Eye Toy
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| Developer | Sony Computer Entertainment |
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| Manufacturer | Logitech, Namtai |
| Product family | PlayStation |
| Type | Gaming webcam |
| Generation | Sixth generation era |
| Release date | October 2003 |
| Camera | 320×240 pixels |
| Connectivity | USB 1.1(type-A) |
| Platform | PlayStation 2 |
| Dimensions | 44×53×89 mm (1.7×2.1×3.5 in) |
| Weight | 173 g (6.1 oz) |
| Cable length | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Power draw | 50 mA |
| Lenshead | Manual focus ring |
| Sensor | OV7648 |
| Chip | OV519 |
| Successor | PlayStation Eye |
The EyeToy is a color digital camera device, similar to a webcam, for the PlayStation 2. The technology uses computer vision and gesture recognition to process images taken by the camera. This allows players to interact with games using motion, color detection and also sound, through its built-in microphone. It was released in October 2003.
The camera is manufactured by Logitech (known as "Logicool" in Japan), although newer EyeToys are manufactured by Namtai. The camera is mainly used for playing EyeToy games developed by Sony and other companies. It is not intended for use as a normal PC camera, although some people have developed unofficial drivers for it. The EyeToy is compatible with the PlayStation 3 and can be used for purposes such as video chatting. As of November 6, 2008, the EyeToy has sold 10.5 million units worldwide.
The EyeToy was conceived by Richard Marks in 1999, after witnessing a demonstration of the PlayStation 2 at the 1999 Game Developers Conference in San Jose, California. Marks's idea was to enable natural user interface and mixed reality video game applications using an inexpensive webcam, using the computational power of the PlayStation 2 to implement computer vision and gesture recognition technologies. He joined Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) that year, and worked on the technology as Special Projects Manager for Research and Development.
Marks's work drew the attention of Phil Harrison, then Vice President of Third Party Relations and Research and Development at SCEA. Soon after being promoted to Senior Vice President of Product Development at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) in 2000, Harrison brought Marks to the division's headquarters in London to demonstrate the technology to a number of developers. At the demonstration, Marks was joined with Ron Festejo of SCE Camden Studio (which would later merge to become SCE London Studio) to begin developing a software title using the technology, which would later become EyeToy: Play. Originally called the iToy (short for "interactive toy") by the London branch, the webcam was later renamed to the EyeToy by Harrison. It was first demonstrated to the public at the PlayStation Experience event in August 2002 with four minigames.
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