ThermoGame: Feel the burn while gaming
Researchers in Tokyo have come up with a game controller that heats up or cools down depending on the on-screen action.
Vibrating game controllers are so yesteryear. Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University have decided it's time to add another element to gaming--heat.
Using a pair of thermoelectric surfaces at the sides of the controller, gamers will feel their palms heat up or cool down based on the on-screen scenario. Your character standing near a flame? Feel the burn!
Fortunately, the difference in temperature in the ThermoGame system is less than 10 degrees, so you can leave the bandages in the first-aid kit when you're fighting an intense virtual battle. University researchers are collaborating with the National Institute of Special Needs Education with an additional aim to create a new interface for the blind using temperature differences.
The hardware is simple, but the uphill task will be convincing game publishers to include code for a heated controller. Question is, will temperature make a game significantly more immersive? Share your thoughts below.
(Source: Crave Asia via MIT Technology Review)