May 14 2008jDome Gives You 180° View While Gaming
The jDome is the brainchild of John Nilsson and allows a player 180° field of vision. "All you do is put the jDome in front of a projector, mirror the image in the projector, change the Field of View and you're good to go." Simple as that. Nilsson estimates the domes will go for $125-$200 as soon as he procures the necessary fundage to get them made. If you're really interested you can provide a donation at his website or make one yourself out of your little brother's bedsheet and sister's hula-hoops.
UPDATE: No, your audio isn't screwed up, John just has trouble pronouncing the name of his product (0:59).
JDome Gives First-Person Gamers 180-Degree Vision, Gives Me Headaches [gizmodo]
Thanks to Pork Musket, who games the old fashioned way -- with a real gun.
Reader Comments
1. Fred - May 14, 2008 11:58 AM
Last!
2. Momboelitist - May 14, 2008 12:16 PM
Why even use a dome? Why not just use a big arced 16:9 screen? I think that way you'd get less skewing of the picture. Also it would be better served if it were made of plastic to eliminate seeing the assembly.
I'm getting way too serious here! I don't even play video games, it must me the inventor in me.
3. Freddy K - May 14, 2008 12:41 PM
Boy, he sure hit the nail on the head. It is one big ass "gay dome".
okay, I admit it. I want one.
4. Chris - May 14, 2008 12:49 PM
what's a yay-dome?
This fat ass needs to drop the controller and go for a run.... to the dentist
5. poop - May 14, 2008 2:30 PM
chris, don't "fat-bash" you little biatch. i want to punch you in the vagina so bad right now. there must be nothing wrong with your body at the present time eh? if we could see you? you'd be perfect?
...you little liar.
-
6. Erik - May 14, 2008 2:50 PM
Umm, so it basically makes it look like you're playing a game through a fish-eye camera lense.
No thanks!
7. TetterkeT - May 14, 2008 2:52 PM
Yay-dome. This guy really needs a few actors to show some enthusiasm about his product.
8. masterless - May 14, 2008 3:00 PM
As a gamer this product looks promising but unfinished. Add some speakers to it and possibly an enclosure and you may see this in gaming tournaments of the near future.
9. 453 - May 14, 2008 3:51 PM
"mirror the image and change the fov"
cg_fov 150 or something? on what servers can u play with those settings. not even Q3.
10. Amy - May 14, 2008 4:23 PM
Looks absolutely craptastic. I don't wanna have to stand constantly when playing a computer game.
Also it doesn't seem as if he's dealt with the resolution issue of having the images ramped up over such a large surface area. From what I saw, the images looked warped, pixellated and overall sub-par to my 22'' computer monitor. It looks like a blurry, instant-vertigo-inducing device, not a cool gaming accessory.
11. Rincewind - May 14, 2008 5:00 PM
ooo, a gay dome, sounds interesting... so, you mean the JDome will cost $150, the projector or w/e will cost $500?
12. pickle - May 14, 2008 5:22 PM
why do i feel like i just saw a sales pitch from Dracula?
13. tim - May 14, 2008 6:22 PM
I don't think a gay-dome is my thing. Although he sounds like he has had plenty of gay-domes laying around.
14. me - May 15, 2008 6:42 AM
So immersion equals a constant fishlens-effect? I have to remember that...
15. I barfed - May 15, 2008 2:25 PM
I puked just watching that wacky mind f*** device screw with my vision / perception.
No gay dome for me
16. Mike - May 16, 2008 2:46 AM
this is in response to number 2
apples got a concept out like that right now
the iView
http://www.slashgear.com/imac-curve-design-awe-inspiring-design-questions-apples-current-inspirations-2910527.php
17. Nathaniel - May 19, 2008 3:36 PM
you missed SO many good j-date jokes with this one.
18. Paul Bourke - June 2, 2008 7:12 AM
How about the iDome, the "i" probably means it came before the "j"Dome.
http://local.wasp.uwa.edu.au/~pbourke/projection/UnityiDome/
Full 180 degrees without any distortion, still a single projector.
19. Paul Bourke - November 12, 2008 5:56 AM
Or do it for real without any visual distortion, see
http://local.wasp.uwa.edu.au/~pbourke/miscellaneous/domemirror/iDome_544x306.mov