Microsoft has taken out a patent that will allow a display to beam images 360 degrees around a room for all round virtual display. One of the principal ways in which to use the technology would be in games for more realistic experience, such as seeing another entity moving around behind you as you play the game. A main screen, most likely a HD TV, would be the focal point for the action part of the user, moving, firing, dodging and the like, and the rest of the rooms making up the extension of the surround display.

In the patent application Microsoft said, “User enjoyment of video games and related media experiences can be increased by making the gaming experience more realistic. Previous attempts to make the experience more realistic have included switching from two-dimensional to three-dimensional animation techniques, increasing the resolution of game graphics, producing improved sound effects, and creating more natural game controllers. An immersive display environment is provided to a human user by projecting a peripheral image onto environmental surfaces around the user. The peripheral images serve as an extension to a primary image displayed on a primary display.”

The patent was applied for in March 2011 and it will take some more time for the tech to be fully developed. The motion sensing device, Kinect, would most likely feature in the setup, plus some other kit to figure out room orientation, player position and movement.