Playing games is fun. But one of the biggest problems I've had with games is that sometimes they aren't very immersive. Sometimes, the controls are overwhelming to do with a simple joystick. Sometimes the PC or console I play on is simply too weak to play at the level I'd like. And sometimes I'm restricted by my monitor resolution or number of monitors.

These problems suck, because for gamers like myself, it can make or break a gaming experience. One such example was Metal Gear Solid. For me, it was just incredibly difficult to get into because the control scheme was just too difficult to manage. That, and the fact that every game had a crappy camera until the second installment and I'm not one to pay for the same game twice (it's called firmware updates and proper QA people!).

Screen resolution and the number of monitors is undoubtedly one of the bigger issues, both because it's too stressful to play using more than one monitor at high res on a single machine, but because the human eye doesn't function looking at monitors.

Call it millions of years of evolution or thousands of years of watching for flying rocks, people have peripheral vision that is untapped by gaming. It can be expressed like playing with 2.1 speakers instead of surround. There's a huge spectrum of sound unavailable...it isn't necessary, but it would sure as hell improve the gameplay for people with good hearing, or good peripheral vision in this case.

That's somewhat the idea behind JDome. Use a projector to display an image on a dome-shaped...cloth, and happily use the high resolution and peripheral vision as it was meant to be used. It's currently huge and bulky, and there's only one in existence since they need funding (hint hint), but I honestly can't imagine things like this catching on. I wouldn't mind using it myself, but if it worked, I'd never be able to go back to playing on a monitor again. Some things just aren't worth it. 

JDome