By Charly SHELTON

E3, the Electronic Entertainment Expo, has come and gone and this year had many of the biggest names in games lined up to show off their wares: “Destiny 2,” “Call of Duty: WWII,” “Far Cry 5,” “Assassins Creed Origins,” “Super Mario Odyssey,” “Sonic Mania,” “Metal Gear Survive” and more. There were also some names presenting that may not be readily associated with new video games – “South Park” and its new game “The Fractured But Whole,” “Crash Bandicoot,” whose original trilogy got a remaster nearly 20 years after its initial release, “The Powerpuff Girls” coming to video games in Lego Dimensions, and even “having a moment right now” popular comic character Spider-Gwen who joins “Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2.” There was a little something for everyone at E3.

Personally, when attending I like to stick to the fringes and see the booths from small developers and tech companies that aren’t going to get big coverage. There were hundreds of websites detailing every aspect of the “Destiny 2” demo at the convention, but not nearly as many were talking about the new interactive camera array technology that creates a digital model of a hand and by using wind effects can simulate touch.

Ultrahaptics has developed this new technology that can change the way games are played within a few years time. The cameras pick up on players’ hands and map the hand onto a model of a digital hand, allowing players to interact with objects in the digital world they created. And just as the player can reach into the digital world, it can reach back with fine air jets embedded within the array. So if there is a force field, the array shoots a single row of air jets to feel like a delicate wall of sensation, letting the player feel what is in that digital world.

Another cool technology brought out was the Whirlwind VR. It is a little fan that hooks into a home theater experience, computer, video game console – whatever a player wants – and simulates the onscreen effects of wind, heat and cold. So if you’re watching “Empire Strikes Back,” you’ll feel the chill of the wind blowing through the ice caves of Hoth, or if playing “Assassins Creed Origins,” the hot, dry winds of Ancient Egypt will feel as if they are rushing by as the players slide down the side of a pyramid. It can adapt in real time through color sampling the video feed to analyze what the response should be. In short, it watches the movie/game/TV with you and creates what you’re seeing to make you feel like you’re part of that world.

Between the hot new games and the cool tech, I’m going to feel it hit me in the wallet in the coming year’s releases.

We hope to have reviews and more of some upcoming games and technologies in the coming weeks, so check back with CV Weekly to see what’s new.

  Charly Shelton