This year's CES show, Thursday - Sunday, Jan. 6 - 9, 2005, in Las Vegas, is eagerly expected by many since Microsoft may choose to unveil its XBox Next and XBox Next HD there. This year however, if it is a revolution in gaming and a change in the entire gaming experience you are looking for, maybe you should steer clear of the MS booth and instead, look around for an excited industry professional, looking somewhat out of place surrounded by eager game developers.
You are on your knees in the bushes, your eyes dart around the garden as you look for her; the sweet smell of jasmine is flooding your nostrils, the smell of a summer's night in Morocco. You fire your silenced weapon and the scent of jasmine is immediately replaced by the acrid and strangely familiar stench of gunpowder. You have eliminated the guard, now you can approach your contact. The feeling of the rain on your body invigorates you and the light drizzle helps cover the sounds of your footsteps as you approach. Just as you do however, she is bundled into a dark 4x4 which leaves half its tires on the surface of the road and disappears in a cloud of dark smoke. The only thing your beautiful and elusive contact has left behind is the stench of burning rubber and an agent stranded behind enemy lines.
Can you imagine the scene above as part of a game? One, essential, part of that story would be missing if it were a game. It is a rare occasion when a completely new sense is utilized by game makers but a new device, doing just that will be introduced at CES 2005.
How important is your smell when gaming? How can feeling the rain, the wind or heat and cold enhance the gaming experience? If the above story doesn't convince you that sensing your environment, including its smells, can help immerse you in a game's atmosphere or that smelling your own socks when gaming is not the best way to enjoy the experience we will let the device creator try and do that.
In a worldwide exclusive, MegaGames has put a few questions to Sandeep Jaidka, creator of SAV Products, LLC, the company behind this promising new development.
The Invention
The big challenge for the device and the man behind it, of course, is to convince gamers of the importance of smell in a gaming context. The device, which already has a patent in place in the U.S., is almost ready to roll out since its importance in advertising cannot be disputed. Imagine a coffee ad which allows you to sample the delicate aroma of freshly roasted beans on your way to work, or the ad for the fast food joint which has you salivating all the way to your local outlet.
It is all about getting people to try it claim experts; once they do they will wonder how they did without it for all these years. The importance of smell may be subtle but once experienced it is bound to become a requirement for most gamers.
