This is called the “Dream Machine”, a product from Australian Simulation Control Systems, and it’s the worst way you could possibly spend $300.
The Dream Machine is marketed as “The world’s first multi modal whole body computer game control simulation system”. Their idea is to make game playing more physically involving. So instead of using a controller to play a game, you use the Dream Machine: Control buttons are provided on the sportbike-like handlebar, but no D-pads or analog sticks. That control comes from you moving the chair around under the tripod. To play the game, you must constantly rotate the chair in the right direction, like an inverted analog stick. Want to turn left? You must tilt the chair left, and hold it there if necessary. Sounds great on paper, but the execution is painful. Awkward is a mild way to describe using the Dream Machine. And you might think that, being an excercise machine, that you’ll walk away from a game session feeling the burn all over your body, but you’d be wrong: The entire burden falls on your shoulder muscles, which give our after about 15 minutes. Instead of enjoying some physical exercise while enjoying your favorite game, you end up frustrated at the clumsy movement while having cramps in your biceps. No thanks, I can get a workout without cursing my living room with such a horrid device.
Then there was E-Real Games newest offering, a light gun built to work with all types of televisions: Plasma, Hi-Def, you name it. It’s also completely wireless, as well as looking fairly appealing. But don’t be deceived: This is by far the most inaccurate (and therefore worthless) light gun I’ve ever used. Before each use, you must calibrate the wireless receiver by shooting the top left and bottom right of your TV. My first calibration yielded a gun that fired 6” below the sight, while a second calibration yielded a gun that fired 2” high. Multiple tries never yielded a setting that was acceptable. As a result, the fast paced fun of games like Time Crisis 2 is killed, since your shots must be walked up to a target. And though it might look cool to wield the gun like a rifle, it’s far from ergonomic.
It was so painful to use, Weezer decided to /himself.
So you see, just because a particular group has a booth, does not guarantee awesomeness.
Thankfully, we did get to see some cool shit during the day. Turtle Beach was kind enough to give us a private meeting, where we got the chance to try out their new line of 5.1 stereo headphones, the Ear Force. You might be skeptical about getting stereo sound from a set of headphones, and I don’t blame you. But playing Doom 3, encountering situations where surround sound makes a real gameplay difference, I can say that the headphones create the proper effect: Someone shooting you in the back really sounds like it’s behind you, likewise from the front. And to truly get the .1 part right, they’ve made provisions for subwoofer effects, using either a small sub in each earmuff, or a vibration system to simulate the bass effect. I preferred the sub system, producing clearer sound and incurring fewer headaches, while Weezer preferred the vibration system. Luckily, Turtle Beach is offering the headphones both ways, as well as for PC’s and consoles, even next-gen systems. We’re also told wireless versions are in the works.
Also kind enough to spare us a few minutes was a company called VMC, which is a comprehensive game testing company, covering multiple platforms and languages. Glenn Hoogerwerf, the Chief Operating Officer, gave us the skinny on their behind-the-scenes business, very interesting considering that few gamers think about the testing necessary to get a game to market. Not only can they test a given game in over 34 languages, but they can test it on multiple consoles, using every conceivable hardware setup, with every kind of television, under varying network connections. They’ve thought of every variable in the market, and have devised a scientific method to report bugs to the developer, who can then get them worked out that much faster. In addition to being a very cool guy, Glenn was also able to answer every question we threw at him. We might have a Show interview in the future.
We were also able to swing by the Microsoft booth during the day, where I took time out to play the Need For Speed: Most Wanted, on Xbox 360. And to my slight disappointment, I was completely under whelmed. It plays and feels exactly like any other Need For Speed Underground title, with the exception of one thing: The addition of a “bullet time” like feature, which slows game time to allow you precise control in crowded situation. It sounds cool, but you could really get by without it, as it’s not critical to the gameplay. The graphics didn’t look terribly evolved from previous NFSU titles, either. In the end, it felt like nothing more than a revamped NFSU. But, considering the target audience, what more should I expect?
Even Yahoo! was getting in on the casual gamer craze.
After checking out the classic arcade machines, Weezer took advantage of an unattended drum set, and proceeded to get us thrown out of the booth.
I’ve got more thoughts to talk about, particularly about the far out and alien Prey and F.E.A.R., but those must be left for another time. For now, beat your meat to these beauties from the Gizmondo booth. And before you ask, I already looked for last years girl, and she’s nowhere to be seen. Oh well.
