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E3 2006

: CNET editors bring you the latest from E3 2006

Freaky fun with virtual reality

Posted by: Will Greenwald
Wed May 10 11:11:00 PDT 2006

Bodypad
Knee pads and elbow pads--now available for video games.
[+] Enlarge photo
VR still hasn't gone mainstream, but certain companies are certainly trying their hardest. eMagin's Z800 3DVisor gives gamers their own Lawnmower Man-esque head-mounted display, with twin OLED displays and a gyroscopic system that essentially turns the player's head into a giant mouse. Look up and the game aims up, look down and it aims down, make like Linda Blair in The Exorcist and you do a 360-degree spin. Trimersion takes it a step further, connecting a funky, oversize gun controller to its LCD headset so that you can pull an actual trigger while fragging your foes.

If that's just not immersive enough, the Bodypad lets you punch and kick through all your favorite fighting games, or any Xbox or PS2 game. It might bring back not-so-fond memories of the Sega Interactor, but the Bodypad seems to work; it maps out buttons to different sensors on the hands, elbows, and knees. Once you've configured the buttons just right, you can fight to control your favorite fighters. Unless you like playing Eddie/Tiger from Tekken 3--no human being can move like him.

The eMagin Z800 3DVisor is available now with an estimated retail price of $549. The Trimersion system will be available after E3 with a listed price of $595. The Bodypad will be available later this year, though pricing is unknown.

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