Namco P.O.D. at 2005 AMShow in Japan

[Dave_K.]

You may have remembered Namco's Over Reality Booster System - O.R.B.S. debut back in the 2001 AMShow:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20011102/orbs.htm

Well now check out the latest version, named more simply, Panoramic Optical Display - P.O.D.:
http://www.mainichi-msn.co.jp/entertainment/game/amshow/graph/pickup1/

Here are some choice pics:

[RayB]

COOOOLL!!!!

[Crowley]

WAYHASD! I just wet myself.

[walls83]

ah man I have to steal one of those    ... Cause lord knows I dont have 15,000 to buy one.  That looks really fun

[Flinkly]

it just looks like a projector and a game that has it's imaged compressed a bit to make up for the rounded "pod" shape.  you can even see the projector up above.  also, look at the screen shot, it's square but seems compressed compared to the pod shots.  cool idea still, just simple.  i still can't afford to get a couple nice projectors to make a couple pods, let alone get my hands on some sort of game for it.

so is this just a concept model kinda thing for the gaming world?  i mean, these aren't going to start showing up in major cities, will they?

[Dave_K.]

it just looks like a projector and a game that has it's imaged compressed a bit to make up for the rounded "pod" shape.  you can even see the projector up above.  also, look at the screen shot, it's square but seems compressed compared to the pod shots.  cool idea still, just simple.  i still can't afford to get a couple nice projectors to make a couple pods, let alone get my hands on some sort of game for it.

so is this just a concept model kinda thing for the gaming world?  i mean, these aren't going to start showing up in major cities, will they?

You cannot get this affect with a normal projector.  They use special/expenseive panoramic lenses (similar to imax) to project the image. 

I doubt we will see this in the US anytime soon (just like we have never seen the O.R.B.S. machines) but we can all hope.   

[arcadefever]

  wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

[SirPoonga]

I doubt we will see this in the US anytime soon (just like we have never seen the O.R.B.S. machines) but we can all hope.   

Maybe not this, but stuff like this exists.
http://www.flyaces.com/location.html
http://www.mallofamerica.com/adults_attraction_detail_objectname_ACES_Flight_Simulation_E340.aspx

I think there's something simular north of I394 in like Plymouth or one of those suburbs of minneapolis too.

[ArcaMan]

Does anyone know if this is based on the Elumen's tech?

While I was at TLC, we were working on projection stuff based on this sort of tech. (go to RetroBlast and look for XAP-1 - launched at ASI in March 05).

Basically, they had a fancy lens that distorted the image so that it came out smooth on a curved dome, but otherwise used a basic DLP.

The effect is marvelous but unfortunately TLC didn't have the right content and the effect wasn't nearly as cool in wood as it is in plastic

James Hills

[rchadd]

a star wars yoke?

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20011102/orbs12.jpg

[Dave_K.]

I doubt we will see this in the US anytime soon (just like we have never seen the O.R.B.S. machines) but we can all hope.   

Maybe not this, but stuff like this exists.
http://www.flyaces.com/location.html
http://www.mallofamerica.com/adults_attraction_detail_objectname_ACES_Flight_Simulation_E340.aspx

I think there's something simular north of I394 in like Plymouth or one of those suburbs of minneapolis too.

Wow that brought me back to when I first moved out to silicon valley, there was a place called "Magic Edge" that had similar networked cockpit sytle flight simulators.  I did a quick search and this is all I could find. 
http://vr-atlantis.com/vr_systems_guide/19.html

I remember it was also a projection screen, but don't remember it being concave, just taking up the entire front of the cockpit.

[Dave_K.]

a star wars yoke?

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/game/docs/20011102/orbs12.jpg

I'm more interested in why it has UCSF (University of California at San Francisco) sticker on it!  I wonder if they have any prototypes left out here!

[Dave_K.]

Does anyone know if this is based on the Elumen's tech?

While I was at TLC, we were working on projection stuff based on this sort of tech. (go to RetroBlast and look for XAP-1 - launched at ASI in March 05).

Basically, they had a fancy lens that distorted the image so that it came out smooth on a curved dome, but otherwise used a basic DLP.

The effect is marvelous but unfortunately TLC didn't have the right content and the effect wasn't nearly as cool in wood as it is in plastic

James Hills

Wow, the Elumens lens (pictured on their site) does look similar to what was in the prototype O.R.B.S system...but the ORBS was made back in 2001...so who knows what they are using in the 2005 model.  Either way, I'd love to get my hands on one of these lenses.

Elumens lens:


Picture of lens used in the 2001 ORBS prototype:

[RayB]

"Insert another quarter Dave."
"What are you doing Dave?"
"Remain in the POD Dave. Insert another quarter".