Over the summer, Kotaku did a fair amount of war correspondence. This particular war wasn’t happening in Iraq or Afganistan, but rather in Paris. It was an ongoing Post-It War between game developer Ubisoft and its neighbours, the French bank BNP. More »
The PC version of the upcoming arcade air combat sim Tom Clancy’s HAWX will support Philips’ PC ambient technology, the company announced today.
The amBX gaming peripheral includes RGB LED lights that can create 16 million colours, variable speed desktop fans capable of up to 5,000 RPM and a wrist rumble strip. Philips says that the device will be used to create “all kinds of spectacular air combat lighting, air movement and rumble effects”.
The HAWX support announcement also notes that the peripheral is getting a price drop with the starter kit now selling for about $AU 159.15, the extension kit selling for $AU 84.88, the premium kit for $AU 297.08 and the pro kit for $AU 244.03. All of them sound too pricey for something that’s going to throw rainbows up on my ceiling and blow wind in my face, but each to his or her own.
Philip’s sort of over the top amBX, “surround sense” technology will work with a number of upcoming Ubisoft titles including Brother in Arms: Hell’s Highway and Far Cry 2. Games Industry reports that both games are being demoed with the full on amBX tech which includes colored lighting, rumble, air flow and sound.
Working with one of the world’s largest publishers on two of the most successful gaming franchises of all time is an amazing opportunity for our amBX technology to really shine in front of a worldwide audience,” said amBX COO Jo Cooke.
“Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway and Far Cry 2 are titles that will showcase just how powerful and in your face amBX effects can be in a war game. This is just the start of the alliance between amBX and Ubisoft and the level of our comarketing with Ubisoft will underline our dedication to bringing all-new ambient effects to world class games.”
I’ve seen the amBX stuff in action before and while I can’t imagine dropping the money for the set-up, I bet it would really blow you away when playing a game like Far Cry 2, what with it’s weather effects and frequent use of raging wildfires.
Philips also told Games Industry that while the system only currently supports PC games, console “announcements” are on the way soon too.
Hell’s Highway and Far Cry 2 show off “surround sense” [Games Industry]
QuakeCon 2007 kicks off today, and Philips is there to demonstrate how well their amBX ambient experiences technology gets along with Quake 4. They’ve set up a multiplayer demo of a mod for the game created by their amBX team in order to take full advantage of all the system has to offer. As players run and jump they’ll feel the wind in their hair, experience the jolt of landing. Weapons will have recoil and various custom effects, bullets will have impact, and blood will spatter in all its red LED glory. They’ve even set up the mod so that the light dims behind you when you use a weapon’s sights, simulating sniper focus. Perhaps they’ll be able to reverse the air peripherals to create a sucking effect for the losing team. That’s full immersion right there. It really sounds like they’ve gone all out to make the most of the demo, so if you really want to see the full potential of the amBX technology, you’ve got until the 4th to make your way to Dallas and give it a go.
