No European date as Microsoft shows online EyeToy equivalent for Xbox

By Patrick Garratt Published 18 June, 2004

The first images of Video Chat, the system combining an Eye-Toy style webcam and Xbox Live, have been released in Japan, but there’s no news for PAL owners as yet.

'No European date as Microsoft shows online EyeToy equivalent for Xbox' Screenshot 1

It's a webcam....with a green flash!

Microsoft Japan has released the first images of its Video Chat system, a package comprising a webcam, the ordinary Live chat headset and a year’s subscription to Live.

Microsoft has made no noise on a European release as yet, but is expected to comment in the next 24 hours.

The system, first shown at E3 in May, will allow five people to talk simultaneously on-screen, while offering features such as backgrounds, music and the ability to ‘rumble’ other people’s controllers remotely. Now, our minds are clean as the driven snow, but surely this isn’t as innocent as it sounds?

Costing around £35, the system is rolling out in Japan first due to broadband being the normal for Japanese households. Video Chat is expected to launch in Japan towards the end of this year, so Europe shouldn’t expect a release until well into 2005.

No announcements have yet been made for EyeToy style software. But given the remote-rumble function and the fact the Xbox audience is “adult”; well, our minds are boggling, frankly.

Look back for Microsoft Europe comment later today. And look here for some more photos.

Picture of Patrick.

About Patrick Garratt

Read more articles from Patrick by visiting the Patrick Garratt archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (23) Latest comment 8 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • martyngates #1 8 years ago

    pity no one id speak to would look as fine as that!

  • krudster #2 8 years ago

    There's no pretty way of putting lots of screenshots in an article sadly...and Tom's the man with ninja CMS skills...who's STILL on holiday!

  • UncleLou #3 8 years ago

    Well, we'll know what's up when the next generation of Xbox controllers has a slightly odd shape.

  • pjmaybe #4 8 years ago

    That's nasty.

    It'll be interesting to see if they use it for anything better than just a cheapo talkie cam. Would like to see it used in games (but not necessarily as just another eyetoy)

    Funny isn't it, the big three console giants are now getting into cams pretty much just because of the success of the eyetoy.

    My money's on Nintendo being the only ones to do anything reasonably good with it though (I hope!)

    Peej

  • sam_spade #5 8 years ago

    I realise that Tokyo apartments are the equivalent of shoeboxes. But I didn't realise that their living rooms were so small.

    I hope you can change that fun icon to suit your mood as well.

  • martyngates #6 8 years ago

    nintendo were there first with the gameboy camera,

    looks like a rebranded logitech cam from the red light

  • CyberClaw #7 8 years ago

    I think the XBox controlers are too big for it... now the Rez vibo box, that was a feature... Better yet, reading the review with pictures in a woman gaming site was very.... erm... ilucidating :D

    You can read the article here:
    http://www.gamegirladvanc e.com/archives/2002/10/26/sex_in_games_rezvibrator.html#0001 41

    (safe for work, if the words sex and the pictures of some panties don't scare you)

  • Blerk #8 8 years ago

    Why does everything Microsoft makes for the Xbox look like it was designed for a Star Trek 'Borg' episode?

  • W0PR #9 8 years ago

    They're launching it in Japan first? Well I suppose they'll only need to get about 50 made then.

  • Sko #10 8 years ago

    Shame they went the nerdy 'PC app' direction instead of trying to encourage a wider audience as with Eyetoy.

  • Tweakmonkey #11 8 years ago

    Will Bill Gates be spying on us too now? ;-)

  • prettyboytim #12 8 years ago

    I wonder if it has any kind of microphone of its own, like the eyetoy does?

    Oh, and that thing's fugly.

  • chacha #13 8 years ago

    "That's nasty.
    It'll be interesting to see if they use it for anything better than just a cheapo talkie cam. Would like to see it used in games (but not necessarily as just another eyetoy)
    Funny isn't it, the big three console giants are now getting into cams pretty much just because of the success of the eyetoy.
    My money's on Nintendo being the only ones to do anything reasonably good with it though (I hope!)
    Peej ''

    Nintendo fanboy me thinks

    \waits for backlash

  • perilikid #14 8 years ago

    To be fair though, the EyeToy doesn't look like much either. Question is, how big is it? Will it be proportional to the size of the Xbox, therefore as tall as my tv?

    And another thing, I'm fairly sure that I got into gaming all those years ago so that I wouldn't have to interact with strangers. Oh well.

  • Daryoon #15 8 years ago

    Surely "remote rumbling" would only be useful if there were females on the other end for the acne-ridden teens to "please"?

    Or are Microsoft going to be setting up an online "BabeBox"?

  • pjmaybe #16 8 years ago

    "Nintendo fanboy me thinks "

    Far from it Chacha, as any of the regulars will tell you. It's just that Nintendo will probably do a bit more than just rig up a chat proggy with their soon-to-be-announced cube cam.

    Peej

  • MikeD #17 8 years ago

    Is it too soon to hope for getting your face in games properly with this game?

    And I do mean properly, not something which looks ridiculous (though with my face that's unavoidable)

  • AOFanboi #18 8 years ago

    The cam looks Logitech-made. Since Logitech also makes the Eye-Toy cam, I bet they are rolling in teh dough.

  • pjmaybe #19 8 years ago

    it does have one potential use, on LIVE f'r instance. Now you'll be able to see if the other player really is some smarmy little brat who's likely to duck out on you when you're winning.

    Peej

  • perilikid #20 8 years ago

    "'And another thing, I'm fairly sure that I got into gaming all those years ago so that I wouldn't have to interact with strangers. Oh well. '

    Playing with yourself is bad for your health. Much better to play with someone else. "

    There is a marked difference between playing with close friends and talking to complete strangers though, isn't there? Everything I've ever known about life, I've learnt from computer games.

    ... no, hang on...

  • inpHilltr8r #21 8 years ago

    Presumably the 'remote rumble' feature, is activated by the large button marked 'Fun'. Douglas Adams would have approved...

  • TheRealBadabing #22 8 years ago

    "Nintendo's son-to-be-announced cube cam"

    Will that be the same Nintendo that spits on any connectivity other than having a shit load of (£90) GBAs attached to it's machine?

    You never know, we might be lucky enough to see our faces on our handheld (GBA/DS). Attached to the GC/N5. By wires. By 2007. If we are "lucky".

    MS are offering a video chat service over this thing called the INTERNET (remember that word Nintendo, it might actually be important). It is not an eyetoy competitor though once the hardware is out there, developers will use it for their own nefarious means.

  • BLACKSHEEP #23 8 years ago

    Someone's gonna get into trouble with this, it ain't adults who will make most use of the vibration feature and how will Microsoft stop perv's when it's well known that gaming is full of them (apparently) :D