HoloDek Plans Immersive Game Environments

Posted on August 29, 2005

The Boston Globe reports that a company called HoloDek plans to offer immersive gaming environments or what they call "interactive gaming theatres." The company, which is named after virtual simulators found on the Star Trek: The Next Generation, is currently testing the environments.

But in a back room, nearing completion, are two far more immersive gaming environments. One, nicknamed ''half-pipe," features a screen that is 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. The other is a sphere, 20 feet in diameter, that eventually will offer a 360-degree wraparound gaming effect. The gamer sits inside the sphere on a robot that rumbles, banks, and spins out, providing many of the same effects as a flight simulator.

Other companies offer settings where gamers can play together or online. HoloDek adds style to the equation, with plush chairs, subdued lighting, jazz or light rock in the background, and screen savers featuring paintings by such famous artists as Dali, Vermier, and Picasso. But what really has the potential to set HoloDek apart is its ability to offer unique gaming experiences.

The Globe says HoloDek is trying to get funding to build 160 of the interactive gaming theatres over the next five years. HoloDek also wants to place the gaming theatres inside movie theatres. Since many movie theatres already feature arcade games this might be a good mix. Movie theatres are also in search of new revenue streams because ticket sales have been following as more people watch purchased or rented movie at home on large TVs.

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