Leading Motion Gaming Studio to Make its Titles Available on Larger Array of Devices Using Omek’s Cross-Platform Gesture Recognition Software
Las Vegas, NV, January 9, 2012 – Side-Kick (www.sidekick.co.il), a leading developer and publisher of motion games, and Omek Interactive (www.omekinteractive.com), the leading provider of gesture recognition and body tracking technology, announced today that Side-Kick will be adding Omek’s Beckon middleware to its suite of existing motion games, and will use Beckon technology in future titles.
Omek’s Beckon technology enables developers to add gesture control and motion tracking interfaces to their games and applications that will work across all of major 3D cameras, including cameras from Panasonic, PMD, Softkinetic, ASUS, InVision, and PrimeSense as well as the Microsoft Kinect. By working with Beckon, Side-Kick games will now be able to run on a broader array of current and planned consumer devices utilizing gesture recognition technology, such as smart TVs, game consoles, and set-top boxes.
The market for 3D cameras is expanding rapidly, as more consumer electronics manufacturers want to deliver motion gaming and gesture control capabilities in their products, and a number of new 3D cameras are now available to serve that demand, based on both structured light and time-of-flight technologies. This increased competition among 3D camera companies is helping to accelerate OEM adoption, as more price and performance options become available. To enable gesture recognition and motion gaming on these cameras, developers require middleware, such as Omek’s Beckon, which interprets the positions and movements of people in front of the cameras.
“Gesture recognition technology has a myriad of applications,” said Jonathan Epstein, president of Omek, “but in the world of televisions and the devices that attach to them, motion gaming is one of the key drivers. By working with Side-Kick, Omek is expanding the number of motion gaming titles that our OEM partners can deliver to their consumers, no matter which 3D camera they choose to deploy.”
“Side-Kick is committed to delivering the best motion gaming experiences to consumers, no matter where and when they play,” added Guy Bendov, CEO of Side-Kick. “By working with Omek Beckon, we’re able to deliver these experiences to many more consumers, across all the 3D cameras and on both PC and embedded processors.”
Both Omek and Side-Kick will be demonstrating Side-Kick games at the Consumer Electronics Show, Jan 9-12 in Las Vegas, at Omek’s booth (LVCC North Hall #3619) and at Omek’s and Side-Kick’s hospitality suites.
About Omek Interactive
Omek is transforming the way people interact with their devices and applications, by providing tools and technology that enable manufacturers and software developers to add gesture-based interfaces to their products. Omek’s gesture recognition and body tracking software is being incorporated into TVs, set-top boxes, computers and peripherals, smartphones, interactive signs, and medical and fitness devices – and into the content and applications that run on these devices. Omek’s tools work with all major 3D cameras, and support a broad range of processors and operating systems – giving customers the flexibility to take advantage of the latest technology, while maintaining portability for their applications. A privately held company, Omek is headquartered in Bet Shemesh, Israel, and has offices in San Francisco and Taipei. For more information, visit www.omekinteractive.com.
About Side-Kick
Side-Kick is a developer and aggregator of video games for Smart TVs, PCs and game consoles with motion-control interfaces. Side-Kick’s offers a large portfolio of games for Microsoft’s Kinect, Asus’s Xtion and for a wide range of depth and RGB cameras as well as motion-remotes. Side-Kick distributes quality games based on its own IP as well as partnerships with leading mobile game developers who look to expend their IP to Smart TVs. Side-Kick clients include major video game publishers and PC and TV makers as well as technology providers such as Omek Interactive, PrimeSense and XTR3D. For more information please visit http://www.sidekick.co.il.