Fans of Star Wars will get a huge kick out of this news and the video below. Microsoft have shown off a prototype project, called the "Vermeer Interactive Display", where the research project combines Microsoft's Kinect motion sensing technology to allow you to directly 'touch' and interact with the virtual image being projected, which Microsoft describes as a '3D volumetric/light field display'.

What it does, is create an image between two facing parabolic mirrors, which then creates the optical illusion of a color 3D image floating above them, which can be viewed all the way round. This technology could eventually see the light of day for PC gaming, which would really give PC gaming something that consoles just couldn't have in the near future.

Imagine a new next-gen RTS game where you could have one of these as a controller... or a new adventure game where you could have an additional display, or use for an interactive display. Maybe a Fallout-type, PIPBOY display, where you could press buttons to the side of you with the interactive display. All we need is one serious, thinking-outside-the-box developer to use this and it could really take off.