Many attempts have been made at creating interactive comic books, but largely they have failed. Some stick too close to the comic book formula and their idea of “interaction” consists of pressing a button to read another canned response. Others drift more into pure gaming experiences and neglect the story. I am not sure where META4ORCE falls, but it is an interesting blend of narrative and interactivity.

META4ORCE is interactive series done in Flash and playable on any browser. Its very reminiscent of stuff you might find on NewGrounds, but with a professional edge and some semi-decent voice-acting. Between the animated episodes there are short interactive sequences which are surprisingly high-caliber for a browser based title. Its like an animated rip-off of Heroes, but in the future. I’m also a sucker for anything set in the future so this hooked me right away. Its nothing amazing really, but not bad if you have some time to kill.

link: META4ORCE [BBC]

Tags: Video Games by cybereality
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SpectreVR is a title every old-school PC gamer should remember. The original game in the series, simply called Spectre, landed in 1991 and was one of the first computer games to offer an online multiplayer 3d environment. It first shipped on the Macintosh platform but later made it to DOS, Windows and even SNES. I have many fond memories of sneaking into the school computer lab and “hacking” an AppleIIgs with the principal’s password just to play this game. It was a pretty big deal back then since that was the only computer in the lab with a color-display (16 colors FTW!). Man, those were the days.

So seeing as how fond I was of the game, I decided to pick up a copy online. No, I don’t mean a bootleg copy. I buy the real stuff to support the industry. Anyway, I was able to find a copy online new-in-box for around $20. Not a bad deal, I thought it might be cool for collector’s value. And if I can find a brand new copy of a PC game from 15 years ago, well then there’s really no excuse to pirate. A few days later a package arrives. But when I open it I’m a bit surprised, this wasn’t the box art I remember. Not that crazy triangle shaped box I wanted, but a blast from the past never-the-less.

Unboxing images, video and rant below…

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Tags: Cyberpunk, Ramblings, Video Games, Virtual Reality by cybereality
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Novint aims to replace the mouse as the “weapon of choice” among shooter fans with their latest product. The Novint Falcon is a haptic controller for the PC, allowing players to experience games like never before. This isn’t like the “rumble” feature you find on many consoles, which is thrown in as an after-thought. The Falcon allows for real force-feedback, in any direction! It can also exert up to about 10 lbs. of force to say simulate the weight of an Ares Predator in your hand, or to fake the “g-forces” you would feel taking a tight turn in the latest aircraft from Versatran.

So imagine you are playing a first person shooter, say Crysis *maxed-out* at 120FPS, and then some enemies start shooting from behind. With the Falcon you can actually feel exactly what direction the shots are coming from. It will also give different levels of kickback when discharging various weapons. Similar to the effect you get on some old arcade gun games. With this idea in mind, Novint is now releasing a pistol grip for the Falcon, along with a sexy new black SKU. And if that wasn’t enough, they are packing it in with Valve’s Orange Box, quite possibily the best compilation of games ever released [outside of Hong Kong].

The new Falcon model goes for the modest price of $189.99 including the pistol grip and the Orange Box pack-in with full support for Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2 and Portal among other Source titles. If you consider that some force-feedback racing wheels sell for higher, the price of this controller is very reasonable. I’ll be getting one of these for sure, so check back for a full review. But my initial impression is that Novint may have a winner in their hands.

link: Novint Falcon Orange-Box Bundle w/ Pistol Grip [pre-order]

Tags: Hardware, Human Interface, Video Games, Virtual Reality by cybereality
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The Taiwanese company CPT has recently shown their 15″ 3D laptop display to TomsHardware. These 1440 x 900 displays can support a stereoscopic 3d image without the need for glasses. Meaning that, in the very near future, you will be able to play some of your favorite games, on the go, with your own portable holodeck! Reportedly, the effect is very good and better than previous attempts:

We like what we saw. This particular model had a 1440 by 900 resolution and he 3D action was smooth with a real sense of depth of field and compared to other solutions in the past, we were impressed with the view angle. You can see the 3D effect without sitting directly in front of the display.

Now don’t get the wrong idea, this isn’t real holographic technology. The 3d effect is simulated using what they call a “Display Barrier” or commonly a parallax barrier. It can be turned on and off using a switch and when in “3d mode” will allow the display to send a different image to each of the viewer’s eyes. This thus creates the 3d illusion such that your laptop screen will appear to be a window into a virtual world. This likely won’t match the quality of other methods, like the polarized projection used for the IMAX3D. But it should provide a much easier experience and also accommodate multiple viewers. Reportedly the displays only cost slightly more to produce than a standard panel, which is a great boon to bringing stereo3d to the mass market. These will be available starting late 2008, early 2009.

Not to be left out the 3D craze, ASUS is bringing a gaming laptop to market with a built-in 3d display. The G50V model includes a 15.6in WXGA 3D display, a 9700M GT, and 512MB of DDR3 memory among other features. Unlike other stereo 3d monitors on the market, this new ASUS laptop doesn’t need any glasses or fancy headsets to be worn. This could very well be that holographic gaming system I know everyone’s been waiting for. I’ll reserve judgment until I can see the thing with my own eyes, but its sounds very promising if it does what they say it does. ASUS is also traditionally known for providing affordable solutions to the pc market. Depending on the pricing, this model could turn out to be very popular.

From the looks of it, ASUS won’t be the only big name jumping into this new 3d market. One angle to consider is that CPT specializes in manufacturing display components, and supplies the panels other vendors use in their products. The CPT display is at the same 1440 x 900 WXGA resolution as the ASUS laptop and most likely the same technology thats driving the G50V display. It will be interesting to see what other companies get in on this. Surely Alienware doesn’t want to get left in the dust from the likes of ASUS once the 3d market really takes off.

link: Asus has two Geforce 9700M gaming notebooks [Fudzilla] // via: NeoSeeker
link: CPT Shows 3D Display On A Laptop [Toms Hardware] // via: MTBS3D
Thanks go to Silversurfer for the tip.

Tags: Hardware, Stereo 3D, Video Games by cybereality
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A paralyzed man, who hasn’t walked in over 30 years, has taken his first steps in decades within a virtual world. The 41 year old Japanese man can barely move his fingers due to a progressive muscle disease. However, researchers in Japan have conducted an experiment allowing the patient to control a computer program, in this case Second Life, using headgear that interfaces with the brain. The headset uses a series of electrodes to monitor the patient’s brain waves dealing with motor functions and translate that into on-screen actions. There was also an affixed microphone for chat functionality. Reportedly this was “the first time a paralysis patient has succeeded in meeting a person and having a conversation in an Internet virtual world”, which is really a touching story. Virtual worlds, even primitive ones like SL, could be a godsend for people suffering from mobility issues (sorry, I don’t know the proper nomenclature). Using brain interfaces can open up a wealth of possibilities for online socialization that wouldn’t otherwise be possible.

This isn’t just the stuff of medical journals. Anybody today, with the requisite knowledge, can start experiments just like this at home. There are a number of EEG devices coming to the market, that would allow similar type of hands free control of computer applications or games. One that is available right now is the OCZ Neural Impulse Actuator and sells for around $160. EEG devices of the past were primarily for the medical community and would cost thousands of dollars. It is just in the past year we have seen consumer devices emerge. It is going to be very interesting to see what type of innovative things developers come up with using these newly available tools.

link: Paralysed man takes a walk in virtual world [Yahoo] // via Kotaku

Tags: Human Interface, Video Games, Virtual Reality by cybereality
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Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron wants to bring real 3d movies to the masses with Avatar, his 2009 summer blockbuster. Say what you will about Titantic, the man has revolutionized the film industry and practically pioneered computer generated special effects. He recently spoke at Microsoft’s Advance 08 on how he feels about the state of stereoscopic entertainment:

“Stereo production is the next big thing,” he said. “We are born seeing in three dimensions. Most animals have two eyes and not one. There is a reason I think.”

The man has a point. Imagine if you lost one of your eyes in some freak accident. Now how much would it suck to have to walk around living with only one eye? I guess you could manage, but its not desirable. So why settle for flat movies and games in only 2D? People always want to claim 3d will never work. I ask you this: what has been the last revolutionary step in filmmaking? *3D* computer graphics. What was the last big jump in video-gaming? From 2D games to *3D* games. Tell me that doesn’t say something?

Cameron goes on to mention the Avatar video game, developed by Ubisoft, and how they already have an early build running on an Xbox360 in full stereo 3d!

“You are in the game,” he said. “This is the ultimate immersive media.”

I’ve been gaming in stereo 3d for years, its an incredible experience. I was playing Crysis the other night on my new rig and got that baby up in stereo3d. All I can say is wow! Simply incredible. That first jungle level had me feeling like I was in friggin’ Vietnam! I was getting goose-bumps it was seriously that intense. I’d say its an even bigger jump then from standard definition to HD. Its like you’re there. Even old games really take on a whole new light when gaming in 3d. If they can find a way to make this work and cheap enough to bring to the mass market, things are looking very good for stereo 3d gaming in 2009.

I’ve also heard that Vuzix, makers of the VR920, are working on a model for the Xbox360, called the VR920-X, which is currently at the prototype level. No word yet on release dates or prices, but it appears Cameron’s not the only one looking to get some real 3d running on the Xbox360.

link: James Cameron: 3D heading beyond movies // via: Kotaku

Tags: Stereo 3D, Video Games by cybereality
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John Nilsson has come up with a really great tool for immersion in PC gaming. He’s dubbed his creation the J-Dome and already has a patent on the design. Basically its a 180 degree hemisphere with back projection. I imagine it would be possible to combine this device with a 3d-ready DLP projector and get some active-stereo 3d action like IMAX 3D. A pretty simple concept thats been done, yet something that hasn’t been brought to market yet. There’s a similar product called the Z-Dome, which was shown at the GDC 08, but those guys want like $15k for it!

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Tags: Hardware, Video Games, Virtual Reality by cybereality
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I’m not one to be easily swept up on the hype-train, but I have to say that the new Grand Theft Auto is really something else. After waiting on line for almost 2 hours last night, I was beginning to question whether the game would be worth it. But within the first 15 seconds of the intro I knew I was in for a wild ride. Although not quite a perfect game, its surely up there on the list (although still not as good as Shadowrun on the SNES which was like the best game EVER!). On a pure graphical standpoint, the game really shines. All the cars are beautifully rendered and the backdrops are simply breath-taking. Best of all, its modeled after my hometown, New York City. Although not a 100% accurate model, the developers managed to get pretty close to the real thing.

What really strikes a chord with me is the social and political commentary interspersed throughout the world via the radio and television. Hell, they even have an internet *in the game*! Simply amazing. But there was some real thought put into some of this commentary. I don’t want to ruin any surprises, but I don’t think Rockstar really supports the war. Which is surprising since most politicians are so quick to blame video-games for the plight of modern youth, yet have no problems sending real kids into a real war. Its somewhat refreshing to find some intelligent irony in a game most of America would consider degenerate. Although the GTA series has always had some of these anti-establishment themes, the latest title really takes it to another level. Just try watching the in-game tv for bit: comedy gold!

Bottom line, if you own an Xbox360 or a PS3 you simply must buy this game. Its a shame its not out for the PC, because I’d like to be able to play it on my soon-to-be brand-new gaming rig, but here’s to hoping there will be a port. By the way, I’ve already obtained the “Warm Coffee” achievement. With extra cream and sugar, I might add. Just the way I like it!

Tags: Ramblings, Video Games by cybereality
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I just got Assassins Creed for the PC and I’m not sure how I feel about it. I played the Xbox360 version in the store, it seemed pretty cool for like 5 minutes. But after getting the PC version I’m a bit disappointed. The graphics are a slightly better than 360 version, but I was expecting a little more from the EVGA 8800GTS KO edition. It can just barely run at maxed out speeds, if you’ve got a newer card like a Nvidia GTX 200 series you should be good. Aside from the graphics. the game is kinda meh. I only got through the first few levels so far but its like the same dumb mission over and over again, kinda boring. Maybe it gets better, maybe not; I haven’t beat it yet. Its still worth playing if you enjoy a deep action combat, lots of sword fighting and mid-evil combat. Some of the special moves are cool, but its like the same 2 specials over and over and gets repitiive after a while. Anyway, its worth playing if you are into middle ages type games like World of Warcraft. I used to play WoW, but its just got boring after a while. Too many rat killings, how come they couldn’t just give me a friggin’ horse? Cheap bastards.

Tags: Ramblings, Video Games by admin
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