VIRTUAL COMEBACK?
The technology that was once behind Virtual Reality (VR) has started to make strong in-roads into the video amusement market since 1999, though many of these advances have been predominately based in the Asian sector, they are appearing in States.
Though the hardware in question is not the previously cumbersome and ungainly VR Head Mounted Displays (HMD), but the technology directly relates to the application of VR (or total immersion systems) into the out-of-home games arena. Under the terms of motion or gesture recognition, the technology is that which allows the ability to track a player's hand, full body movements and then represent them within the virtual gaming environment.
The technology of actually tracking the player is broken down into three categories. Either the use of a complicated digitisation (camera) system, the use of a infrared (IR) or ultrasonic device, and finally the use of a magnetic tracker. It is this technology in its various forms that was used in the fledgling VR attractions to both monitor the player and his head movement, so that the view within the head mount showed the corresponding image of the virtual environment he should see.
As covered briefly before, the embryonic VR industry had a number of tries to establish a presence in amusement, including evaluation of hardware by leading video manufactures. Some products achieved celebrity, if not financial success, at the time. The Combatica system from Holoplex, using their ThunderCam technology (based on the digitisation and recognition of the players movements to be represented by characters in a conventional 3D fighting game, such as Tekken) saw installation across the market. A version was even specially developed for the then GameWorks facilities under the Virtual Arena name.
Another digitisation tracking system was Mandala's Gesture Xtreme, which saw limited application within the museum and edutainment sector, offering a non-violent motion capture products (building on bluescreen technology) to place the player within the virtual environment in real-time. These concepts started the impious to take up the catch phrase of 'Body Joystick' gaming.
However these systems found limited success and foundered in the apathy that was the amusement industry after the bottom fell out of all the 'hype' and high hopes of virtual reality entertainment. Of those early entrants only FerrisVR, GlobalVR, CybermindUK, and a smattering of others remain.
But in 1999 the first appearance of sensor technology made a successful push into amusement mainstream. Interactive Light a then Californian developer of innovative amusement developed their answer to the batting cage with the Swing It! - Pitcher Duel and Swing It! - Power Home Run Derby system. One of the first developers to apply sensor (magnetic sensor) technology, the system also utilised one of the first applications of conversional PC technology within a coin-operated system. But as most US companies entering the Japanese dominated market found it a tough game to play, and the learning curve very steep.
At the same time Japanese amusement manufactures Konami and their BeMania music and dancing game phenomena had expanded beyond the pure stepping or button hitting varieties (such as BeMania and Dance Dance Revolution), and was migrating into technological applications to allow the 'whole' dancers body to be mapped and monitored.
Using a specially developed IR sensor system Konami released DanceManiaX onto the Asian public, the game allowing the height of the player's hand to be monitored and so for the player's gyrations to the music made part of the game. Building on this Konami developed a special octagonal cage IR system that allowed the whole players body movement (rather than just the hand) to be tracked and so the 2000 success Para Para Paradise was born, going on to spawn a slew of sequels with more tunes and more gyrations.
But the music / dancing genre was seen as much to limiting for this expensive technology's application. At the same time as Para Para Paradise, a second team within Konami were taking the same full body tracking sensors and developing a more traditional game application. With Police 911 (known as Police 24/7 in the US) the gun game received a new adaptation. Unlike the mere foot pedal 'duck' method employed by Namco in Time Crisis, the whole players body movement ducking from enemy fire could be recorded and represented. The game proved a strong release and was followed by a sequel. A third application of gun and IR sensor technology has been tentatively released with the Deluxe version of the Jurassic Park 3 license gun game, players able to duck from furious dinosaur attacks.
Konami have dubbed their technology as 'Motion Sensing', and closely guard the actual configuration of their IR system compared to those available on the market. Like VR Entertainment, commercial VR applications have evolved in some interesting directions. The majority of tracking technology is actually applied in the monitoring of human movement for application in video games and in computer generated movies. The technology coming into its own when a CGI rendered creature is needed to walk and move realistically.
The 'Motion Sensing' hardware of Konami was dusted off for a third game genre when the 2001 pugilism game MocCap Boxing was released (MoCap becoming a series name for all the companies 'Motion Capture' hardware releases). Utilising many of the stylistic features learnt from Police 911, the player replacing his pistol for a pair of sensor equipped boxing gauntlets, having to hit the virtual opponent on screen to advance through the game. A second version of the product was released in Japan under the Box Mania name, but the actual game started to show its limitations.
The danger was the incredible physical effort required to play the game was a hindrance to the enjoyment of just playing the game. The average arcade gamer not a perfect specimen of human fitness, and by the end of a sold session on one of the MoCap releases was left a breathless and heavily perspiring individual not inclined to drop another quarter into the game for a second try. One Konami designers going on the record to say that, ".only fit people will be able beat all six opponents."
There was method in this madness. The machines during the game actually displayed the calories burned off during the game, and this was a short step towards the hardware being applied as advance exercise machines. In January 2001 Konami had created Konami Sports has become the health club subsidiary of the powerful amusement and consumer game publisher. Having initially brought first People Co.'s large 140 fitness club operation (including the vast XAX facility), they continued with Nissan Sports Club, and then a percentage of the Daiei Olympic Sports Club Inc., fitness club operation, representing 63 facilities cross Japan. Konami Sports subsidiary also crossed to America and Europe, investing in sports and fitness operations towards adding a expanding sports fitness interest, to a untried division of the corporation.
VR technology had been applied in a number of tentative manners to exercise and fitness training, however the Konami development was a major move towards virtual exercise systems, plans spoke of gaming and fitness becoming intertwined with game machines that actually rewarded exercise and stamina along with game play and skill. The MoCap boxing game would be dubbed the first of the company's '3D Sports Simulation Games' series.
The new sports based amusement line would receive it first dedicated release in 2002 with Martial Beat. The game was incredibly reminiscent of the initial concept seen with Combatica from Holoplex though rather than a digitised system the full IR sensor system seen with Para Para Paradise was employed. The player rather than moving a character on screen was actually matching the movements of a virtual instructor receiving points for emulating the moves. The game a clear bridge between exercise system and amusement system, especially when news of a home system was revealed which was hoped in the future would be linked in virtual competition between players.
Away from sports other new genres for motion sensing were developed with a unique ancient Japanese sword fighting game called Tsurugi - The Sword released in 2001. The actual sword was represented by the Konami 'Motion Sensing' Wand, (a device that contained the IR receiver and force feedback device which allowed the player the gauge when he had been hit on the sword). A foot pedal was also included to allow the player to advance and 'rush' against his opponents.
VR experience were no stranger to sword fighting concepts, and it was obvious that after guns, bats, clubs and any other intuitive interface would be mapped for application. The first VR sword fighting attempts were seen within the Virtuality selection of games, and with the innovative DisneyQuest Ride the Comix VR sword fighting attraction using many of the same principles as would appear in the Konami release.
By now the rest of the video amusement sector had caught up with Konami and the first initial motion sensor games started to appear. 2002 saw Namco present their Mazan - Flash of the Blade sword fighting game, incredibly similar to the Konami equivalent. Namco had previously played around with tracking in one of their sniper games (Golgo 13) where the player's head movement were tracked on a very basic level. While industry veteran Taito released their first major dedicated project for many months with Razin' Ping Pong that included two table tennis bats incorporating the companies own IR tracking technology enable to play the game.
Not to be left out of the equation, the growing number of Korean game developers have also turned towards the possibility of 'sensor' based amusement. Though perceived by some industry observers as just cashing in on the 'BeMania' bandwagon with cheap imitations of Konami systems. A number of original adaptations of the idea have been spawned in this melting pot. In particular Korean manufacture NGG Entertainment, the companies innovative Dance Station 3DDX 4th Mix, uses eight sensors as well as the floor based pads to create a system that monitors the whole gyrating players movement. The system has found success in Asia and is in danger of moving into the Dance Dance Revolution circuit with vengeance.
In an obvious move to counter these competitive releases Konami launched MoCap Golf (continuing the MoCap series) that utilized the wand technology, but with an intuitive two screen floor display. The idea of creating a golf system moves away from the conventional 'golf simulator' systems employed in some bars and clubs. Rather than a huge front projected screen using ball sensors (common with the professional systems) the Konami game offered a small package for more amusement style application. The accuracy of the sensor and the use of an unfamiliar club (adapted wand) meant the experience was less realistic than entertaining.
Continuing a search for new applications of their sensor system, Konami departed from the martial arts, shooting or sword fighting, for another sports products, this time tennis, called Nice Smash.
The system used a racket and special tracking floor pad (or 'Sensor Zone)' to allow the player to better aim his shots, the game incorporating a two-player feature for doubles or competition.
It would seem now that with golf and tennis, sports exercise machines and complicated body interfaces amusement is encroaching totally on the VR simulator doorstep. Only time will tell towards an obvious HMD addition to the thinking behind these developments. Both Namco and impartially SEGA spent much R&D budget investigating VR as an application for amusement in the mid 90's. Both SEGA and Taito being licensers of the now defunct Virtuality hardware.
Further sensor technology application is on the horizon. It is an obvious progression that we will see a base ball game system, along with other sports applications. The successor to the Interactive Light system of the early period is imminent. GlobalVR have actually experimented with a football field goal system, building on the acquired technology that sensor patents from the acquisition of the Interactive Light assents at their close. Whether it is a US or a Japanese manufacture that breaks the next big sensor revolution, many still wonder if VR is totally out of the picture.
Sensor Arcade Games Timeline
1998
Swing It! Power Home Run Derby -- Interactive Light -- First sensor game
Swing It! Pitcher Duel -- Interactive Light
1999
DanceManiaX / Dance Freaks -- Konami -- First IR Sensor
Golgo 13 -- Namco -- Limited head tracking
2000
DanceManiaX 2nd Mix -- Konami
Police 911 / Police 24/7 -- Konami -- Motion sensing technology
Para Para Paradise -- Konami -- Octagonal cage IR sensor
Para Para Paradise v1.1 -- Konami
2001
MoCap Boxing -- Konami
Boxing Mania -- Konami
Tsurugi - The Sword -- Konami -- Sword motion sensing game
Para Para Paradise 1st Mix Plus -- Konami
Para Para Paradise 2nd Mix -- Konami -- Two network cabinet
Para Para Paradise 2nd Mix Append Jparadise -- Konami
Para Para Paradise DX -- Konami -- Large stage 3 player version
Dance Station 3DDX 4th Mix -- NGG
2002
Martial Beat -- Konami -- First fitness based game
Nice Smash -- Konami
MoCap Golf -- Konami
Jurassic Park 3 -- Konami
Mazan - Flash of the Blade -- Namco -- Namco first entry
Alien Sniper -- Namco -- Same principle as Golgo 13
Raizin Ping Pong -- Taito -- Taito first entry
(First published in the June 2002 issue of RePlay Magazine)
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