HDTV Glasses
Gaming on the go gets better every year thanks to smaller, faster computers. But if you're tired of squinting at tiny screens, start getting excited about Virtual Retinal Displays. They project images directly onto your retinas, making games appear large and clear minus any cumbersome monitor. Once the technology becomes small enough to mount on glasses, you'll be able to wear a pair and enjoy a video game or a movie on an HDTV that only you can see. Now that's geek chic.
Play Games On Anything
The labyrinth of video game compatibility has confounded kids and well-meaning parents alike since Mario first squashed an evil mushroom. Who hasn't bought a video game just to find out it only works on a system they don't own? Fortunately, there may be a light at the end of this twisty tunnel. A company called OnLive has been developing a system that may allow gamers to play nearly any video game on any PC or television set, all through the magic of internet streaming. Set to release later this year, it could bring an end to the console war once and for all.
Edutainment That's Actually Fun
Not counting Carmen Sandiego, where in the world are all the good educational games? If a recent patent filing is any indication, they'll soon be on the Nintendo Wii. Indeed, the makers of Mario and Zelda may be planning to turn their impressive motion-sensing technology into a tool for learning by using it to teach pattern recognition, basic math, and other simple skills to younger gamers. When parents of the future ask what lessons video games are teaching their kids, Nintendo looks to have all the right answers.
Imagine drawing a circle on a piece of paper, then flicking it with a stylus to make it bounce around the page. This could someday be possible with E-Paper - a paper-thin digital display currently being prototyped. Once scientists figure out how to manufacture cheap, crystal clear, low-energy power pages, we'll be able to convert nearly any surface into a gaming platform, from shirts to lunchboxes to entire walls. It makes sense…on paper, at least.
The controller of the future is no controller at all. In fact, both Hitachi and a company called Emotiv have manufactured working mind control helmets that can be used to interact with video games. The devices work by deciphering brain waves and converting them into digital commands. Normal brain waves are apparently tough to read, but the stimuli provided by video games focus them into clear, legible commands. Just don't think about the "game over" screen.
Sensory Overload
Video games of the future won't just read brainwaves, they'll alter them. Sony currently owns a patent for an ultrasound emitter that will be able to stimulate specific brain cells in a way that would mimic sensory data. For instance, you might be able to smell a forest as you explore it, or taste a health potion as you gulp it down. We don't know if such a device would be able to make you feel excited, though to a certain extent, it already should.
The Next Dimension
Tired of playing games on a screen? Instead of blowing up a city on your TV, you could soon destroy one that sprouted up from your living room floor. Using a process known as Volumetric Imaging (or VIS4D for short), a company called Ethereal Technologies has developed an amazing device that uses mirrors to create lucid 3D images. So far, the technology is being pitched as a presentational aid for industrial companies, but its applications for video games are obvious.
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