Xbox 720 IllumiRoom Details & Stunning New Demo Revealed

Microsoft's Illumiroom, which was first unveiled during the most recent CES, is intended to bring the television’s surrounding area into the gaming experience. It’s an exciting bit of technology that goes beyond the standard 3D add-on, and according to a new preview video released ahead of this week's CHI 2013 event where there’s supposed to be a reveal of the more technical details about Illumiroom, this system could play a huge role in the future of the next-generation Xbox.

The five minute-long demo for IllumiRoom suggests that it'll be integrated with the Xbox 720, due to be announced by Microsoft May 21. The video showcases how a user's living room could be covered in grids, snow, and lighting.

"IllumiRoom envisions a next-generation gaming console with a projector that sits on your coffee table and surrounds your television with projected light,” the video claims.

Game explosions and other dynamic elements of a game will be displayed through the unique tech. All the standard action seen in modern shooters or actions games will appear behind and around the TV.

"Our vision for a fully developed IllumiRoom system includes an ultra-wide field of view device sitting on the user's coffee table, projecting over a large area surrounding the television," Microsoft Research stated in a CHI 2013 document.

"The device would be connected wirelessly to a next generation gaming console as a secondary display. The ultra-wide field of view could be obtained with an ultra-short throw projector, or by coupling a standard projector with a spherical/parabolic mirror. The room geometry could be acquired with a depth sensor or a structured light scan."