10 PEOPLE WHO JUST REALLY LIKE CHOCOLATE, AS FAR AS WE KNOW

I would have said a fair number of those look more like Marmite than chocolate although in this context neither is particularly good.

GAMES OF MY YEARS: DIGITISER

Mr Biffo asked me about something for his site last week (me, blimey - he pays attention at times). So I sent over an email and some example files. Not heard back yet (he says he’s very busy at the moment, and there’s a lot to think about), but I hope I can lend some help of he needs it. I’ll tell you lot more if anything happens.

Got a reply with some more specific questions (as well as a "this looks complicated" comment). Looks like I'll be spending a little time trying to see if I can answer them. An interesting way to start the new year.

http://www.digitiser2000.com/main-page/virtual-reality-im-still-not-convinced-by-mr-biffo

1. You're SO likely to come away with a stonking headache
2. The supposed immersion will be tempered by that controller
3. People couldn't even be arsed with the Wii's motion controls after two days, never mind trying to get them into yet another form of 3D
4. The games would need to be fcuking amazing, initial crap isn't gonna cut it
5. Companies gurn about costs as it is, how will they handle this?

And so on. I'll be astounded if they can find one game that truly flaunts it, never mind a handful to sell it.

I play games sitting down. I have a Sony move thing for my PS3, and after the initial novelty of moving blocks around the screen, and the frankly bizarre experience of using an asthma inhaler in the Heavy Rain demo with it, I put it down and haven't really used it since. This is due to a combination of "this is like hard work", and "there is too much of a disconnect". It's a bit like drawing a picture on a computer using a Wacom tablet - your hand is drawing on a surface that is not the screen, where the drawing is happening.

What I don't get is how, for example, I'd play something like Alien Isolation where you need to be constantly looking behind you, hiding, and so forth. I guess you could move your head a bit, and get the view changing in the goggles, but if you want to turn 180 degrees, you either need to be standing and moving (drawing on paper) or use a controller to run your character around while you sit in a chair (drawing in a graphics tablet disconnect). I guess the games that will really work are those where sitting would be normal - driving, space flight, sitting in a room sims.

I like the idea of VR - kind of presses the same buttons that stereo imaging does, but I think the level of immersion needs to be considered carefully.