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Eye Toy

Eye Toy
An Eye Toy on a PS2 Slim
Specifications:
Platform:	PlayStation 2
Interface:	USB
Connector:	USB 1.1
Power consumption	50mA
Dimensions:	44 x 53 x 89 mm
Weight:	173 g
Cable length:	2m
Resolution:	640 x 480 pixels
Lenshead:	Manual focus ring
This article is part of the PlayStation 2 series

The Eye Toy is a digital camera device for the PlayStation 2 similar to a webcam. The camera is manufactured by Logitech. The camera is mainly used for playing Eye Toy games developed by Sony and other companies. It also features a built in microphone. It is not intended for use as a normal PC camera, although some people have developed unofficial drivers for it.

Contents

1 History 2 Design 3 Technical limitations 4 Games 4.1 Designed for Eye Toy play 4.2 Optional Eye Toy features 5 Cameo 5.1 Games supporting Eye Toy: Cameo 6 References 7 External links

History

The Eye Toy was originally thought of by Dr Richard Marks, who had the idea of connecting a web camera to a PlayStation 2 and using it to play games with. The idea of using cameras in games is not new, as used previously in many arcade games and toys such as the Game Boy Camera, but with the resolution of modern cameras and the processing power of the PlayStation 2 there were new ideas possible. The idea was taken up by S.C.E.E. London Studio, who showed a concept in 2002 with four games. The idea was a success and the hardware was released in Europe in July 2003 along with its first real game, EyeToy: Play.

Design

The Eye Toy features a compact design which is intended to be placed on top of the console or television. The camera is mounted on a pivot, allowing for easy positioning and focusing; focusing the camera is performed by rotating a ring around the lens. It comes with two LED lights on the front. A blue light turns on when the PS2 is on, indicating that it is ready to be used, while the red light flashes when there is insufficent light in the room. There is also a microphone built in, for uses such as recording a short video message for someone.

Technical limitations

Due to the camera's need to "see" the player as they play, the camera can be very finicky about how much light is in the room. Different games have a different tolerance for varying light conditions, with the most touchy of them all being EyeToy: Antigrav.

Games

Designed for Eye Toy play

• EyeToy: Play (Sony, 2003)
• EyeToy: Groove (Sony, 2003)
• EyeToy: Antigrav (Sony, 2004)
• Sega SuperStars (Sega, 2004)
• U Move Super Sports (Konami, 2004)
• EyeToy: Chat (Sony, 2004) - a videophone system for use with the network adaptor
• EyeToy: Play 2 (Sony, 2004)
• Disney Move (Ubisoft, 2004)
• Nicktoons Movin' (THQ, 2004)
• EyeToy: Kinetic (Sony, to be released)

Optional Eye Toy features

These games have an "Eye Toy Enhanced" label on the box.

• Singstar (Sony, 2004) - singers can optionally see themselves when singing
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (EA, 2004) - features Eye Toy minigames
• Dance Dance Revolution Extreme / Dancing Stage Fusion (Konami, 2004)
• The Urbz: Sims in the City (EA, 2004) - players can have their faces on in-game billboards
• Jackie Chan Adventures (Sony, 2004) - features Eye Toy minigames
• LMA Manager 2005 (Codemasters, 2004) - players can have their pictures on in-game newspapers
• Get On Da Mic (Eidos, 2004) - players can see their performance
• Singstar Party (Sony, 2004)
• The Polar Express (THQ, 2004)

Cameo

Eye Toy: Cameo is a system for allowing players to include their own images as avatars in other games. Games that support the feature include a rudimentary head scanning program that can be used to generate a 3D mapping of the player's head. Once stored on a memory card, this file is then available in games that support the Cameo feature.

Games supporting Eye Toy: Cameo

• This Is Football 2005 (Sony, 2004)

References

External links

• Eye toy official site (http://www.eyetoy.com)
• Unofficial PC drivers (http://sairuk.toythieves.com/eyetoy/)

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