Intel’s Perceptual Computing demonstrations hands-on (video)

Intels Perceptual Computing demonstrations handson video

We’ve just spent time with Intel’s Mooly Eden, who is spearheading the chip maker’s push into what it’s calling “perceptual computing,” which is using natural and intuitive interactions to control your PC. The company has partnered with Creative on a Kinect-esque 3D depth-camera that can be used to control applications and play games, do faux-green screen broadcasting and collaborate with colleagues. While Microsoft’s motion-tracker is designed to encompass a whole room, Intel’s has a shallower depth of field that’s more suited for close-up work. We got to play with the company’s demos away from the noise of the show floor, as well as playing a gesture-based version of Portal 2 by Sixsense that’s shorn of the controllers that Eden used to demonstrate it in 2011. Interested in seeing what’s likely to appear in what the company promises is the very near future? Head on down past the break.

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Your Portal gun isn’t as cool as Hack-a-Day’s Portal gun (which actually levitates a companion cube)

Your Portal gun isn't as cool as HackaDay's Portal gun which actually levitates a companion cube

There you were, thinking your NECA-produced Portal gun replica was super neat all on its own. Well, okay — it is — but wouldn’t it be even cooler if you could use it to make a baby companion cube levitate in mid-air with it? That question is exactly what lead to Hack a Day’s creation of just such a device, as seen in the video below the break. By reappropriating a magnetic floating globe’s parts and attaching said parts to both the gun and a homemade companion cube, Hack a Day were able to recreate at least part of the magic Chell experiences in her Aperture Science adventures. Of course, if you move the gun too much, the companion cube will fall out. Just think what that does to its psyche! You monster.

[Image credit: Caleb Kraft, Hack a Day]

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Your Portal gun isn’t as cool as Hack-a-Day’s Portal gun (which actually levitates a companion cube) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Oct 2012 02:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valve taunts us with prospect of official Portal 2 sentry turret replica (video)

Valve taunts us with prospect of official Portal 2 sentry turret replica video

A Holy Grail of gamer memorabilia is the Portal turret replica — as much a tech toy as proof that you can sing “Want You Gone” from memory. It’s already been coveted when made in small batches by fans, so you can imagine the hysteria when Valve Software itself posts a teaser video (found after the break) at its store’s Facebook page showing what looks to be a near life-size, computer-linked version of Aperture Science’s typical sentry from Portal 2, minus the laser targeting and live machine guns. After that, however, we’re left to guess whether or not it’s just a decoration for Valve’s offices or a commercial product to buy alongside a Companion Cube plushie. We’ve asked Valve about providing more details in the near future and will let you know if the developer is any more talkative than its robot guards.

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Valve taunts us with prospect of official Portal 2 sentry turret replica (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you’re directing with Portals (video)

Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you're directing with Portals video

Creating machinima with a video game engine usually requires accepting one of two truths: either that it will require a lot of fudging or that it will have all the sophistication of playing with action figures. Valve Software isn’t very happy with that dichotomy, which is why it’s posting its very own movie-making tool, Source Filmmaker, as a public beta. Any game that runs on the Source engine, whether it’s Left 4 Dead 2, Portal 2 or another in the family, can have gameplay run-throughs edited and dissected right down to custom facial expressions. As Valve expounds in the video after the break, throwing a gaming-grade PC at the task gives directors the advantage of seeing exactly how any changes will look in the final scene; there’s no rough wireframes or pre-rendering here. Budding Francis Ford Coppolas can sign up for an invitation to the Filmmaker beta at the project page. If you’d just like to see how far someone can go with the end results, we’ve also included the latest Team Fortress 2 character profile video, Meet the Pyro, after the jump.

Continue reading Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you’re directing with Portals (video)

Valve Source Filmmaker makes a movie out of any Source game, now you’re directing with Portals (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 18:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Licensed Portal 2 turret replica to arrive later this year, leave ammo at home

Licensed Portal 2 Turret replica to arrive later this year, leave bullets at home

If an enthusiast-built Portal 2 turret piques your interest, Gaming Heads’ Valve-licensed miniature replica may very well force your wallet open. Modeled using Portal 2‘s in-game assets and cast in “high quality poly-stone,” these mini-turrets aim to intimidate intruders with a motion activated light-up eye. In addition to the stoically silent basic model, the company’s offering an exclusive edition, which plays sounds and voice samples from the game. Only 1,100 of these hand painted facsimiles will be produced (350 with sound, 750 without), but the company notes that other figures based on the adorable death machines are in the works. Pre-orders have already begun, so collectors will want to act fast — provided they’re ready to pony up $300-325, of course.

Licensed Portal 2 turret replica to arrive later this year, leave ammo at home originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 04:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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