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Virtusphere's virtual reality hamster ball put to the test
For eons we've wondered what it would be like to walk around in a bona fide Virtusphere, and at GDC last week we finally got our chance. The large plastic cage can turn and roll in any direction, and once replete with a wireless head-mounted display and fake gun, we were ready to take on some polygonal alien baddies. Getting into the cage is surprisingly easy, but unfortunately once we had a screen strapped to our head our well-honed sense of balance was right out the window, and we found ourselves staggering around a bit as we got used to the motion of the cage. The real military versions have a motion sensing gun controller, but we had to do all our aiming with our head, which didn't help. After a minute or so we got used to the "momentum" involved in moving the cage, which felt pretty great, but we'd say our favorite part about the experience was just being able to turn in place to confront baddies -- there's something about a few well placed steps that really blows away a left or right tug on our 360 controller's analog stick. At the end of the day the sheer size, cost, and ultra-dated graphics has us hardly pining for one of these in our living rooms, but with a bit more work on the gaming end (and a working gun pointer) we could see this as the arcade experience to beat. Check out a video of our harrowing experience (from outside and inside) after the break. %Gallery-88598%
Seen@GDC: The spherical future of video game interactivity
We don't just go to GDC in search of hot scoops. We're also constantly scanning our periphery for the next big movement in video game technology. This year, it came in the form of the VirtuSphere – a device we've heard about since 2006 but haven't seen in person until today. No, it's not a magical orb which infuses its user with moral excellence; it's a virtual reality peripheral controlled by its enveloped user's strut. The technology was demoed on the show floor at GDC with a rudimentary first-person shooter. The player wears a visor (which changes the camera's view as the player looks around in real time) and holds a light gun peripheral. They can walk around the rolling sphere, which moves the player's in-game avatar around the level. Sounds too awesome to be true, doesn't it? Hey, we'd never lie to you. Check out a video demonstration of the device after the jump. What? Did we try it out? No, unfortunately, we've got a thing about dizzy-puking in public.
Virtusphere brings together VR, hamsterball technology
We here at Joystiq are all about the virtual reality technology, but the current state-of-the-art in hand-waving leaves us a little wanting. Enter the Virtusphere, a 10-foot tall, 400+ pound hollow steel sphere with sensors that translate every step into in-game movement. The Russian-made device, which has apparently been in development since at least 1996, uses a head-mounted display and handheld controller to allow free, immersive exploration and viewing of a 3D world.The device seems targeted primarily towards military and police training uses, but the possibilities for gaming are obvious. Just the idea of using this thing for some Super Monkey Ball or even American Gladiators-style Atlasphere matches gets us all excited. What game world would you like to explore in a giant, virtual hamsterball?[Thanks bassbeast]
