What will the future of gaming What will the future of gaming look like?look like?

State of Art Technology Advances

– Devices & Displays– User interfaces– Haptics/Feedback– Handheld convergence

Consoles Mobile Gaming

– Continuous play– Find me/follow me

Other– PC, Arcades, Theme parks, Education, Training, etc.

                                                                        

                                           

New Gaming ConsolesNew Gaming Consoles

Xbox 360 Sony Playstation 3

– 2 TFLOPS– Demo 1– Demo 2

Nintendo Revolution

New New Entertainment Entertainment ConsolesConsoles

Xbox 360 Sony Playstation 3

– DVD– Internet/Communities– HD Video– Surround Audio– Disk/DVR

Micro-transactions

Driving Forces: TechnologyDriving Forces: Technology

3D perf doubling every year– Movie quality: 4.8BT/s– Global illumination, subsurface scattering,

shadows, photon tracing Speech recognition

– $22.6 billion in 2003 Beyond WIMP

– Natural language, gestures, expressions, words

Wild Cards:– Quantum computers– Photon computers– Nanotechnology

Worldwide internet 2004 @12.5% (800M)

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Hardware:Hardware:

Networked WorldNetworked WorldPROs: Broadband: 20% US,

70% Korea– 4x game expendatures

Wireless games $50-100k vs. $5-10M

RFIDs GPS Networked home

CONs: (E-S-A STUDY)

Overwhelming preference pc’s vs consoles for online gamingGrowth in online gaming is relatively flatFavorite genres are puzzle, board and trivia…not action Less than 8 percent are paying to play online.

Hardware:Hardware:

DisplaysDisplays LCD, Plasma StereoScopic:

– Sharp $1500– SeeReal -> $500

Cinefour theaters in Logan, Utah has midnight Xbox. Teams of four play against each other on the theater's huge screens

OLEDs HMDs

Hardware:Hardware:

User InterfacesUser Interfaces “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:Hardware:

Haptics and Force FeedbackHaptics and Force Feedbackhap·tic ('hap-tik)

adj. Of or relating to the sense of touch; tactile.

Phantom Cybergrasp Flight-force Joystick Cell-phone haptics

– SMS: high-frequency high-five slap , low-frequency belly laugh

– screen tactile feedback Psychophysics study subjective

perceptual dimension

Hardware:Hardware:

Wearable Internet AppliancesWearable Internet Appliances Vanderbilt's

Anesthesiologists Call center Maintenance NASA’s WARP

Hardware:Hardware:

HandheldsHandhelds Convergence

– Dual Screens– Chat, SMS– Touch Screen– Wireless – Voice Recognition – MP3, Video– GPS– Telephone

Convergence is nice, but….

Hardware:Hardware:

Caveat: Caveat: The IronPhoneThe IronPhone

Just because we can doesn’t mean we should!!

What technologies belong together?

Content transportability?– Timex DOOM?

State of the IndustryState of the Industry

$11B US Industry…This is a problem?Yes…Market is currently

relatively flat!!!!Why????????

Who is the customer?

CustomerCustomer

Pays $20-70 for 20-40hrs entertainment ($1-$2/hr)

Under 18: 34% PC, 45% console – 90% adult purchased

Average 28 y.o., (27 female) 43% female 5 out of 7 dollars is on console gaming 20M Xbox, 80M PS2 How many Xbox 360s does MS want to

sell? …………1 BILLION!

How does game industry expand?– Better games for hardcore gamers– Reach the Casual Gamer!!!

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)

Create emotional bond More variety of games Better/simpler interfaces

Gaming FutureGaming Future

Where are we heading?Where are we heading?

Expanding Hardcore Market:Expanding Hardcore Market:

Consumers as Producers as Consumers as Producers as Consumers…Consumers…

Game Mods– Consumers modify game

Virtual Properties– Build, buy, sell…some professionals– $200M+++

Professional Gamers– 3 channels, big $$

Advertising & Commerce– Order pizza while playing

Cross Media– Which came first, the video game or the movie?

New Paradigms:New Paradigms:

Ubiquitous GamingUbiquitous Gaming convergence of sensing, computing

and digital communications embedded computer technology to

support users’ activities wherever and whenever it is needed

Examples: Environment-aware

– Location, context, bio VR,AR,MR Pervasive Games

– always available

Ubiquitous Gaming:Ubiquitous Gaming:

Environment Aware Environment Aware LocationLocation

Pirates!-Pirates!-Uncle Roy All Around YouUncle Roy All Around YouThe Go Game – corporate trainingThe Go Game – corporate training

Body SensingBody SensingEyeToyEyeToy

Bio-feedbackBio-feedbackThe Journey to Wild Divine The Journey to Wild Divine

User information: skill, specifications, etc.User information: skill, specifications, etc. Experimental: SIGGRAPH Interactive TheaterExperimental: SIGGRAPH Interactive Theater

Ubiquitous Gaming:Ubiquitous Gaming:

Augmented Reality Augmented Reality HMD, Tracking, Power, Haptics, Digital “flats”HMD, Tracking, Power, Haptics, Digital “flats” Current Uses:Current Uses:

NFL 1NFL 1stst down marker down marker Night-vision obstaclesNight-vision obstacles

Who could use this?Who could use this? Service/RepairService/Repair TouristsTourists SoldiersSoldiers

Holodeck?Holodeck? USC & Army -> $100M Institute of Creative Technology. Richard USC & Army -> $100M Institute of Creative Technology. Richard

Lindheim (UPN Star Trek) Lindheim (UPN Star Trek)

GamingGamingAR QuakeAR Quake – – Wearable Computer Lab, U. of South AustraliaWearable Computer Lab, U. of South Australia

Ubiquitous Gaming:Ubiquitous Gaming:

Pervasive GamesPervasive 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:Ubiquitous Gaming:

Pervasive GamesPervasive Games

played continuously even if intertwined with daily activities such as working or sleeping

variety of channels to reach the players: Internet, press, radio, email, phone and TV

Pervasive games need to facilitate communication and creativity to their audience

ExamplesExamples Assassin – no computer required, only a hand!Assassin – no computer required, only a hand! Nokia Game – 600,000 in 28 countriesNokia Game – 600,000 in 28 countries BotfightersBotfighters MajesticMajestic

Casual Gamer:Casual Gamer:

How to reach them?How to reach them? Different games

– Emotional bond– Eliminate negatives (difficulty, violence, stress,

etc.) 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 Dumb down/Eliminate controllercontroller

Nintendo Revolution Controller – 3D Pointing. Sensors for up, down, left, 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

“Absence from cyberspace has a cost.” - Michael Benedickt, Cyberspace, First Steps

"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

“.. 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

Quotes from the Industry:Quotes from the Industry:

Where are we heading?Where are we heading?