Microsoft has filled a patent for something called “Avatar Individualized By Physical Characteristics,” which aims to create an image of the gamer that could then be used in most videogames and in other activities linked to the Xbox 360 and to Live, but with the added twist of creating virtual personas as close as possible to the real look of the player who uses the Avatar.
Microsoft says that the virtual image should have “a physiological characteristic of the user, injecting a degree of reality into the capabilities or appearance.” So, those who are tall can expect their Avatars to be taller than average, while the horizontally challenged gamers will have the girth of their virtual selves bigger than normal.
The software giant believes that making the image on the screen actually reflect the real player “provides leverage to provide incentives or constraints that can encourage good behavior (e.g., healthy behaviors, virtuous behaviors, etc.).”
It's not yet clear how the Redmond-based company would actually get the data it needs to create a lifelike image of the gamer but it's interesting to note that the patent mentions a sensor, which can monitor some body characteristics in real time, like the Wii Vitality Sensor. It seems that the videogame publisher and console developer is keen on “avoid[ing] the inconvenience or unaccountability of voluntarily supplied information.” There will be no lying when it comes to the Xbox 360 Avatar.
Creating Avatars that reflect the real image of the player might actually come alongside the launch of
Project Natal, somewhere in the fall 2010, as Microsoft tries to attract a wider array of potential players to its platform. Some may not be interested in the new feature and the software giant might face a backlash if it does allow for the feature to be disabled by those who do not want to see a high fidelity replica of themselves on the screen linked to the gaming console.
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