Nakoruru Samurai Shodown
Editorial
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September Editorial


Immersion
by Darkfact



Has anyone ever noticed how "immersion" has changed little? For over a decade we have sat and played 2D games on a 2D screen, and recently, 3D games on a 2D screen but what has really changed? Is it really 3D? Or just a media buzz word and good marketing.

Every year we are told the game will draw you in like never before and when does that ever happen? Virtual reality has been a catch phrase for a long time but the hardware requirements are expensive and often clunky. I myself bought a so called VR unit once but it was little more than a blurry LCD screen placed a couple inches from my eyes.

True VR requires bouncing images off reflective panels and onto the eye to get the 3D realism. The possible advantages of VR are many - how many times have you wished you could customize your character from quotes to look, to fighting exactly the same as you would. Video games cannot do this at their present level but we are neglecting the computer. The computer has been doing this for years.

Games like Quake, Doom and such are notorious for their ability to customize on a large scale. Polygons and editable scripts are perfect. We just need the proper interface I.E. something that does not cost a thousand dollars. We have the technology, we have the capability, what we do not have is the interface - the technology is decades old and the only reason it is so expensive is because there is not much demand for it.

In technology when there is a demand for something development is accelerated and improvements make it cheaper so is is inexpensive and everyone can afford one but the problem is no one is willing to take the risk - the reason is not cost but stupidity many companies see that VR does not sell well and will not take a risk, the problem is that most VR systems are crap and are not true VR (like the one I told you about - thank god for refunds) as a result there is little demand for VR because all we have available is crap (who wants crap?) so companies think that VR will not sell.

One day we will have the system we have dreamed of, all we need is companies with brains (and a focus group who is not on the payroll).


C.K.'s Note

Well, this is a bit off topic, but it's a good thing to point out. In my humble opinion, it doesn't actually concern us that much. That's because I believe the very true VR technology still very far away from now. Hey Darkfact, maybe my grandson will play your grandson in 'VR Samurai Shodown' via modem play someday!

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