What is amBX ??? Feature

With Phillips Electronics looking to release their first amBX system this autumn, a number of videogame developers are dropping their cynicism and looking more positively at incorporating the new technology into their titles.

The first game, Broken Sword: The Angel of Death, from THQ and Revolution Software will be the launch title to show off the way amBX can intensify and add new sensations to a gaming experience. Sumo Digital will also utilize and incorporate amBX in their future titles, and more developers are sure to follow suit.

amBX blends a scripting language, software engine and architecture, and has been designed to deliver an all-new player experience through enabled devices such as LED colour-controlled lights, active furniture, fans, heaters, audio and video, and will present gamers with a heightened sense of . Offering a full sensory surround experience where enabled games will provide gaming developers the ability to use light, colour, sound, heat and even airflow in the real world during gameplay, its potential is very interesting.

TVG spoke with David Eves, Chief Technology Officer & Founder, Philips amBX, to get a broader picture on this concept and to see whether it is just another well thought out idea but with no real future or outlet.

In theory amBX sounds a great idea but when you start to break it down into individual components it then begins to become very complicated. Firstly, what kind of basic model have Philips already got up and running and was their any initial concept that started the process?

The amBX concept grew in our Research laboratory here at Redhill as part of a wider programme on 'Ambient Intelligence'. The germ of the idea was to provide a high-level language for describing entertainment experiences that went beyond the limits of the screen out into the room around you. Our challenge was two-fold, to create an expressive language for use by creative teams to describe the users experience, alongside technology to deliver that into anyone's living room without the need for complex systems or intrusive installation.

We believe that after four years research and development we can provide a solution that is simple and practical for both the end user and the manufacturers of amBX enabled products. This straightforward approach will open up a whole new range of applications and products in the gaming market and beyond.

In a way the closest we have come to a "deeper" gaming experience was the flawed attempt at Virtual Reality; so how do you feel your ideas differ or extends beyond this?

The fundamental difference between VR and amBX is that we seek to extend the experience into the real world, not to transport you deeper into a virtual environment. We believe this is an alternative but equally effective way to increase your immersion with your entertainment experience.

A major advantage to taking our approach is that you remain grounded in reality, which helps keep you safe and aware of your surroundings. We enhance devices that you will probably already have around you, lights, fans etc and provide a high level of control and personal customization over the way reality is enhanced.

"...we see the potential for the next generation platforms and intend to bring amBX to console gaming as soon as we can"

Light, sound, smell and movements have been tried by a number of peripheral products in the past and even filmmakers have turned cinemas into a more immersive setting, but it has largely been a gimmicky novelty. What makes you feel the time is now right and is it more about getting developers onboard rather than gaining real interest and feedback from gamers?

The many repeated attempts suggest that this is an engaging proposition, but it has often foundered on the cost and complexity of providing such systems, each having to be tailored to particular content or locations. This is the major challenge that we took on and believe that we have solved. By abstracting the experience description from the devices that deliver it to the end user through the software we have developed, we have created a hugely flexible and modular solution. It frees both game developers and peripheral manufacturers to explore a range of products which would have been costly and complex to previously develop.

Cost is one word that keeps cropping up. Would costs ever be low enough for some of the most basic of ideas to come to fruition for mainstream appeal?

By creating a common standard for experience creation we actually take much of the risk and complexity out of developing these products. Along with technology developments in lighting and connectivity this means that amBX products will be available at realistic gaming price points. Some gamers may choose to invest in extremely immersive systems involving large numbers of active devices but anyone will be able to buy amBX starter kits and start to enhance their gaming experience. Final decisions on product packages will be made by our hardware partners and announced later this year.

What do you foresee as the first basic steps/hardware that could start the momentum building and will it be a slow process?

At first amBX will be available as a part of a number of selected games titles from our key development partners, at the same time the first range of peripheral devices will be launched. These key games will be accompanied by a number of added-value applications that will mean that your amBX kit will also work when playing music, browsing the web or even for controllable mood setting.

From launch we will continue to work with content and hardware specialists to rapidly grow the amBX enabled product portfolio and to expand the application areas beyond gaming, for example with movie tracks and music downloads.

The impression we have from consumer trials is that there is a real appetite for this; we will try to satisfy that appetite as quickly as we can by enabling further platforms and working with new partners.

What has the feedback from games publishers and developers been like so far and how much of an added burden is placed on game developers schedules?

There is a real buzz amongst game publishers and developers about this technology. We have chosen a number of key partners with whom we are developing the first enabled titles. We are still keen to add further to the launch portfolio and continue to talk to many interested parties.

Licensees of amBX receive a high level of support, both technically and in marketing and communication. amBX enabling a game is quite a straightforward process and we are able to work with the developers to minimise the impact on their schedules and get the best out of the new technology.

Do you see any of the current crop of next-gen consoles that could work well with amBX or is the PC the main focus?

We have chosen to launch amBX on the PC as this provides the broadest base platform for a range of amBX applications. However, we see the potential for the next generation platforms and intend to bring amBX to console gaming as soon as we can.

Beyond that we also will develop amBX for a wider set of platforms, supporting Home Theatre and atmosphere lighting systems for example.

"Creation of smell - and possibly more importantly how to get rid of it afterwards has been a challenge for many groups over recent years"

The use of specially created backdrop light is only a fraction of giving a sense of fuller ambience to a game; can you give our readers some examples of the effectiveness of using specially created amBX light and would this also not depend on the light within the room. What effect do you hope to create?

Ambient lighting is indeed only a part of what amBX will provide, the language allows peripheral manufactures to create all manner of experiences which are likely to include air movement, temperature change, rumble effects, animatronic characters and information displays. Lighting is hugely powerful; in a similar way to sound it can be used to increase the richness of many aspects of dramatic content. So for example as well as reproducing the direct ambience of a space or rendering an explosion it can be used to convey mood, give an impression of temperature change or create menacing shadows.

In the same way that surround sound brought a new set of creative tools to the entertainment industry, amBX will provide a further palette of effects which we have now put in the hands of game designers - we are as excited as anyone to see what they can do with it.

Smell is a very interesting addition in relation to a videogame. What are some of the concepts you're envisioning with regards to this; do you feel it can ever be more than just a novelty and who will pick up the costs of adding features to this to game development?

Creation of smell - and possibly more importantly how to get rid of it afterwards has been a challenge for many groups over recent years. amBX is an enabling technology and as such we are not working on specific devices, we work with third parties on these. As yet no technology solution has broken through but we hope that amBX might make this easier for someone. With the abstraction of amBX the 'smell device' manufacturers will no longer require specific content to be tailored to their systems. Perhaps before long the smell of a rocket explosion behind your head will add further realism to an amBX fire-fight. It's certainly something we'd be keen to try and we'd be very interested to work with anyone who thinks they can make this a reality.

As for cost, amBX itself should not add significantly to the development or publishing cost of a game. An amBX enabled game provides an opportunity for any hardware manufacturer to provide peripherals that contribute to the experience of that game - smell devices included. In the end they will make a decision about the viability and market opportunity around these devices, we hope that amBX will encourage innovation and diversity in this market but we can't of course guarantee success of any particular peripheral product offered.

Many thanks...

It's easy to be sceptical of Philips amBX experiment into improving a gaming experience through the use of ambient effects; you only need to recall the failed attempts such as "Smell-o-Vision" in cinemas and to some extent Virtual Reality to understand the struggles in front of them - you have to ask who even wants the distraction of lights flashing and wind blowing whilst you're fervently dishing it out on Halo 2?

However, Philips amBX do appear to have attracted the attention of game developers, with the technology making its debut in Revolution Software's forthcoming Broken Sword: The Angel of Death, amidst rumours that "Battlefield Winds" will be incorporated into Chris Taylor's Supreme Commander. Philips amBX are continuously adding to the specification; but, ultimately the success of amBX will come down to the price-factor and the ability to move outside of the gadget-freak's bedroom, an area that still remains uncertain at this stage.