Handheld gaming consoles are rocking the market again, in no small part thanks to the success of the Nintendo Switch nearly eight years ago. But for all the technological marvels these powerful computers bring today, they’re really just rehashing time-tested formulas, at least when it comes to the way we see and interact with games. Just like with much of computing, we’re simply seeing images rendered on a flat screen rather than the way we naturally see and interact with the world in three dimensions. Mixed reality and spatial computing are trying to challenge the status quote when it comes to typical computing scenarios, while this concept for a unique kind of console proposes a literally different perspective when it comes to the video games we play.
Designers: Tatsuya Kato, Shion Ito, Toshikatsu Nakamura, Toshiki Sato
Uplight definitely looks like no other gaming console, not just because of the different controller configuration but primarily for the lack of a screen. The design concept flips the convention of game design, with the experience being designed to conform to the unique traits of the console rather than the other way around. In this case, the unique characteristic is a projector hidden in the base of the console that displays the game on three-dimensional acrylic screens that can take on different object shapes specific to the nature of the game.
Think about those 3D puzzle games that require you to rotate a cube around to see it from different sides to solve the puzzle, except that cube is a literal and physical cube existing in the real world. This cube, made from translucent acrylic, is mounted on top of the Uplight console and displays the game projected into it. Players can use the console’s unusual controls to move the displayed image around or, better yet, use their own hands to actually turn the cube.
The 3D acrylic screen can be any shape, in theory, depending on the game experience being designed. It could, for example, be a giant translucent jellyfish for an aquatic adventure game, or even a tree branch for a game related to planting or vegetation. The possibilities are nearly endless, limited only by the angle that the integrated projector can reach and, of course, the size of the console.
That said, such a unique system will require games specifically designed for it, which also means designing new experiences that involve three-dimensional thinking as well as direct tactile interaction. Very few of today’s games have that, which will definitely challenge the creativity and ingenuity of game designers should Uplight ever become an actual commercial product.