding game was pretty cool, can any one tell me how much it is? i dont have an iphone all thought i might cancel the bb storm now

3,99 €... i own it. i'd love to play it on such a huge screen :)

but just to make sure: on my ipod touch you can barely see 1m in front of the boards... it's not even close to be compared to such a screen. it's a totally different gameplay... nonetheless it's kinda fun in boring lectures ;)

[AAPLaday]

Touchgrind looks very impressive on that big screen! Much better for navigation

[MacMalv]

touchgrind looks amazing on such a big screen. I wish the iPhone version was like that, so you could see the whole park!

[madog]

Sorry to be a little off topic, but I'm convinced if there was a news story that gave everyone a million dollars for free it would still garnish negative feedback on the front page.

[TuffLuffJimmy]

Oh man, that is how touch grind was meant to be played. It's just too hard to see an obstacle coming on the iPhone's screen.

[skball123]

Can be used in the near furture I say. It actually reminds me of a Discovery thing i saw about future stuff, and they always show a person moving recipies around this table thing. They also show when people put things on it, it is syncronized on the table. Can't remember what the episode was called, but that is what I thought of as soon as I saw this.

Pretty sweet I say! :D

[rjstanford]

If you somehow missed the Surface ad when it first came out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

The video is all Microsoft. The audio... not so much.

-Richard

[Jayomat]

Sorry to be a little off topic, but I'm convinced if there was a news story that gave everyone a million dollars for free it would still garnish negative feedback on the front page.

always the same, sorry for the offtopic quote ;)

[AAPLaday]

If you somehow missed the Surface ad when it first came out...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

The video is all Microsoft. The audio... not so much.

-Richard

Haha big ass table!!!! :p

I want one :o

[twoodcc]

wow! cool video! those games looked awesome on that table. i would love to see a multi-touch mac of some kind this year

[Randman]

iFart on a 50-inch plasma. Go go.

[gkarris]

geesh, I think I'm dizzy...

(falls off of chair...) :eek:

[tbobmccoy]

Sorry to be a little off topic, but I'm convinced if there was a news story that gave everyone a million dollars for free it would still garnish negative feedback on the front page.

I'd mark that as negative.... I'm anti-inflation :D

[stridemat]

Now that is very cool

[MacFly123]

Haha, that looks really cool and fun but I don't see Apple doing a Microsoft Surface Table lol.

I could see this on a tablet or even a future iMac or Cinema Display that can fold down or something, or what about bridging this with the new patent for the super wiimote for Apple TV or using the iPhone or iPod Touch as just the multi-touch controller while playing on the big screen with Apple TV? That could be really cool with an SDK and App Store on the Apple TV. I really think Apple should take the Apple TV in that direction, it could be HUGE! :D

[617arg]

Enough with the games! Where are some actual productive uses of multi-touch? Drafting, 3D, animation, photo editing.................

[Goona]

iFart on a 50-inch plasma. Go go.:D

[DELLsFan]

iFart on a 50-inch plasma. Go go.

LOL!

Seriously, haven't we known for a long time the M$ Surface product was grossly overpriced? Anyone who is worth his weight in salt, technical savvy, and OSX can easily make an Apple version of the Surface, can't they?

:confused:

Is this all we can do with these is game? I wish there were one of these in malls or airports for directions / locations / flight info, etc ... Interactivity is where I see these selling in public places.

[michael.lauden]

3,99 €... i own it. i'd love to play it on such a huge screen :)

but just to make sure: on my ipod touch you can barely see 1m in front of the boards... it's not even close to be compared to such a screen. it's a totally different gameplay... nonetheless it's kinda fun in boring lectures ;)

4.99 3.99 whatever i got it for free via Installous ha.

to me it isn't worth keeping on the iPhone.... after the first few goals it gets kindof old. as you can see the designers weren't even that great at it. although it is an amazing concept and works fairly well.


that table is ridiculously awesome!!!

[TheSlush]

My question is about resolution. Not all the App Store's games are built resolution-independent. Can they simply scale up, as-is, to tablet (or table) size and still look good? Sure, this low-rez YouTube video looks okay, but presuming a future Apple tablet will have the same crisp high-resolution of the current iPhone -- plus a heckuva lot of additional pixels -- what kind of degradation of quality will happen if a game is simply scaled up? Games that look good and crisp on the little iPhone will suddenly look soft on the big tablet. (Kinda like trying to watch standard def on a giant HDTV... no thanks.) So won't a game have to be reconfigured, reprogrammed, recompiled, and in some cases even redesigned for the higher resolution? And won't that be a big pain in the rear-end for developers? What am I missing here?

[rstansby]

If nothing else, this is a great way to draw attention to their iPhone games.

[brad2610]

When I open my wedding photo studio this is how I will show off my portfolio.

-------------------------------
Brad Ross Photography
www.bradross.net (http://www.bradross.net)

[Shunnabunich]

My question is about resolution. Not all the App Store's games are built resolution-independent. Can they simply scale up, as-is, to tablet (or table) size and still look good? Sure, this low-rez YouTube video looks okay, but presuming a future Apple tablet will have the same crisp high-resolution of the current iPhone -- plus a heckuva lot of additional pixels -- what kind of degradation of quality will happen if a game is simply scaled up? Games that look good and crisp on the little iPhone will suddenly look soft on the big tablet. (Kinda like trying to watch standard def on a giant HDTV... no thanks.) So won't a game have to be reconfigured, reprogrammed, recompiled, and in some cases even redesigned for the higher resolution? And won't that be a big pain in the rear-end for developers? What am I missing here?

It's mostly 2D assets that would have to be re-done, I imagine. 2D games would certainly look blurry, because the included graphics are made for a 320x480 screen, so devs would have to re-release their apps/games with either:

• multiple versions of the app (introduces complexity to the purchasing process unless the App Store automatically screens out apps that aren't compatible with the particular device you're using),
• multiple versions of the graphical resources in a single app (increases app size and download time, and wastes space unless each device — or iTunes — can remove unneeded files during sync), or
• only the big versions of the graphics (which would introduce a performance hit for smaller devices like iPhone and iPod touch that needed to scale everything down on-the-fly and swap memory like a crazy mofo).

To me, assuming Apple handled it right (i.e. taking care of everything on the back end to reduce apparent complexity), the first option sounds the tidiest to me. Ask developers to submit screen-optimized versions of their apps, and the App Store will take care of showing the right stuff on the right screens.

3D games would have to have their 2D textures gussied up, but they could leave their 3D assets as they were unless they became obviously fugly when viewed at a larger size.

As for whether a game or app would have to be redesigned, that's a choice the developer would have to make themselves. Some control schemes that work wonderfully on an iPhone-sized screen would fall apart on a larger device; some would scale up nicely. It's a case-by-case problem, and some apps would probably end up only being available for one "class" of device.

[wkw]

holy tamolie toes! I want! that would great for my living room

[JoshJosh117]

It's mostly 2D assets that would have to be re-done, I imagine. 2D games would certainly look blurry, because the included graphics are made for a 320x480 screen, so devs would have to re-release their apps/games with either:

• multiple versions of the app (introduces complexity to the purchasing process unless the App Store automatically screens out apps that aren't compatible with the particular device you're using),
• multiple versions of the graphical resources in a single app (increases app size and download time, and wastes space unless each device — or iTunes — can remove unneeded files during sync), or
• only the big versions of the graphics (which would introduce a performance hit for smaller devices like iPhone and iPod touch that needed to scale everything down on-the-fly and swap memory like a crazy mofo).

To me, assuming Apple handled it right (i.e. taking care of everything on the back end to reduce apparent complexity), the first option sounds the tidiest to me. Ask developers to submit screen-optimized versions of their apps, and the App Store will take care of showing the right stuff on the right screens.

3D games would have to have their 2D textures gussied up, but they could leave their 3D assets as they were unless they became obviously fugly when viewed at a larger size.

As for whether a game or app would have to be redesigned, that's a choice the developer would have to make themselves. Some control schemes that work wonderfully on an iPhone-sized screen would fall apart on a larger device; some would scale up nicely. It's a case-by-case problem, and some apps would probably end up only being available for one "class" of device.

I'm guessing the tablet would have an App Store of it's own, and developers would be free to make new apps that are tablet-specific? It would be nice if you could run OSX and install any of the current apps, along with the App Store for things that take advantage of the tablet's features.

[Jayomat]

holy tamolie toes! I want! that would great for my living room

what, with magazines or dirty feet on it??? ;)

[MrCrowbar]

Multitouch Pool or Snooker would be fun. Just as big as the real deal, but you play with you fingers. No more annoying the neighbors with loud pool playing noise. Needs less space in the room because you don't have a pool queue that's always bumping into the wall. You can put your beer on it without damaging the cloth or interfering with the game. No more cheating, you can play against an AI, setting up the balls is automated etc.

Seriously, imagine 2 people bending over a big touch screen table, fumbling around with their fingers and a very focused expression. The lighting from below makes it even more creepy.

Starcraft 2 should be fun on those things. I remember playing solitaire on some 60"ish educational touchscreen. You just drag the cards around with your flat hand. :D

Touchscreen are fun, but sometimes I miss the tactile feedback of a real, analog volume knob. Or radio buttons (not the sofware ones, the ones on 50's radios). Pushing buttons is such a great experience, no wonder kids love it.

[elgrecomac]

Apple copying Microsoft...and a year late to boot!

What a reversal.....lol :eek:


--------------
17" MBP, 4gb RAM, 3.5 TB storage, 30" ACD

[Lesser Evets]

That is one giant YAWN.

[guzhogi]

USS Enterprise, here we come!

[Goona]

Apple copying Microsoft...and a year late to boot!

What a reversal.....lol :eek:


--------------
17" MBP, 4gb RAM, 3.5 TB storage, 30" ACD

You know Apple didn't make this? :rolleyes:

[andiwm2003]

That is one giant YAWN.


so I'm not the only one who is underwhelmed by this. Some dumb game that you control via touchscreen. So what? If they had shown some productivity apps that gain in functionality or get faster and more intuitive to use. That would be something new. But what they show here is not very exciting or newsworthy IMHO.

[asphyxiafeeling]

Sorry to be a little off topic, but I'm convinced if there was a news story that gave everyone a million dollars for free it would still garnish negative feedback on the front page.

yes, alex jones/ron paul fans would come and attack it for all of the hyperinflation it must cause; as well as come to the conclusion that the million dollars are coming from the rich, cruel bankers that control the fed!

[willjax]

now that is ****ing coool!

[jayducharme]

finally a use for surface.

I think that's the future of computing. It's a bit clunky right now. But it's such a natural way to interface with a computer, by simply grabbing the images on the screen and moving them around. The trick will be finding a way to more naturally integrate the screen. It doesn't work well vertically. It takes up too much room when it's horizontal. It might work well as a sort of drafting table, tilted on an angle.

I'm getting spoiled by my iPhone and now find my mouse to be an inconvenience.

[bobsentell]

Here is the website for Surface, which was introduced at least 2 years ago: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/

That's one of the reason's why I doubt Apple's multi-touch patent will never hold up in court if anyone decides to challange it.

[MisterK]

If you want a proper skateboarding game, play Vans Sk8. Not to be confused with SK8 Halfpipe, which probably the most horrible game on the face of the earth. I'm not huge on touchgrind because you can't see much around you on the iPhone.

In a related note, I would like to see more apps featured that let you get stuff done, in addition to the games. I think it would be great for Apple to showcase speciality ad hoc apps in their commericals, that are being developed internally by companies. I remember them showcasing Disney at the launch of the iPhone. I'd love to see more of that kind of thing.

[kdarling]

That's one of the reason's why I doubt Apple's multi-touch patent will never hold up in court if anyone decides to challange it.

Despite the early bogus headlines, Apple doesn't have a patent on multi-touch, so no problem there.

As for multi-touch tables...

Another company, also called Touchtech, in Sweden has done an interesting demo for a Carlsberg beer commerical. Check out the video here (http://www.touchtech.se/en/).

[jons]

I swear I will have one of these one day...

[Thanatoast]

Give me SimCity 5 on that beast and I'll die a happy man...

[Shagrat]

Isn't it a bit large for the V3 iPhone, though? Nice to have so much real estate onscreen, but my jacket pocket ain't going to be big enough to carry THAT bad boy around.

At least there will be enough room for proper antennas to make REALLY accurate GPS positioning. And room for a decent camera.

Bring it on, I say!:D

[SFStateStudent]

I am just simply *SPINNING*

[TripleF]

Love it. Reminds me of this self-made touch-table (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiwChpthPug), although the multi-touch ability of this display makes it way more useable with bigger displays (esp. with multiple people).

And this shows what other things resolution-independence is good for.

[Randman]

Something like this would work better in a restaurant or bar setting. Order from your table, even pay the bill if you want. Get updates, or watch videos or play games. Even table-to-table battles.

[koobcamuk]

Enough with the games! Where are some actual productive uses of multi-touch? Drafting, 3D, animation, photo editing.................

Well said. I hate this whole gaming culture... I have a PS3 and an XBOX 360... but for goodness sake, multitouch is amazing and has much more in terms of creativity than flippin' a board.

[nicadmous]

I'd like to replace my crappy touch screen eclipse head unit on my car. I mean it's nice but I prefer to have a touch screen tablet that I can take with me and use anywhere and be able to plug it in my car during my travels. I can imagine it now, sitting on the dash all nice and pretty :D Oh and having google maps would be excellent too ;) Course the music capabilities would be top notch. It'd be perfect! :apple:

[NateBiggity]

Starcraft 2 should be fun on those things.
YES.

[drewsof07]

"One day your iPhone could be a big-ass table"
hahaha :p
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZrr7AZ9nCY

[aristotle]

I remember Steve Jobs saying "good artists copy, great artists steal". Apple has been known to steal ideas from competitors by taking the idea and implementing in such a way that it looks like they had invented the idea in the first place or at least have the best implementation of the idea. MSFT tend to just copy an idea and implement it rather poorly that looks like a really cheap imitation.

I hope Apple steals the Microsoft Surface idea but rather than having it just as a "table", the big ass tablet could be placed on a wall, flat desk or at an incline and I hope that they include a usable UI that makes sense for the form factor and the multi-touch interface like they did with Cocoa touch for the iPhone/iPod Touch. It seems to me that MSFT's surface is just an overpriced tech demo with no dedicated API or GUI that third party developers can leverage to give an appropriate and consistent look and feel.

[kdarling]

It seems to me that MSFT's surface is just an overpriced tech demo with no dedicated API or GUI that third party developers can leverage to give an appropriate and consistent look and feel.

There is an API, and developers can buy one with the SDK for about $15K. Which, considering the cost of some of the electronic gizmos we buy early on, is not terrible.

With the current target audience for the Surface, there is no need for a consistent look and feel. In fact, a casino is going to really try to differentiate their product from a hotel's version.

I hope Apple steals the Microsoft Surface idea but rather than having it just as a "table", the big ass tablet could be placed on a wall, flat desk or at an incline ...

I agree. We're really enjoying our HP Touchsmart in the kitchen. We use it to display iGoogle and Yahoo dashboards, have a joint calendar with our phones via Google Calendar, use it for video Skype and as a picture frame.

And I can bring my phone near it and Bluetooth my pics over.

But even more could be added.

[leeseng]

i donate the idea of touchscreen pad which stick/wear beneath the palm to avoid long hour of hanging the hands to perform screen touching gestures. the pad insulate the arms from being registered as touch action to the touch screen.