Aug. 18, 2008
Leave it to a Swede to think completely outside the box.
You’ll see this if you’re attending the the Games Convention in Leipzig, but for the gaming denizens who won’t be able to make it to Germany, you should know about the jDome.
“The jDome is a half-spherical rear projection system which immerses the gamer inside the game world,” says John Nilsson, the “J” behind the jDome. “Combining the jDome with off-the-shelf hardware
and software, the jDome gives a low cost Omnimax-like gaming experience at home.”
This is an amazingly simple concept — but someone just had to think it up!
The idea is to immerse the gamer and make you turn your head and interact rather than just stare at a comparatively small monitor.
If you are going to Leipzig, make sure you check this out!
There are some kinks to be worked out, like a $6,000 price tag and the assumption that you’ll be standing while gaming, as Engadget explains, but it still gets points for the cool factor.
More information can be found at http://www.jdome.com
John Guilfoil is the editor-in-chief of Blast: Boston's Online Magazine. He can be reached at guilfoil.j@blastmagazine.com.
It is a step in the right direction. From the video, It looks as though the jDome folds up into a crescent. Good initial stage, but you need to lose the ribbing across the projection area.
Kudos for being the first to come up with this type of rear projection screen:)