Games

This NewScientistTech article reports Nintendo has unveiled a new motion sensor for its Wii controller and a number of new games to show off the capabilities of the device. From the article: "The controller more accurately tracks the position and orientation of a player's arm and should allow games to be more sensitive to player movement.

At the E3 video game industry trade show in Los Angeles yesterday, Nintendo said the motion controller will come boxed with a new title called Wii Sports Resort, which includes Frisbee throwing and sword-fighting games that show off the controller's abilities.

This research project's objective is to explore the use of the Wii Balance BoardTM as a low-cost input device in virtual reality (VR). A video is also available. From the project abstract: "In this work we explore the use of the Wii Balance BoardTM as a low-cost input device in virtual reality (VR). We combined and extended existing communication libraries such that the balance board's four separate pressure sensors can be used as input to a VR application. We provide a brief technical overview of obtaining and working with the sensor input. By processing the sudden and gradual changes in the sensor input values caused by pressing on the board, we are able to use the balance board for both discrete and continuous input.

This NewScientist Technology article reports a Microsoft researcher has told an academic blogger the Surface may become an additional controller for their games console, the Xbox. From the article: "Microsoft has so far spoken near-exclusively of Surface appearing in places like hotel lobbies and retail stores - the first Surfaces in the wild are being used to sell phones by AT&T (video).

This globeandmail.com article reports Ray Kurzweil told a crowd of 2,000 video game developers at GDC that games will have taken over the world and everything will be virtual reality. From the article: "Ray Kurzweil thinks the future of our society hinges on video games.

The 60-year-old futurist, best knows for his hypothesis of technological singularity, told a crowd of 2,000 video game developers last week at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco that he thinks games are on the cutting edge.

This Game With A Brain article reports Sony presented at GDC its head tracking technique which uses the Playstation Eye to track the player’s head movements and simulates a virtual reality display. From the article: "Of all the things GDC is known for, it is considered the premiere opportunity for companies to show off the latest technology to revolutionize video games. Sony got an opportunity to show off its latest advance known as head tracking, which uses the Playstation Eye to track the player’s head movements and simulates a virtual reality display.

This Broadcast Newsroom press release reports TDVision Systems showcases several stereoscopic enabled games optimized for multi-core Intel Processors at the 2008 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, CA at the Intel Gaming Lounge. From the press release: "As a member of the Intel Software Partner Program, TDVision is displaying the TDVSDK, a set of tools to enable DirectX and OpenGL game engines to present games in a natural manner emulating the way the human brain perceives 3D data. At the Game Developers Conference visitors experienced the TDVisor and were immersed in a virtual 72-inch diagonal screen.

This BBC News article takes a look at Arden: a virtual world created by Professor Edward Castronova and colleagues, in the Synthetic Worlds Institute at the University of Indiana, made to experiment with social dynamics and economics. From the article: "Usually it is only actors that play Shakespeare but now gamers are getting the chance to go adventuring in a virtual world built around the Bard's plays.

Called Arden, the virtual world is the creation of Professor Edward Castronova and colleagues in the Synthetic Worlds Institute at the University of Indiana.

This Networked_Performance post takes a look at levelHead: an interactive game that uses a cube, a webcam and pattern recognition. From the article: "When the cube is rotated or tilted in front of the camera the user will be able to see ‘inside’ the cube and guide a small avatar through six different rooms.

Pattern recognition has already been used in several other projects, but this is a new way of using it, and a new way of thinking of the technology. The idea behind the game itself is rather simple. When the cube is tilted the avatar moves in the corresponding direction. The goal of the game is to guide him through a maze of rooms connected by doors, and lead him to the outside world.

This tech.blorge.com article takes a look at the 3rdSpace FPS new vest technology by TN Games which translates in-game impacts into physical sensations. From the article: "Gamers! Do you want to feel being shot, stab, slam and hit in alongside with your on-screen character? Here is a vest that will translate in-game impacts into physical sensations.

Originally created for use in the medical field to allow Internet-based medical exams, the 3rdSpace FPS Vest by TN Games is designed to deliver hits and shots exactly where you would feel them.

This Guardian article takes a look at 'serious games' that use VR gaming technology and techniques. From the article: "The words "serious" and "games" do not exactly go hand in hand: the former is to do with disasters and global warming, the latter being associated with things like fun, excitement and pleasure.

Despite this, the term "serious games" has become a catch-all term for software which uses videogame design principles to deliver educational and training experiences. Typically bespoke, they are designed to run on standard PCs or games consoles, immersing players within a virtual environment where they must perform a series of objectives in a similar fashion to a mainstream videogame.