From bees to bullets, CES tech show gives gamers the feels

Posted on: 08/01/2023 – 06:24 Modified: 08/01/2023 – 06:22

Las Vegas (AFP) – Shooting, standing in the rain, surrounded by bees: Neither is ideal, but for players, feeling the sensations of each is the goal.

At the CES tech show, the video game industry is showing just how lifelike gaming can be with new vests, head pillows and other simulation products.

“Many consumers are playing games and they are looking for gaming devices,” Kiuk Gwak of bHaptics Inc. told AFP. as he demonstrated his company’s vest and gloves at the Las Vegas gathering, which ends Sunday.

The haptic vest replicates the feeling of action playing out in virtual worlds, while the matching haptic gloves add a sense of touch.

“People are not only using our vest to shoot, but they can feel the wind or rain or even bees in virtual reality,” Gwak said.

Gaming hardware company Razer showed off what it said was the first surround sound and haptic headset, called Project Carol, which allows “gamers to feel everything behind them, putting them firmly in the middle of the action.” .

Razer also said it will release an Edge gaming console in the United States on January 26 for $400.

Backseat player?

Razer is one of several companies, including Dell and Acer, to unveil laptops sporting rich displays and powerful computing chips aimed at tempting gamers who crave speed and immersion.

Gaming PCs powered by the latest chips from rivals AMD and Nvidia were also on display.

A gaming laptop is displayed in the Razer booth © Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

“Modern games with increasingly lifelike visuals demand new levels of graphics horsepower,” said AMD’s senior vice president of graphics Scott Herkelman.

Nvidia also announced that its GeForce Now PC gaming service will be included in vehicles for the first time thanks to an alliance with Hyundai Motor Group, BYD and Polestar.

“Thanks to cloud technology and mobile internet, vehicle occupants can keep boredom at bay with the ability to enjoy music, movies and now video games in the car,” Nvidia said in a release, noting that anyone in the driver’s seat it will only be able to play while parked.

“The ability to stream games in the car is a key component of the future of in-vehicle experiences.”

CES displays from tech titans like South Korean competitors LG and Samsung, meanwhile, included screens tailored for gamers with features such as immersive curves to enhance the sense of immersion.

The evolving playing field

Dominican Republic-based Clover Gaming unveiled a virtual casino that offers slots, roulette, horse betting and other Las Vegas-style games of chance in the metaverse.

Casino platform CloverLand plans to use blockchain and cryptocurrency, head of development Eilla Lefebvre told AFP.

An Acer Predator Helios 300 eye-tracking laptop for glasses-free 3D video gaming is on display at Microsoft’s CES booth © Patrick T. Fallon / AFP

“We’re using new technologies, which is part of why we came to CES,” Lefebvre said.

“And we want to find out what people like and don’t like to make sure we’re going in the right direction.”

As devices become more interoperable and innovations like the metaverse promise to transform the way people live, CES has become critical for companies to see how they can better connect with gamers.

“You talk about the Web3 and you talk about the metaverse, a lot of this is going to start with games,” said Jeff Netzer of Las Vegas-based PlayStudios, which specializes in mobile games whose winners are rewarded with restaurant meals. hotel stays and. helicopter ride.

“People are looking at what hardware is going to be needed,” he said. “I think a lot of companies are particularly interested in CES to understand where that particular part of the industry is going.”

© 2023 AFP