What will the future of gaming look like

What will the future of gaming look like? l State of Art l Technology Advances – – Devices & Displays User interfaces Haptics/Feedback Handheld convergence Consoles l Mobile Gaming l – Continuous play – Find me/follow me l Other – PC, Arcades, Theme parks, Education, Training, etc.

New Gaming Consoles Xbox 360 l Sony Playstation 3 l – 2 TFLOPS – Demo 1 – Demo 2 l Nintendo Revolution

New Entertainment Consoles Xbox 360 l Sony Playstation 3 l – DVD – Internet/Communities – HD Video – Surround Audio – Disk/DVR l Micro-transactions

Driving Forces: Technology l 3 D perf doubling every year – Movie quality: 4. 8 BT/s – Global illumination, subsurface scattering, shadows, photon tracing l Speech recognition – $22. 6 billion in 2003 l Beyond WIMP – Natural language, gestures, expressions, words l Wild Cards: – Quantum computers – Photon computers – Nanotechnology l Worldwide internet 2004 @12. 5% (800 M)

Hardware: Networked World PROs: l Broadband: 20% US, 70% Korea – 4 x game expendatures Wireless games $50100 k vs. $5 -10 M l RFIDs l GPS l Networked home l CONs: (E-S-A STUDY) l. Overwhelming preference pc’s vs consoles for online gaming l. Growth in online gaming is relatively flat l. Favorite genres are puzzle, board and trivia…not action l. Less than 8 percent are paying to play online.

Hardware: Displays LCD, Plasma l Stereo. Scopic: l – Sharp $1500 – See. Real -> $500 Cinefour theaters in Logan, Utah has midnight Xbox. Teams of four play against each other on theater's huge screens l OLEDs l HMDs l

Hardware: User Interfaces l “We believe [user interface] advances— improving the way a player connects to his game—are at least as vital as enhanced on screen graphics because they make games play better—not just look better. ”-Nintendo Executive VP Reggie Fils-Aime

Hardware: Haptics and Force Feedback hap·tic ('hap-tik) adj. Of or relating to the sense of touch; tactile. Phantom l Cybergrasp l Flight-force Joystick l Cell-phone haptics l – SMS: high-frequency high-five slap , low- frequency belly laugh – screen tactile feedback l Psychophysics study subjective perceptual dimension

Hardware: Wearable Internet Appliances Vanderbilt's Anesthesiologists l Call center l Maintenance l NASA’s WARP l

Hardware: Handhelds l Convergence – – – – l Dual Screens Chat, SMS Touch Screen Wireless Voice Recognition MP 3, Video GPS Telephone Convergence is nice, but….

Hardware: Caveat: The Iron. Phone Just because we can doesn’t mean we should!! l What technologies belong together? l Content transportability? – Timex DOOM?

State of the Industry l $11 B US Industry… l This is a problem? l Yes…Market is currently relatively flat!!!! l Why? ? ? ? l Who is the customer?

Customer Pays $20 -70 for 20 -40 hrs entertainment ($1 -$2/hr) l Under 18: 34% PC, 45% console l – 90% adult purchased l l l Average 28 y. o. , (27 female) 43% female 5 out of 7 dollars is on console gaming 20 M Xbox, 80 M PS 2 How many Xbox 360 s does MS want to sell? ………… 1 BILLION!

Gaming Future Where are we heading? l How does game industry expand? – Better games for hardcore gamers – Reach the Casual Gamer!!! l How? – Better Graphics…. DONE! – Expand hardcore gamer communities/marketplace – Expand gaming market through new game paradigms…beyond the console – Reach the Casual Gamer (via new consoles) l l l Create emotional bond More variety of games Better/simpler interfaces

Expanding Hardcore Market: l Consumers as Producers as Consumers… Game Mods – Consumers modify game l Virtual Properties – Build, buy, sell…some professionals – $200 M+++ l Professional Gamers – 3 channels, big $$ l Advertising & Commerce – Order pizza while playing l Cross Media – Which came first, the video game or the movie?

New Paradigms: Ubiquitous Gaming convergence of sensing, computing and digital communications l embedded computer technology to support users’ activities wherever and whenever it is needed Examples: l Environment-aware l – Location, context, bio VR, AR, MR l Pervasive Games l – always available

Ubiquitous Gaming: Environment Aware l l l Location l Pirates!l Uncle Roy All Around You l The Go Game – corporate training Body Sensing l Eye. Toy Bio-feedback l The Journey to Wild Divine User information: skill, specifications, etc. Experimental: SIGGRAPH Interactive Theater

Ubiquitous Gaming: Augmented Reality HMD, Tracking, Power, Haptics, Digital “flats” l Current Uses: l NFL 1 st down marker l Night-vision obstacles l l Who could use this? Service/Repair l Tourists l Soldiers l l Holodeck? l l USC & Army -> $100 M Institute of Creative Technology. Richard Lindheim (UPN Star Trek) Gaming l AR Quake – Wearable Computer Lab, U. of South Australia

Ubiquitous Gaming: Pervasive Games The Commander stared at the ice forming on the pilot window… “Switch on No. 8 auxiliary!” he shouted. “Switch on No. 8 auxiliary!” repeated Lieutenant Berg… The crew, bending to their various tasks in the huge, hurtling eight-engined Navy hydroplane, looked at each other and grinned. “The old man will get us through, ” they said to one another. “The Old Man ain’t afraid of Hell!”. . . “Not so fast! You’re driving too fast!” said Mrs. Mitty. “What are you driving so fast for? ” -The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber, 1941.

Ubiquitous Gaming: Pervasive Games played continuously even if intertwined with daily activities such as working or sleeping l variety of channels to reach the players: Internet, press, radio, email, phone and TV l Pervasive games need to facilitate communication and creativity to their audience Examples l Assassin – no computer required, only a hand! l Nokia Game – 600, 000 in 28 countries l Botfighters l Majestic l

Casual Gamer: How to reach them? l Different games – Emotional bond – Eliminate negatives (difficulty, violence, stress, etc. ) l l Katamari Damacy, Eye-toy Groove Less investment required – ‘Inter’-tainment—action occupying short bursts of time between other activities – Less ramp-up

Dumb down/Eliminate controller l Nintendo Revolution Controller – 3 D Pointing. Sensors for up, down, left, – – – l right, forward, backward. Tilt Sensitive. Controller can be rotated or rolled from side-to-side. Buttons Included. Has a trigger on its backside, face buttons, and a D-Pad. Multifunctional. Has an expansion port which can be used with different types of controller peripherals. Analog stick with two trigger buttons for left hand. Wireless. Rumble Built-in. Playstation Eye-toy – Demo

Quotes from the Industry: Where are we heading? l “Absence from cyberspace has a cost. ” - Michael Benedickt, Cyberspace, First Steps l "It means that for a persistent game, you really can just pick up and play anywhere. . ” - Dominic Mallinson, director of R&D for Sony Computer Entertainment l “. . in the world of financial gaming, being off-line – even for a few minutes – can have enormous consequences. This is the harbinger of the gaming environments to come. Gaming is about to extend into everyday life, continuously and deeply; each of us will find the kind of challenge that suits us best - and engage a far-flung but ever-present community of players. ” – Mark Pesche, VRML inventor