Gaming it would seem is becoming bigger than ever! MicroVision and Intel, have teamed up to develop a game controller shaped like a gun, with a pico projector built into it! On the preface this sounds a bit mad, but just check out the video, it definatley shows promise. This prototype games controller that is shaped like a conventional gun includes a laser pico projector engine at its heart, combined with a six-axis control unit (we presume) to allow a view based on the direction the gun-pico is pointed. I like the idea and its certainly thinking outside the box.

The projected image is designed to give “an immersive, 360-degree feel” and while the prototype in the following video doesn’t completely do this it does look like fun. Could this be the beginning of another push towards a virtual reality thats less virtual and more reality? Certainly it might help with obesity numbers and army recruitment if it takes off (or would it?) I can see this working in a situation such as a completely spherical room, but it may need alterations of the pico to work more as a short throw solution, if it were possible to encompass the FOV (field of view) of the gamer using it then it would be another big step to a truly virtual reality game. It also brings up questions of how gun-like should a toy/game really be, but then this can be said about a lot of things, ultimately if theres a market for it – it will probably be sold.

Currently this gaming prototype using the microvision pico projector engine is being demonstrated in Alberta, Canada at Intels Extreme Masters Gaming Tournament we will no doubt see more of this idea and as higher resolution pico’s come out the gaming market will become more and more of a distribution possibility.