Researchers at Birmingham University are creating a device that will allow gamers to smell their games.
While the actual completion of the project may be a long, long way away we do have to admit we're still very excited by the news that a team of researchers is working on a device that will allow gamers to experience the smells of their games.
The project has been launched at Birmingham University and apparently aims to provide users with context-sensitive scents that match up to in-game actions, such as the whiff of gunpowder or the stink of burning alien corpses. Um, yay?
The engineers have, according to
DevelopMag been partially founded by the UK Ministry of Defence, who no doubt have some sinister application of the technology in mind, such as being able to tell when an enemy camp is struck by dysentery. Or, more likely, the device will be used in virtual training exercises.
While there aren't a huge amount of details on the initial work of the research group, it seems like the current design will use a system of scented paraffin waxes to simulate the in-game odours.
So, the question is then, what games would you actually like to smell? The idea of sniffing the smelling salts and ear-bacon in
Psychonauts sounds interesting, but it's games like
Cooking Mama that might really benefit from the system. It would probably be best to steer clear of games like
Doom or
Quake.
Would you be interested in smelling your virtual foes? Let us know in
the forums.
One innovation I'll pass on, thanks. ;)
Left 4 Dead would probably be pretty rank with this gadget.
Well I think, that it has some limitation, otherwise players can be easily sick within a few minutes...
-How's Crysis2 smells??
-Well, mostly it's frosty...
XD
-actually I don't know how it smells. Pc is lagging :(
Id like to try it, especially if it worked, it would add immersion. I would rather have surround gaming via projected holograms though :)
S*D
the thing is the nose is complex and can recognize thousands of different smells, unlike light or sound smells aren't made of simple components but each are an individual unique chemical so it's impossible to make a "smell palette" to mimic many different smells
second creating smells takes chemicals and that means you'll have to refill on the blood n guts stench every time you play resident evil or what not
What's the point? unless it would be cool if you could smell your enemies coming
(48 hour later) .. I can't leave this Freaking jungle it smell so good : congratulation you are now our 17,000,000 member in pay 14.99 $Per month when they will Release World of warcraft : Expansion 4 : Featruing the Exotic Smell of the Jungle and montain if you bough smelling device sold by OCZ & Corsair & Nvidia (Who know)
Then later in such mmo couple will be popular and the female will go go like : honey do you want to come smell the montain of Rose Blossom within a Sunshine in the game Server : we will walk Close to Each other like if it was real life Because it smell like real life lol
But There a missing Hardware Essential to life : touch Sense & sexual Drive Which push us to want to get Laid right after a kiss :D (IF we ever come to such tool that allow to have Sexual stimulation & Touch Stimulation like if you hug PART A : You Fell Like you'r Being hug but it a mechanical Device such as the huge T-shirt that is made that if you do a hug of that you press okay. and the female Fell like a hug Sensation of you just in middle of day at her work when she fell she need one
But i'm really going to be like WTF If they Ever make a Sexual one. in 2040-2050 by then il be old and il be like what the hell is with the new generation ?
That could work in a horror game... You can't hear it, you can't see it. But you can smell it.
For instance, something like CSI. You arrive to investigate a building where everything seems normal but there is a weird smell coming from somewhere, and you have to find "it" by wandering around sniffing. That could just as easily be done with a detector in the game ofc...
Any games like that out btw (excluding condemned)?
then pop out his dvd tray when he leans in front of the computer trying to figure out wtf is going on! :D zzz
I dunno, maybe it would work in gaming.. I can just see this getting abused big time- especially at lans.. stick some code in some guys machine- wait till he's smelling it up and let it rip