• PC World
• »Software
• »Games

Back to the Future

Brainy: Everyone's looking for new ways to interact with games without having to grab a gamepad. The creepy, mind-controlling Emotiv EPOC might have a tough time taking off due to the $300 price tag, but despite a failed demo Tuesday night, it was working at the booth. When I blinked, so did my onscreen self. If I want something to lift, it does. No word on when the brainwashing feature will get implemented, though.

Brawny: Couch potato players can get off your duffs--and gym rats can now stay at home more.?Nintendo's Wii Fit game--er, I mean, exercises--have you stand atop the board to do everything from Yoga to skiing down slalom slopes. I wasn't exactly working up a sweat after testing Wii Fit on the show floor, but one can see how it'll help big, clumsy goons like me get better balance.

Personally, I liked the Punch-Out workout from 3DV Systems' tech demo. Using a $100 Webcam, the software tracks time-of-flight movement and Z-depth.That means that in-game it can easily track your punch speed and time ducking a blow. Or determine when I get knocked out cold.

Touch Me, Feel Me: The HXT helmet is the next step in TN Games' war on gamers ever getting dates. We've already covered the $170 3rd Space FPS Vest that batters your body as you get shot up onscreen. The $100 headpiece, though, raises stakes by clobbering your noggin and shooting air over your ears to indicate near misses. So, if you ever had a mouth-breathing brother who hit you in the head, you've got an idea of what's in store for you here.

Splinter Cell: A well-known problem with cell phone games is what you're playing it on--those number keys and the cursor aren't really meant for playing around. With powerful new mobile CPUs, half the problem is solved. We've still got that whole control problem.

Zeemote's JS1 is a really smart solution. Imagine a mini-version of the Nintendo Wii's nunchuck control. This Bluetooth controller is an analog thumbstick with a couple of trigger buttons.

What else does it need? Games that support it.

Turn Out the Lights: Someone at Philips Electronics has been desperately trying for years to relive those laser light Pink Floyd shows at the planetarium with the amBX. Fans, rumble pads, lights--all these bells and whistles to try and get you more into the game. Problem one: It's an expensive proposition (costing between $100 and $350). Problem two: No smoke machine. Problem three: I don't listen to Pink Floyd anymore.