Drayu
04-06-2005, 03:25 PM
PC Shooters to Return Fire?
A Texas tech company has developed a military simulator that shocks gamers, literally.
The line between game and simulation has blurred, thanks to a boom in technology and a renewed emphasis on realism. As if jumping out of one's chair while playing Doom 3 or Resident Evil 4 weren't scary enough, things are about to get a bit more real--and painful.
Texas-based company VirTra Systems, manufacturer of combat simulators for various military outlets, has added a new feature to its state-of-the-art IVR 4G simulator that delivers an electric shock when a "player" gets shot.
"You definitely know you have been hit," said Steve Haag, spokesman for VirTra. "It has the same power as a stun gun. It knocks you down."
Participants enter a platform that is surrounded by a 360-degree screen. The encompassing screen presents high-definition footage of various situations, such as hostage scenarios, urban combat, and squad attacks on enemy positions.
If a hostile appears and isn't taken down quickly, the simulator delivers an electric shock to the player's hips through the Threat Fire Belt, a harness wired on one end to a trainee, and the other end to a healthy dose of electricity. The 80,000 volt shock can be delivered for a split-second to momentarily deliver the feeling of being shot, or for two and a half seconds, which drops participants like a sack of potatoes, simulating immobilization.
"You have to regain your composure, shake your head, and get back in the fight as your life and your unit's life depends on it," says Saag.
"There is nothing that will compare in any of our simulations today of being actually hit from a threat that I've seen that compares to the threat belt," says Major General Perry Dalby in a VirTra promotional video.
Says the video's narrator: "Trainees report experiencing sweaty palms, nervousness, and butterflies."
In addition to training simulators, VirTra Systems also produces advanced advertising and promotional marketing videos for such clients as General Motors, Pennzoil, and Red Baron Pizza. These videos incorporate 3D technology, as well as utilization of various senses, including touch, sound, motion, and smell.
While the technology is far from being incorporated into commercial use, it is something that could find its way into the future of PC gaming. Just to be sure to watch your head on your way down after being sniped in Unreal Tournament 2012.
Source: Gamespot
A Texas tech company has developed a military simulator that shocks gamers, literally.
The line between game and simulation has blurred, thanks to a boom in technology and a renewed emphasis on realism. As if jumping out of one's chair while playing Doom 3 or Resident Evil 4 weren't scary enough, things are about to get a bit more real--and painful.
Texas-based company VirTra Systems, manufacturer of combat simulators for various military outlets, has added a new feature to its state-of-the-art IVR 4G simulator that delivers an electric shock when a "player" gets shot.
"You definitely know you have been hit," said Steve Haag, spokesman for VirTra. "It has the same power as a stun gun. It knocks you down."
Participants enter a platform that is surrounded by a 360-degree screen. The encompassing screen presents high-definition footage of various situations, such as hostage scenarios, urban combat, and squad attacks on enemy positions.
If a hostile appears and isn't taken down quickly, the simulator delivers an electric shock to the player's hips through the Threat Fire Belt, a harness wired on one end to a trainee, and the other end to a healthy dose of electricity. The 80,000 volt shock can be delivered for a split-second to momentarily deliver the feeling of being shot, or for two and a half seconds, which drops participants like a sack of potatoes, simulating immobilization.
"You have to regain your composure, shake your head, and get back in the fight as your life and your unit's life depends on it," says Saag.
"There is nothing that will compare in any of our simulations today of being actually hit from a threat that I've seen that compares to the threat belt," says Major General Perry Dalby in a VirTra promotional video.
Says the video's narrator: "Trainees report experiencing sweaty palms, nervousness, and butterflies."
In addition to training simulators, VirTra Systems also produces advanced advertising and promotional marketing videos for such clients as General Motors, Pennzoil, and Red Baron Pizza. These videos incorporate 3D technology, as well as utilization of various senses, including touch, sound, motion, and smell.
While the technology is far from being incorporated into commercial use, it is something that could find its way into the future of PC gaming. Just to be sure to watch your head on your way down after being sniped in Unreal Tournament 2012.
Source: Gamespot