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The Future Playground

Posted by Zonk on from the where-is-the-power-glove dept.

eldavojohn writes "The BBC has an article on the London Science Museum's exhibit 'The Future Playground' which showcases some new technologies that may transform gaming. You may recognize some of these technologies as 'old news' but it's the way they're being utilized for gaming that makes this interesting. The most interesting one is the inflatable display which the article describes: 'The Puffer Sphere is an inflatable ball on which images can be projected, said Oliver Collier — one of its creators. Mr Collier said the idea of using the inflatable as a display grew out of an undergraduate project at the University of Edinburgh to use it as the basis for an interactive art installation.'"

10 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. ah by Swimport · · Score: 2, Funny

    I remember when if you got hit in the head with a swing, you got a concussion. Now that was a playground.

    1. Re:ah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      And after you were hit by the swing, you were knocked to the ground where you'd skin your knees on gravel...

      I watched the elementary school playground down the street from me go from having gravel to wood chips to that rubbery playmat stuff made from old tires in the span of 10 years. And all of the wooden "castles" and whatnot were replaced with kid-sized habitrail tubes (you'd think they would've at least kept the wood chips for that).

    2. Re:ah by elrous0 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Ha, you had a hospital, huh? Luxury.

      In my day, they'd just patch a broken arm up with some twine and sticks and send you back into the fields to work.

      -Eric

      --
      SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
  2. Virtual Reality, where are you ? by Rastignac · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I remember when Sega showed to everyone the "Sega Virtual Reality Helmet for Sega Genesis". The poor machine was unable to perform good 3D rendering at all (see games like Hard Drivin'), but Sega vaporwared everyone by telling it was possible to render two smooth 3D pictures in real time. The helmet never came.

    Then there were Helmets for PC computers. Playing "Heretic 1" or "Descent 1" with them was possible, but the machines were not powerful enough to enjoy the games (because there were no 3D cards yet).

    Years later (today !), PC machines with more-than-powerful 3D cards are here, but the Helmets for Everyone are not here. Why ? Machines are powerful, 3D cards are powerful, LCD screens are cheap, so why no Helmets for Everyone ?

    --
    -- Rastignac was here.
    1. Re:Virtual Reality, where are you ? by rGauntlet · · Score: 2, Informative

      Because they weight too much, cause motion sickness, and generally just aren't worth the trouble.

      --
      http://www.yeraze.com http://www.vizworld.com
  3. The playground of the future... by Demona · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...will be one piece, and constructed entirely of soft rubber. However, children will still be issued mandatory helmets before being allowed on the premises.

    --
    Fuck Slashdot
  4. windows version by theMerovingian · · Score: 2, Funny


    Here is a pic of the Puffer Sphere running Windows

    --
    "If you think you have things under control, you're not going fast enough." --Mario Andretti
  5. Re:twine AND sticks? by silentounce · · Score: 2, Funny

    You were lucky. In my day we didn't have arms. We just wallowed around in the mud content with our flagellum. And we LIKED it.

    --
    There are many tongues to talk, and but few heads to think. -Victor Hugo
  6. Oh please by Ty · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Who needs all this newfangled stuff when you can have AWESOME cold-war era Russian playgrounds!

  7. It's hard to sell a product that makes people puke by AdamThor · · Score: 2, Interesting

    see: alchohol

    --
    -- "Oh. This guy again."