One of the coolest things about Star Trek: The Next Generation was the holodeck. Utilizing space-age computing that even our modern society can only dream of, the crew could easily transport themselves to any time and place, without even having to leave the ship. It made for some downright awesome adventures, and must’ve been a great (and dangerously addictive) way to pass the time. Of course, it was also useful for training exercises as well- but who actually used it for that?
We’re getting a bit off track, though. Read this. Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like – we might not have the Holodeck yet, but we’re getting pretty close. Microsoft has just patented a new breed of gaming device, one which turns the entire room into part of the experience. The walls become a screen, and provide a sort of peripheral, three hundred sixty degree gaming experience that’s absolutely unprecedented today.
Are you as excited about this as I am?
The Concept
Microsoft was fairly succinct when they described their proposed invention, so I’ll just quote what they said in the application. This proposed technology will provide gamers with “an immersive display environment by “projecting a peripheral image onto environment surfaces around the user. The player won’t have to use their controller to turn around and see someone sneaking up to them- they can actually turn around to do so.
It’s a very cool concept, and would be absolutely incredible if it actually hit the market at some point in the future. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be seeing anything like this for quite some time- there are some pretty hefty logistical issues with such an invention.
The Problem
“In the average New York City Apartment,” M2 Analyst Billy Pidgeon told Tech News World, “you can’t get a Kinect working properly, as you don’t have enough of a depth of field. This isn’t going to be practical in your average living room, either. Most people don’t have four walls, with no windows and nothing in the room. That is a big problem in making this technology a reality.”
He’s right, of course. The big question of the day is how the proposed system is going to interact with windows, doors, furniture, and other obstructions. How will they impact the gaming experience? Furthermore, how exactly would this ‘three hundred sixty display’ project itself into the room? Would it need to be mounted on the ceiling, or is it really possible to accomplish it simply with the TV?
Of course, there are many possibilities. AMOLED paper could be a godsend for such a concept, for example: a paper thin electronic display that can be pasted to the wall? Yes, please!
Unfortunately, as a fairly new technology, it’s not cheap – so again, we run into the problem of how viable this holodeck-esque gaming system would be for the average user. As such, it’s looking like an actual Holodeck is a long, long way off. At the very least, though, Microsoft’s working on the concept- and maybe some day in the future, it’ll be the new standard of gaming.
But that’s not going to be for a while, yet. At the very least, it’s something to discuss, right?
Image Credits: [Ars Technica]
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