SoftKinetic Gesture Recognition Coming To GameTree TV Set-Top Boxes

With Microsoft's Kinect bringing purely gesture-based game controls to the forefront of the industry, Transgaming has announced a new, purely gesture-based control system for its on-demand GameTree TV games, which are available on many TV set-top boxes. Using iisu-branded middleware from SoftKinetic, a new software development kit will allow developers to create and distribute gesture-controlled games through select set-top boxes equipped with Intel CE Media Processors, including many cable boxes and Blu-ray players. It's currently unclear what sort of hardware will allow for this gesture recognition, though TransGaming said it will be demonstrating the technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas starting tomorrow. “Gesture-based gaming represents the next true innovation in video game interactivity”, said Transgaming CEO and President Vikas Gupta in a statement. “Our ability to offer games that allow the player to be the controller on a set-top box or CE device is a demonstration of the combined expertise of Softkinetic and TransGaming, and truly reflects the comprehensive capabilities of the GameTree TV Platform.” SoftKinetic's iisu middleware is compatible with Adobe Flash, Unity 3D and 3DVIA Virtools development environments and allows for easy multi-platform development of games with a gesture-sensing component. Transgaming's GameTree TV service launched last Fall with 30 casual games that can be controlled using a remote control, including Plants vs. Zombie and World of Goo. The platform is currently available in select European markets, though the company says it's planning for global expansion this year.