More and more wearable applications are coming up for gaming. NBC recently reported on Xbox? More like Xbody: Future game consoles will get under your skin mentioning projects such as an experimental program on fear-based gaming from the Valve game studio, a visually dynamic real-world operating system for the wearable computing generation involving start-up called Dekko, a biofeedback system devised by PhD student, Pedro Lopes, that sends electrical impulses straight to the muscles for that extra level of immersion not to mention Oculus Rift a next-generation virtual reality headset designed for immersive gaming – but see for yourself how the latter works:
Head and Brain
See it in action at the Wearable Technologies Conference in San Francisco. A company called Project Holodeck has joined forces with Oculus VR, and James Iliff will present their virtual reality platform built with consumer-geared technology, cutting-edge custom software, and creatively integrated peripherals.
We’ve stumbled across other great virtual reality gaming headsets over the last few months including Dive by Durovis, which basically allows 3D Virtual Reality Gaming on a Smartphone. What’s more, Canon is working on a Mixed Reality (MR) System which seamlessly combines the virtual world of computer-generated imagery (CGI) with your real-world environment that could also be used for gaming purposes.
Besides brain control headsets from 4DForce and others, we found another interesting gaming application worn on the head. The foc.us is a tDCS headset marketed for gamers. The company claims that it allows the brain to be overclocked using transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to increase the plasticity of your brain in order to make your synapses fire faster. But endgadget and slashgear are not that convinced about its real use for gamers…
Alternatives to the regular controller
Apart from these head-worn examples, we also found a lot of interesting wearable alternatives to control your favourite game:
For example, the Graduation project, Woven, is the first complete e-wearable pervasive game platform prototype. It is built into a shirt and can interpret your movements – but see for yourself:
Another body worn project recently launched on kickstarter. The ARAIG is a multi-sensory feedback suit that allows you to feel what you see.
An additional sensory approach comes from ViviTouch – a High Definition Feel translates virtually unlimited sensations into versatile feedback language in the palm of your hand so that you actually feel what you see and hear—explosions, crashes, aerial battles, the stretch of a slingshot or the smooth roll of a pinball. How does this work? CEO Dirk Schapeler will explain the technology in detail at our forthcoming conference in July.
Hands and arms
There are two interesting applications for the hand. The Peregrine empowers gamers to control the game literally with the touch of a finger. There is no need to look down or fumble around for keys – the game is part of the wearer’s attire. The gloves allow the wearer to perform over 30 unique actions by touching your fingers. The Ringbow finger ring devices are gaming accessories for touch screens – see how they work:
We are big fans of the Myo by Thalmic Labs – an armband that was featured as Gadget of the Month in April and which allows the wearer to control arm movements. Find out more about it in our interview with Thalmic.
We are looking forward to the wearable future of gaming. By the way, do you know what happened to this project? We thought it was an interesting approach especially for portable gaming consoles:
