Yesterday, I talked about some of the main features that will be rolling out with the first Surface computers this spring. Today, I want to talk about the Surface as a concept and some of the things I was able to demo that I believe will be a huge part of it.
Read yesterday’s article here. Check out the Big Ass Table Parody that started it all, right here.
If you want to see into the future of gaming, check it out after the jump!
One of the applications that I demoed, that i’m sure you’ve seen on other videos promoting the surface was the block puzzle. For those that haven’t seen the video, the puzzle is a basic puzzle of 12 clear plastic squares. When they’re placed on the Surface computer, they reveal a portion of a picture in each block. Not just a static picture, but a pice of an over all demo for Forza 2. So as you turn the block, the video turns.
Pretty nifty really. Also, as you pick up the block, the picture disappears and it’s simply clear. How does it do it? Well, it works just like almost any other object on the Surface. It has a brail like picture of dots that acts as a bar code that tells the computer what piece of the puzzle it is and the computer projects it up into wherever that block is. Simple, right? Yeah, but it’s still pretty cool. Further complecating the puzzle was the fact that the pieces were double sided, meaning that if you flip a block over, the picture would also reverse itself.
So, what does a puzzle have to do with the future of computing. Well, imagine these babys in class rooms. They could be the new black board. You could place clear plastic sheets like your teachers used to do on over head projectors, but instead of using a projector, the Surface computer would simply enhance the small page into something that you could show an entire class. Furthermore, you could manipulate objects on that page to illustrate points or show a film clip or what have you, depending on the type of class you were taking.
What about video games? I’ve been leading up to this. Who doesn’t want to play an RTS on this thing. Well the developers feel the same way. Another interesting concept that they talked about was using the Surface in conjunction with your big screen tv as a kind of giant DS. The surface would handle all of the normal touch screen stuff and the big screen would be where the action would be displayed.
Imagine playing a Call of Duty type game where you’re playing it in first person on your plasma TV and then you look down at your Surface computer. Displayed on the Surface computer is a topographical layout of the battlefield with different options such as an airstrike, or rally point, or whatever you can imagine. This is simply one way in which Microsoft could bring this into the gaming world.
Speaking of games on the Surface Computer, Doc and I did get a chance to demo a game that has never been seen by anyone before. Actually it is the first game developed for the Surface computer. It was a simple game that was meant to display the functionality of the Surface computer as a game platform. It was made by the same team that made Uno for the Xbox 360. As it’s a Sarcastic Gamer Exclusive, I don’t want to spill the beans yet. We’ll have a full video and tons of content on this Sarcastic Gamer Exclusive in the coming weeks. Maybe even next week? Stick around and find out.
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12 responses so far ↓
1 lwelyk // Dec 13, 2007 at 5:14 pm
Sounds awesome, but horribly expensive. : P
2 Dejanus // Dec 13, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I hope thats buisness targeted, looks a bit… big for my computing needs.
3 Gydacghcjhsxxfg // Dec 13, 2007 at 5:59 pm
that was an awesome parody! It made me laugh. Can’t wait to laugh at people who spend 10000 dollars on a “big ass table.”
4 Lono // Dec 13, 2007 at 6:11 pm
It’s totally retail targeted… for now.
5 The Ploogle // Dec 13, 2007 at 6:30 pm
This thing is seriously $10k? Wow. That sounds like a lot for a future gaming machine.
6 Jordan // Dec 13, 2007 at 7:39 pm
it would be cool if u played like this vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ik21W-XKA3k
7 DaDillsta // Dec 13, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Yeah, nice computer but expensive. Do you guys have specs on these as far as graphics-wise? Like what it is all powered by?
8 NoneOfYourBusiness // Dec 14, 2007 at 10:11 am
Is Microsoft pulling a Sony on this thing? Packing it full of features then shipping it at an abnormally high price? If they are going to do the same thing the least they could do is show some modesty and quit playing it up in the console war.
9 Happy Blimp // Dec 14, 2007 at 9:51 pm
Compare this with the last big product Microsoft made.
-Vista costs about $400,
-Surface costs about $10000.
-Vista is so bloated people needed to upgrade their PC’s.
-Surface is so huge people will need to renovate their houses to fit it through the door.
-Vista was supposed to make things simpler by removing options and controls.
-Surface doesn’t even have a freakin’ mouse and keyboard.
Microsoft’s recent track record with vista and its “innovations” has been sketchy at best. The future for surface and its innovation seems bleak
10 Lono // Dec 15, 2007 at 12:16 pm
With surface, your finger will be the mouse. You won’t need a keyboard for most of their apps but they concede that a keyboard is still necessary for some things that they want to do with it in the future.
11 DaDillsta // Dec 15, 2007 at 7:23 pm
So are the specs at least decent for 10,000 I expect a powerhouse,
12 Me2 // Jun 22, 2008 at 8:30 pm
Its not an Iphone its a big ass table…
Take that Aple!
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