Nintendos next generation, not a console, still a winner.

[HappySqurriel]

PhalanxCO said:

HappySqurriel said:

Personally, I think Nintendo would try to win the next generation by advancing the way games are played in a way that Sony and Microsoft wouldn’t think of or don’t seem to see the potential in. One of my thoughts on this is that Nintendo worked on improving the way that our actions in the real world were translated into the digital/videogame world by introducing (decent) motion controls; in the upcoming generation, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo focused on improving how the digital/videogame world interacted with the real world.

 

I strongly believe that this is correct.  I have a few theories, but nothing that I can really say for certainty.

I don’t have a clue what Nintendo will do, but I personally have noticed that some technologies that could be used to do this have become very inexpensive. First off are digital cameras which would (probably) be the core component for any system being that the videogame console would have to be able to track and identify what is happening in the environment in order to create areas of interaction; these cameras might be used like Project Natal or the Playstation Eye but they could also be incorporated in controllers (like the Wiimote) or possibly even be worn by someone playing the game.

The second technology is obviously projectors. Small video projectors that were often sold as projectors for mobile devices were sold for a couple hundred dollars each around 2005/2006 (with a large mark-up for both the manufacturer and retailer) and by the time the next generation begins they might be very affordable. Beyond this, you don’t necessarily need full color images that can produce video at high quality to start interacting with the environment; and simple laser projectors can produce images and be manufactured very affordably; although they would mostly be limited to red, orange or green still images.

The final thought is projected audio. While it hasn’t found much of a practical application yet, a few years ago it was discovered that ultrasonic beams deteriorate in a predictable fashion and that you can use the extremely directional nature of ultrasound to “beam” sound to a particular point in space. Trying to create a surround sound system using this technology would (at this point in time) be a bad choice for Nintendo, but there are probably some audio effects which would be cool; and you could use the projected sound to create a force feedback/rumble in 3D on the player if you desired.

 

 

Now, much like motion controls these technologies would start off being very primitive, but over time could develop into something very cool.