Sony announced that a new “controller” will be available for the Playstation 2 — the EyeToy. Essentially just a USB camera that hooks up to the PS2, the EyeToy comes with software and mini-games that capture your image and allow you to interact with on-screen elements — no joystick required. The peripheral will come with a dozen mini-games such as a boxing game in which you must dodge your opponent and land some blows to win, and a soap-bubble game in which you move your hands to scrub virtual bubbles from the inside of your TV screen. Price is just $40, available in Fall 2003. Its possible that other game maker could make use of this hardware for broader applications, especially communcation via the network adapter or even for mapping your mug on characters in the games.
Hardware Beyond the Hype