In one week from now, Sony will be making that big announcement that could provide some insight into the future of the PlayStation 4, if not include the actual unveiling of the PS4. As a result, the rumor mill has gone into overdrive, with all sorts of expectations regarding the February 20 “PlayStation Meeting” and what Sony could possibly have in store for the gaming world. Among the rumored specs that have cropped up in recent days include the return of the Eye Toy camera system, this time more powerful than the original and formidable enough to compete with Microsoft’s Kinect motion detection system.

Photo credit: Sony

The Eye Toy, also known as the PlayStation Eye, is a peripheral offered for the PlayStation 3, and is understandably limited due to its single camera support and 640 x 480 resolution. That’s the same resolution on the Kinect’s dual cameras, one standard and one IR.

Now if rumors are to be believed, the Eye/Eye Toy for the PS4 will come with dual 1280 x 720 resolution cameras, which could result in more advanced distance and movement tracking. Additionally, the next-gen Eye may come with more than one microphone for better voice recognition and additional noise cancellation.

The emergence of PlayStation Eye rumors has been peculiar to say the least, but it’s not surprising if you consider how console makers seem to be making their devices more interactive with each generation. And it’s not the strangest rumor that has emerged so far. With the console industry seemingly threatened by smaller, simpler gaming devices (if you can call them that) like tablets and smartphones, a lot more of these peculiar new ideas may be needed to deliver that much-needed shot in the arm.