/ Brandon Boyer / 11:52 am Fri Feb 26, 2010

Video: Motion-tracking 3D with the DSi camera

Due for downloadable release next week (unfortunately, in Japan only), Rittai Kakushi e Attakoreda (which, via Tiny Cartridge, roughly translates to Hidden 3D Image: There It Is!) probably comes as close as anything we've seen so far to answering that long-burning question, "What're the cameras on the DSi really for?" Augmented reality games haven't quite flourished, "print club" distractions don't hold much sway in the West -- but achieving good Johnny Lee-style 3D by motion tracking via the DSi's front-mounted camera is something we can all get on board for, even if it's just for the simple paper-cut hidden object minigame Attakoreda offers. Rittai Kakushi e Attakoreda is out next Wednesday, March 3rd -- I'll update then with a report on just how well it works.

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  1. This looks seriously badass. I’ve always thought that headtracking is quite wonky when you’re talking about large computer monitors and HD TV’s, and i still affirm that the only medium it makes sense are handhelds.

    I would love to get my hands on a title like this. I hope it wont remain as a Japan only game ): let us know how it plays.

    1. It is an all new DS system. This is just a game that runs on said system, the 3DS which produces 3d without the need of special glasses.

  3. It would be great if they could use the two screens in stereo. Just gaze into it or cross your eyes for instant 3D.

  4. That looks amazing! Very reminiscent of the work done by Johnny Lee (using eye-glass mounted IR LEDs to enable head tracking). It seems like they are just using the camera as a sort of tilt-sensor.

    As for DSi games that use a camera, I worked on a puzzle game called Glow Artisan that could turn photos into puzzles. Due to the size/color limitations (8 colors, 12×10 puzzles) they generally didn’t look like the photo, but when you solved it, it would show you the original. This was actually kind of cool since you could send the puzzle to a friend, and they would have to solve it before viewing the picture.

  8. Grr!

    I’ve been working on software on my Macbook that does exactly this. Using the opensource library opencv to locate a face and size of the face to determine an x,y,z then manipulating a Quartz composition to create the illusion of a 3d scene.

    Nintendo is faster than me :-|

    1. > I’ve been working on software on my Macbook that does exactly this. Using the opensource library opencv

      Sounds intriguing – is there a website (or code repository) for this?

  9. This could be done on the iApple (we want all you money) and the Windoze phones/PDA/IWantToBeEverything devices, and I guess a few more.

    It would probably work on the Wii, and I guess PCs, XBoxs, etc…

    Now how can I pick up my monitor and move it around the see what’s hidden behind the edges without breaking it?

  10. this is theoretically possible with phones with the personal video conference cameras on the front. It doesn’t even need the hardware. All it’s got to do is send a picture to a server where it will do the tracking, accommodate a picture to the person, send that picture back through 3G or 4G network and it could be done.

  11. Nintendo is my hero. They always succeed at pushing video games to new places using clever ideas not processor power. Meanwhile Sony & M$ are just trying to ‘out cool’ each other, while merely just re-making the same old crap and copying each other’s every move.

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