We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us - Winston Churchill
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Enter the Z-Dome
IMAGINE STEPPING UP to an eight-foot tall spherical projection screen to find movies and games shown 180 degrees around you.
Welcome to the Z-Dome, an "immersive simulator" from Eurotouch Interactive and by far the most unique set up on the E For All show floor.
The one pictured here is screening a trailer for Halo 3, with the slack-jawed viewer standing in front of it. Touch-screen controls are located at the bottom, speakers are mounted in the base and the projector is behind it.
The magic is in the software – it takes any PC input and pre-warps it to suit a rounded surface. With a little calibration, you can make the image perfectly straight. Even without being fully calibrated, the Halo clip still looked very good – and even better when it was.
With a proper speaker setup and the right game, this could be a lot of fun. Toss in one of these, 5.1 speakers and a good driving simulator and you have a killer gaming rig.
If you haven't guessed, this product doesn't carry a very consumer-friendly price tag – but even so, it's surprisingly reasonable.
If you live in the US mainland, Eurotouch will deliver one to your door along with a friendly technician to set it up for about $19,000.
This includes the screen, projector, shipping and hand-holding. µ
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Great comic on exactly this sort of screen from back in 2001:
http://www.inktank.com/AT/index.cfm?nav=266
"As a gamer, I believe I have found gaming nirvana. But as a programmer, I have a natural fear of the possibility of a blue screen of death that is physically bigger than me."
That's at least $15,000 too much.
Other than true 3D this type of immersive 180 is the best. Long live Z-Dome!!
Can they add 3D??