4 Disruptive Technologies Will Shake Up Video and Gaming
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CREDIT: Sanzhar Murzin |
Beyond the glitz of CES 2013, in the shadow of the product announcements and show floor pageantry in Las Vegas, were some fascinating panel discussions. One stood out in particular: "Disruptive Technologies Impacting the Future of Games and Video," on new technology that will change games, apps, 3D and even glass:
Flexible Glass, and How It's Changing
James Clappin, president of the Corning Glass Technologies group, focused on the "changing of the guard" in glass technology. It's not just a matter of placing a piece of touch-supported glass on a device, but expanding technology that could be useful to its owners, such as bezel-free (no rim around the screen) and wraparound support (wipe-away spills, and less smudging). James showed a video highlighting just how much further glass will be able to go. For instance, an engineer could draw graphs and other interactive programs on the surface of a glass wall.
Augmented reality
Casper Thykier, founder and managing director for the augmented reality production team at Zappar Ltd., talked about integrating 3D simulations into the "real world" by displaying them along with live video on the screens of devices such as cellphones. This "augmented reality" has been around for some time, but it's becoming more common with advertisements, games and other programs. And this "bite-size entertainment" is going to become even more popular with new devices, as "everything has the potential to communicate." (There have been rumblings that the new Xbox and PlayStation consoles will enable augmented reality.)
Interconnectivity between devices
Up next was Rosen Sharma, president and CEO of BlueStacks, a company that specializes in creating software that allows mobile applications to run on PCs. Sharma showcased several apps running on a PC through data transfer, including games like "Final Freeway" and "Defender." In addition, he showed how PCs and mobile devices could work together seamlessly to create a genuine experience. With the racing competition "Final Freeway," for instance, the player can use a mobile device to steer and watch the racing action as it's happening on the PC screen. [See also: A Wii U Beginners Guide]
The future of cloud gaming
Finally, investor Brian Cho spoke briefly about the state of cloud gaming. He explained the convenience of gaming through the cloud, which allows users to upload and play games through an Internet connection, with no need for game discs or a hard drive to save data. And in some cases, information can be transferred to different mediums. Cho, a partner with venture investment firm Andreessen Horowitz (which has invested in the likes of Skype and Twitter), brought up the OnLive cloud service, which allows gamers to play between their PC and TV with ease. This technology could expand greatly in the future, especially with Sony acquiring cloud gaming service Gaikai – a feature that possibly will be introduced with the next iteration of its PlayStation game console.
