If you’re old enough to remember the “Flying Toasters” screensaver, you’re likely still not able to explain its bizarre popularity. These hackers likely can’t either, but they have created something using Microsoft’s Kinect which turns out to be equally absurd. This software maintains the original look of the After Dark screensaver, with the winged toasters flapping along through a sea of toast. Occasionally a unique toaster would come along and pop up its own toast, bank left or right, or perform a barrel roll.
By utilizing the motion capture capabilities of the Kinect, these designers allow the people in front of the camera to control their own toaster. By flapping your arms, the toaster’s wings flap in turn, causing it to fly upward. By tilting your body with your arms out, as if you were pretending to be an airplane, you can make the toaster tilt or barrel roll at will. Lastly, with a clap of your hands, toast will fly out of your majestically soaring toaster. The Kinect can recognize multiple players, and the software gives each of them their own controllable toaster, as you can see in the video.
While there may not be much to this ‘game’, it’s a fun throwback to a time when personal computers were really beginning to take off. Computers became more accessible to children rather than just adults, and no doubt many of us were enthralled by everything from the games to the screensavers. For even more computer nostalgia, you’ll likely love this Modern Commodore 64 or a Two Minute History of Apple Computers.
Via: SlashGear
