Yanko Design » Games

Playstation 4 Clear

Chris Burns — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:01:22 +0000

Forget all your Playstation 3s. Forget your Playstation 3 thin models with multiple lovely colors, forget even the earlier design by this same designer, Tai Chiem, that PSP 2 concept he whipped up last year, no! Check this thang out. It’s the Playstation 4. Tai Chiem’s Playstation 4 concept: that’s how you know it’s wild. And with clear material and minimalistic aesthetics in play, you’ve got one Tai-tastic amalgamation, to be sure.

BONUS: that other spaceshippy looking thing is his “xbox 720.” Lollers! I’m reminded of the comic on Penny Arcade where they first talk about the xbox controller being harder to hold than a grizzly bear. It’s HUGE!

SO! PS4! What’ve we got here? Bluetooth integration, plastic/glass backs and middles. LCD screen(s) on both the controller and the system itself. The same classic aesthetic bone structure for the controller that PS has always had. The same ability to turn the system on it’s side (I always thought that was a super-simple super-genius feature of the PS series.) And the continuation of the standard “CD” disk size for games.

I’m hoping for the games to come in cube form, allowing you to just scan the cube for a new game. How cool would that be? Totally cool.

Designer: Tai Chiem

Note: This post is also posted quite nicely on Design Year Book by Borabora!

New Kinda Treasure Hunt

Radhika Seth — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:37:29 +0000

One of my favorite games at a kiddies Birthday Party used to be Treasure Hunt. The charm of such traditional games has been lost, ever since gaming consoles have come on the scene. So it’s nice to see that the love for such games rekindled albeit in a techno avatar as the EMIL Experience Outdoors. This hand-held console is like a GPS compass that allows you to form and execute treasure hunts, biking routes and expeditions, Hunting Mr. X in the field and Scouts Games. It can also come in handy to polish your Navigational Skills. Super!

Designer: Andrea Schoellgen

Nintendo Probably Wants This

Long Tran — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:45:58 +0000

AFGT is a gaming device that uses tactility to enhance the video gaming experience. It’s made up of touch-sensitive silicon – subtly mimics the terrain in a virtual world allowing the user to feel through the environment. It works with individual silicon air pockets laid out underneath, each connected to an air pressure actuator that changes the air pressure in each packet. AFGT was created to connect the gamer to the game on a sensory level, with actions such as navigation achieved through manipulating the positions of the silicon pockets.

Designer: Yee Von

Sony PSi aka Playstation Interactive

Long Tran — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:36:54 +0000

Sony unveiled their motion control intentions at this year’s E3 game expo so designer Anh Nguyen must be riding the same wavelength because his PSi concept also features wand-like motion controllers. The console leaves a little something to be desired but the wands are very interesting. You can stack the wands for various games like tug-o-war or add weights if you insist on the video game fitness craze going on right now. If Anh wants to really impress, he better come up with renders showing the wands as light sabers and disrupters. PEW PEW!

Designer: Anh Nguyen

Tactile Flash Cards for the Blind

Chris Burns — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 07:01:54 +0000

Rhea Jeong, YoungSoo Hong, Sun Min Lee and Sae Hee Lee of Samsung Design Membership have it all figured out. Surely by now the schools for the blind have their lessons and so forth figured out by now, right? I mean, we’ve been teaching sight-impared folks for generations, right? There is ALWAYS room for improvement, everyone, and here is a big step!

Flash cards. I dreaded them when I was learning my multiplication tables. But they were helpful. And they remain helpful to millions of students around the world today. Students with sight!

The Hello Haptic set of flash cards works with Braille text and other tactile elements from environments the student might not otherwise have access to. The urge to learn is there! But as a blind person who must learn primarily through touch, the need is not fulfilled as often as it is with a person who can see.

In come the flashcards.

Learned become the students.

I was informed to mention the university these fine designers have attended. This is a great practice, carrying one’s university around, as it not only benefits you to have a good name under your belt, but as you grow, the university profits as well! And that’s your lesson from your Jedi Master Chris Burns today.

Rhea / Young Soo > Hongik University
Sunmin > Ewha Women’s University
Sae Hee > Hanyang University

And the world is again at peace.

Designer: Rhea Jeong, YoungSoo Hong, Sun Min Lee and Sae Hee Lee of Samsung Design Membership

Watergate – No Scandal!

Chris Burns — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:01:28 +0000

On second thought, who’d love to get sprayed by malfunction? On the other hand again, getting hit by a malfunctioning water gate will always be less painful than a turnstile-gone-wild. What we’ve got here is a genuine gate made of water. Jets of water blocking unwelcome parties, access granted by entry card. Fabulously wet!

The idea for this project and design came after a long day at the fairground, where turnstile after turnstile brought on the wish for an updated solution to low-security gatekeeping.

Water is only a psychological barrier. Fleeing, panicking persons can escape through the gate without being hindered by any rigid media.

In addition, such a gate is accessible by any number of people, including those in wheelchairs, those on bicycles, and those who’ve got animal pals (I’m talkin about seeing-eye-dogs and so forth).

I get wet!

Designer: Michael Tatschl, Sascha Mikel, and Martin Schnabl

Back to the Table II

Chris Burns — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:01:08 +0000

So you know that one movie where the fruit stand comes down from the ceiling? That was neat. Here’s a whole table that does that! It’s the interactive type, all the most excellent things you’d want in a table, recipes, morning calendars, and games. It’s made for meals and parties, and sometimes for along times in the morning. And for easy cleaning! So simple in future land!

Check out the most amazing details on this table of the gods made by Guopeng Liang – it’s called “Levi.table” and the power cord is totally in the wires!

The only thing I need on this is pong. And galactica, and pacman. Or Miss Pacman.

Designer: Guopeng Liang

Overhead Gaming Revolution

Chris Burns — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:01:26 +0000

Whoa a revolution! Total revolution. For people who bring their giant computers all to one spot and give the party that ensues a name: LAN. Local Area Networks with 1,000 cables no more! Here it is in one machine. Each console can handle up to 16 players. This machine, the “Iris,” is a computer, router, switch, and projector. And! And! And! it costs around the price of a single home computer. Now with updates from the man himself!

There’s a main hub which is the computer and the charging station for the projector. The projector is able to project to 4 screens simultaneously. It sticks to basically any surface using an “advanced gecko dry adhesive material” just like spiderman probably. The controllers for the system are gloves. These glovely controllers use accelerometers in the tips of the fingers and a gyroscope at the back of the hand to calculate the position of the gloves in relation to one another and to the screen.

It’s just like those gloves they used to have for the “virtual reality” games they’d have at the state fair! Those were terrible. These seem better, somehow.

The materials are: Body: Anodized White Aluminum (Polished and Anodized on top, brushed and anodized on bottom), Pod Glass: Water-white, low iron, ultra clear glass, anti-glare and anti-reflective coating on both sides, Trim/Grip/Top Button Pad: Heat resistant silicone rubber (clear next to pad – for light to show through, gray otherwise).

I shall suggest interchangeable controller systems right this moment. It was fantastic to see the multiple functionalities of the Nintendo Wii controller, I wonder how the gloves might hold up against it. The downfall of the VR system gloves of the past were the fact that when you swiped a sword or pressed a trigger, your finger, of course, felt no pressure, thus a strange situation for you the gamer.

Also how will I play Tony Hawk without directional buttons?! Oh my goodness this needs to be rectified instantly.

Updates from David Jones:

1. The projection pod has 4 separate projectors inside of it. Each of them projecting a separate image, each in 4 directions, giving you a a total of 4 separate and unique images being projected.

2. ‘Gecko dry adhesive’ is a real synthetic material that has been developed by chemist researchers in collaboration with robotics researchers at Berkley.
Here is the material:
[youtube link]
Here is how it was developed (its toward the end of the video):
[youtube link]

3. Lastly, that these glove controllers will have input AND an output so that there would be tactile feel to the gloves when used as a sword or a gun you get the feeling along with the visuals.

Hott.

Designer: David Jones

Surreal Becomes Real With Toys And AR

Radhika Seth — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:10:51 +0000

Kid = Never ending Demand For NEW Toys! This equation holds true in all homes, however designer Frantz Lasorne has an excellent project for us that gives a second lease of life to the existing toy collection. Called Augmented Reality, the project combines the joys of virtual reality, imagination and tangible toys. Using Augmented Reality Tangible User Interface (AR TUI) via head-mounted glasses, loads of imagination and old toys, a new environment is created that allows a child to live his fantasies.

In this surreal situation, a child gets to use his old toys as weapons or tools in a fantasy virtual world where his is the superhero and superpower. The AR TUI allows for the concept to push forth the virtual parameters commonly used in video games like power, life, magic, experience, attack, weapons etc. The objective of this project is to create an imaginative and engrossing environment while still creating value for old discarded toys. Its kinda like tabletop war-game and a strategy video game coming together.

Frantz describes the game play as follows:

- Each player is equipped with a toy standing on a base and Augmented Reality glasses (Head mounted display).
- Before the game begins, players can equip their respective toy with different capacities (health, shield, camouflage, weapons) on a limited number.
- Then, players can prepare together the battlefield (game space) with real objects.
- Both players start on both sides of the battlefield and the party can now begin.
- The game is turn-based, players play successively in a limited time.
- They can alternately move, attack, heal, use stealth, protect themselves with shields, switch weapons etc.
- Each weapon has a specific range of distance and a special power.
- Real obstacles can obstruct the field of vision allowing players to hide themselves.
- The goal is to kill his opponent by strategically using all possibilities of game.

Designer: Frantz Lasorne

An Unhealthy Bond With An Xbox (future!)

Long Tran — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 19:10:02 +0000

Once upon a time the complete technological infancy of our game consoles made starting, playing and maintaining a video game a ritualistic feat. Who doesn’t remember inserting, reinserting and if that don’t work, blowing the cartridge before inserting a game? Yes I’m spoiled cuz all I have to do is press the start button on my wireless controller but the Xbox Portal eschews all that in the name on “bonding.” Sounds dirty don’t it?

To insatiate the younglings used to touch interfaces and wireless controls – the entire orb is touch sensitive. Nevermind the gratuitous logo because it’s functional; it glows (natch!). There’s still an optical disk tray for nostalgic purposes and you may even have to blow into it to get things started. How vintage! Each gamer has his/her own way of jostling a console to work. Some get rough with it, some talk to it in a baby voice, and some get outright violent thereby forging a bond with your Xbox Portal. Can we say red rings for days?

Designer: Taylor Phillips-Hungerford