In 1997, Nintendo looked at Starfox 64 and said: “Let there be rumble!” (and then possibly “Do a barrel roll!”). Thirteen years later, Canadian manufacturers D-Box looked at the humble cinema seat and thought much the same thing. British newspaper The Independent are reporting that the company is set to roll out their ‘motion effects’ chairs in time for the release of Tron Legacy and Green Hornet, fitting the technology into a whopping 41 venues in the US and Japan, with further orders to be fulfilled across the world.
According to the article: “Motion effects technology creates a real-time experience with the physical effects of a film’s action synchronized with the screen. It can further enhance 3D.” The more pressing issue, surely, is how many more gimmicks we’re going to have to put up with invading the cinema experience, which in this writer’s humble opinion was as perfect as could be without garish 3D or rumbling chairs to shake popcorn all over your lap and probably send a few grannies into cardiac arrest from the shock. I don’t see this taking off in a big way – there are plenty of people who, like me, are still far from…
In 1997, Nintendo looked at Starfox 64 and said: "Let there be rumble!" (and then possibly "Do a barrel roll!"). Thirteen years later, Canadian manufacturers D-Box looked at the humble cinema seat and thought much the same thing. British newspaper The Independent are reporting that the company is set to roll out their 'motion effects' chairs in time for the release of Tron Legacy and Green Hornet, fitting the technology into a whopping 41 venues in the US and Japan, with further orders to be fulfilled across the world.
According to the article: "Motion effects technology creates a real-time experience with the physical effects of a film's action synchronized with the screen. It can further enhance 3D." The more pressing issue, surely, is how many more gimmicks we're going to have to put up with invading the cinema experience, which in this writer's humble opinion was as perfect as could be without garish 3D or rumbling chairs to shake popcorn all over your lap and probably send a few grannies into cardiac arrest from the shock. I don't see this taking off in a big way – there are plenty of people who, like me, are still far from convinced that 3D has anything to offer – but is a good starting point for a discussion about whether the cinema needs any such 'improvements' to draw punters in, or whether tinkering with the experience that has been enthralling audiences for over a century is just messing up a winning formula.
[via The Independent]
