Jeremy Toeman’s LIVEdigitally

I was playing Call of Duty 4 (COD4) last weekend during my post-CES recovery time, aka 12 hours of Xbox intermixed with buffalo wings and an hour of hockey. When I first went online to play, I pretty well expected to get a whuppin’, and a whuppin’ I received. That evening I played with my 12-year-old cousin in Montreal 1v1, and he steadily handed my ass to me over and over again. I think Xbox Live needs a “Seniors League” for people over 30.

First, the league would allow you to opt-out, so for the hardcore gamers, you can go play with whomever you like. But for the rest of us, I think it’d be a very good system. It would allow me to stop listening to the utter depravity that occurs in the chatroom (more foul, disgusting, racy language I have never heard in such a short time). Actually, on that topic for a second, parents - hello, your teenage children need some attention and by attention I don’t just mean warm hugs and telling them how they’re so great all the time.

More importantly, it might give me a way to play the game with the other stumbling buffoons like me. Those of us who are pleasantly surprised when we actually get a good shot off or two, where a dominating streak is defined as two consecutive kills, and where we don’t spend half the game looking at the Xbox controller wondering just how on Earth that guy did that!?!?!

The one game that probably doesn’t need the Seniors League is Rock Band, whose online multiplayer is about the coolest thing I’ve seen. It’s the only game I’m aware of that has no competition, nothing but fun/pride. And let me tell you, when four people are playing together, and really “jamming” (real musicians: don’t hate us, we’re just having fun), it’s a good time. Hitting star power on a song together? Priceless.

If the Senior League is too much to figure out, how about just a Rookie Zone, which works on a game-by-game basis? After anyone reaches a certain score and/or hours playing, they get bumped into the regular area. If you need an incentive, I’m pretty confident that you’d sell more games. Huh? Listening now, I see? Well, go ask your prime gamer demographic (oh wait, that’s me!) about their Xbox Live experiences. Probably a lot of frustration across the board. As a terrible player, playing online is often too annoying, rarely as fun as it should be. More fun = more Xbox Live time = more Xbox time = more interest in new games = more money for MSFT.

Oh, and to the jerk who marked me as ‘unsportsmanlike’ I’m gonna guess this refers to my frequent accidental grenading of my own teammates. Maybe if you spent more time playing as a team and helping us old fogies out, we’d play better and stop doing it. I’m just too terrible to even play unsportsmanlike! You’ll understand in 20 years, kid.

I’ve seen lots of Top 10 lists on the subject, and I’ve decided to try a different format for my own prognostications. Instead of by rank, I’ll do a list by industry.  Also, I have way more than 10 predictions to make.

TV Technology

• Every major cable company will increase it’s rates by more than 3%. Nobody will complain, and our government will (again) fail to protect us from them.
• A resolution above 1080p starts appearing in demos and labs, I’d predict a bump up into the 4000 vertical lines space.
• Bluray and HD-DVD continue to duke it out while consumers continue to not care.
• One of Hulu, Joost, etc get integrated into the Xbox 360 and/or PS3.
• Google launches “Android for Set-Top Boxes” but gains little traction in the foreseeable future.
• Anyone who is not a telephone company that tries to launch an IP-streaming set top device has a very rough year.
• Despite near-constant predictions of their demise, TiVo makes it through another year, possibly getting acquired (by DirecTV, Comcast, Netflix, Blockbuster, or someone out of the blue like Amazon or eBay).

Portable Devices That Are Not Cell Phones

• Zune 3.0 launches. It’s very very good. Further, iPod’s market share dips, although they still have an increase in overall unit sales (in other words: the pie gets bigger faster than their sales do). That said, a new iPod is even more betterer than all previous versions, making everyone who recently bought a prior generation a wee bit annoyed, but gosh that Steve Jobs is so charming they just don’t care. After all, that’s technology!
• At least two major camera vendors introduce integrated wifi cameras, but no more than one uses an open service, the rest have some proprietary, closed, annoying-to-use system. Ideally one of them buys Eye-fi.
• Digital picture frames continue to grow in market share, but still don’t “tip” into the mainstream.
• More companies introduce e-book readers despite general malaise in the category. Kindle II is launched with mild improvements.

Enterprise Services

• I have no clue, I don’t follow the space. Hello, this is a consumer tech blog!

Computers

• Apple’s new laptops will include an ultramobile, a tablet, and a “desktop replacement” OR a “gaming model” (they may combine the first two). Enhancements will include a card reader, 3G access as a built-in option, and new gestures. Market share continues to climb.
• Microsoft continues to spin about how amazing Vista is. Michael Gartenberg’s observations are probably the most poignant as to why it isn’t.
• Asus or Dell acquires or merges with one of HP, Acer, Toshiba, or other “meh” PC maker.
• Sony continues to make subpar Vaio laptops. And for the last time (I think) in 2007: don’t buy the Sony Vaio VGN-SZ4xx series laptops, they are just plain terrible. I’ve now had the chance to voice my discontent directly to the Vaio PR team (at Ruder Finn) who have yet to write me back on the topic.
• Nobody makes my awesome dual-screen laptop concept, thus leaving me the opportunity to make zillions one day.

Social Networking

• Facebook continues to get backlash from the media and tech community, meanwhile its user base continues to skyrocket. Further, they hire another 1000 people, yet only make modest improvements to the site itself. I’d add a 33% chance that they “pull a Netscape” and go after the desktop or the browser or some other place they really don’t belong.
• Randomly pick some names from the huge list of other social networking sites and some of them merge.
• Adults who didn’t grow up with social networking services experience burnout of being bitten by zombies after a few months, and many stop checking in four times per day. Those who went to school during the Facebook era continue to complain about all the old fogies (like me) polluting their sacred resting ground. They also continue to put radically inappropriate pictures of themselves online, blissfully unaware of the interviewing process.

Mobile Tech

• A few Android-powered phones ship, but not as many as the tech community would like to see. Again showing why the Razr can utterly dominate the market despite a closed architecture and terrible user interface.
• Apple launches the iPhone 3G, the iPhone nano, and the iPhonePro. Ok, I’m not 100% sure on the third, but I am betting on the first two. Also, one of these new phones comes unlocked OR on a carrier other than AT&T.
• Some major lawsuit occurs between a carrier and either a cable company or a broadcaster, all about mobile video rights. All parties involved appear as nothing but greedy to outsiders.
• Something new comes out in the phone space that’s more astounding than the iPhone. It’s possibly: uber-small, has a radically better battery life, does something funky like synchs with the Wii, or works with all US carriers.

Gaming

• With lots of stealth, a new console comes to market. It might only be a moderate shift from a prior model, or possibly be a whole new entrant.
• Rock Band 2 and 3, and Guitar Heros 4, 5, 6, and “Eddie Van Halen” editions come out, however nobody licenses the Harmonix engine to make “Jazz Trio”.
• Someone comes up with a really impressively new concept for the Wii. Good odds, however, that they wrap it inside a crappy game.
• More really amazing HD gaming occurs, continuing to drive HD adoption faster than the meager channels the cable companies try to placate us with, despite the fact that they raise prices again. Did I already say that?

Web Services/Misc

• A wide swath of “Web 2.0″ companies will go dark, primarily out of an inability to either figure out a business model for their product, or an inability to successfully market their service outside of the Bay Area.  They will quickly be forgotten and replaced by new ones with even goofier sounding names like Froobooloo.com.
• No major Wimax deployments occur.
• The digital transition date looms, starts creating a lot of media hype a la Year2000 mania.
• RFID continues to be a fun topic for the media, but all that happens is Walmart continues to make small vendors spend loads of money for the privelege of selling there.
• Bloggers fret about not being recognized as “press”, yet continue to spend too much time/energy gossiping about other bloggers, an activity the general public remains disinterested in and doesn’t give extra respect/credibility for.  This circular logic is baffling, I know.
• We lose even more rights to big media, because few Americans are willing to take even the tiniest steps to do anything about it.  PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG (start here)!
• I still don’t Twitter.

See you in 366 days to see how I scored!

I totally love Rock Band. It’s awesome. My wife plays. My friends play. It’s crazy addictive. Gameplay is good, fun to play, etc etc. I got to play a sneak preview several months back, and it’s the only game I’ve ever pre-ordered for my Xbox 360 (for those curious, the last time I pre-ordered a game it was Ultima VI for my Commodore 64). So I like it. But as with all things I like, I have gripes.

First up, I am already a little tired of the songs available. Too much hard rock, not enough “fun” songs. I understand the game is called Rock Band, and I know that the kids today like the louder music. But it could use some more lite rock. It could use some ballads. It could use some more classic rock. Here’s some songs I’d love to get/download (incidentally, I am not trying to impress anyone with my music tastes. Don’t like? Don’t care. I do, and it’s my blog):

• anything by the Beatles or U2
• The Doors “Break on Through” (or for creepy factor, “The End”)
• Don Maclean’s “American Pie”
• Green Day’s “Time of Your Life”
• Dave Matthews Band “Crash Into Me” or “Ants Marching” (would need a violin instrument tho)
• John Mellencamp “Jack and Diane”
• some 80s music - The Reflex, Tainted Love, a little Bryan Adams, some Kenny Loggins, some Journey, Def Leppard,
• etc

My only real gameplay gripe is on the difficulty of the songs. I understand in World Tour it needs to have cascading difficulties, but I think the game is missing a true Party Mode (although this code is invaluable to unlock all the songs for fun - doesn’t count to your score). When my friends who have never played before come over we inevitably play the same first batch of songs. I’m stuck on guitar so I can revive my fallen bandmates should they fail. It’s a bit repetitive. I think a party mode that has an intro-level version of each song is essential for catching more users.

Next up is the between-game controls. Every controller is ‘live’ which means if you are picking a song while your buddy tries to explain to his wife how to use the guitar, two seconds later you are back in the main menu. Annoying! The ‘leader’ should have complete control up through the ’select difficulty’ screen.

Lastly, the system for dealing with profiles is a mess. Playing the Band World Tour forces you to make new profiles for each person who wants to play. Playing Solo World Tour requires new characters for each instrument. So bizarre and so frustrating. My friends watched on as I created 3 profiles and (accidentally) 5 characters just to try to have the World Tour let us unlock new songs (until I discovered the above code). Really annoying.

That’s it for my complaints, ultimately it’s an awesome game (so much so that when I had problems with my Amazon pre-order, I purchased the only copy on the island of Kauai during my vacation last month). Playing live with other folks online is super-fun, and anyone who wants to jam, get in touch!

I first saw the Katamari game when a TechTV reporter put it “head to head” versus the Slingbox a few years ago. I didn’t quite understand the comparison, but the game looked silly, yet interesting.

Using the awesomeness that is Xbox360 Live with free game demos, I downloaded a preview of Beautiful Katamari two weeks ago. Despite the 3 minute time cap to the demo, I played it quite a few times, and my wife tried it too. She described it as “the stupidest game she’s ever seen. but a lot of fun!”

I bought it yesterday at Best Buy, and didn’t get a chance to play it until late at night. I was exhausted and ready for bed, but couldn’t possibly let my brand new game go unopened! So bleary-eyed I put it in, and played through a couple of levels and some online multiplayer games.

Awesome awesome awesome.

The multiplayer was especially fun, although we had some frequent bandwidth problems. I’d like to see a bit more detail on the bandwidth issues so I could understand exactly what the problem is (me or someone else). That is my single flaw with the game.

It’s fun. It’s silly. It’s family-safe, yet not too stupid that adults won’t enjoy. The Engrish is great (I have no idea if it’s intentional or not, but either way). The graphics are nice, not outstanding, but the gameplay is so superb it’s irrelevant.

The best part about the online multiplayer? Instead of losing to 12 year old kids who shoot me in the head while I’m still figuring out how to aim, I can lose to 5 year olds who can roll the ball real good.

If you don’t know Ben, or that unbelievably good 8-year-old Guitar Hero 2 player (as I like to call him), watch this video (or view his channel and watch them all):

Now I’ve improved my skills since the last time I tried playing, but just watching him play gives me some kind of stomach pain.  I recall kicking some C64 butt at around that age, but this is some savant-level stuff.  Check out this interview with Ben for more about him and his l33t gaming skills.

There’s a lot of blog gossip coverage today about YouTube paying highly watched users (I recommend: YouTube blog, Shelly Palmer, Om Malik, TechCrunch, Andy Beal), and I agree with Om’s comment:

Whichever way you look at it, this is a good development for content creators who are looking to turn a labor of love into a full time gig.

In fact, this whole concept mirrors what I blogged about yesterday, where the true empowerment of the video marketplace is dictated solely by content creators and advertisers/sponsors. 

RedOctane, the company who produces Guitar Hero 2, generally does a great job promoting the game. Trucks roll around the country for people to try it out, and the game is consistently sold out in Best Buy and other retailers.  Cowbell Hero is an instant classic, and other fan-based activities abound across the net.

If I were in RedOctane’s marketing group, I’d be in touch with Ben and his family.  We’re only a few weeks away before school’s out for summer, and I’d jump on the opportunity to spend a week videoing the kid, and pay him handsomely for some fun commercials.  I’d top it off with a “can you beat Ben?” contest at the end of the summer (after camp, but before school starts up again).

I’ve only had my Xbox 360 for three weeks, but I’ve wondered if the upgrade to the new unit would be worth it.  Ryan at Engadget did the xboxo y xboxo today, and it sounds like there’s not that much to be gained by bumping to the Elite.  Here’s his final thoughts on the topic:

Basically, unless you are seriously eagle-eyed, have a massive friggin screen, or for whatever reason need to use HDMI because you’re all out of component inputs, your investment in the first-gen Xbox 360 is probably safe. Do yourself a favor, just buy that 120GB drive if you need the space, the HDMI really just doesn’t justify replacing your whole console for a new $480 unit.

While the improvements seem barely marginal at present, I wonder if the next batch of games for the 360 will take advantage of the improved resolution.  The fundamental problem here is this: 1080i and 1080p video games might actually look the same unless you have a truly huge screen.  Remember, they both have the same pixel count, so the only difference is frame rate, and you aren’t going to be able to see the difference without a BIG screen.  I still think CNET’s piece from 2005 is the best-written article on the topic of 1080i vs 1080p. 

With my 32″ Olevia 720p/1080i display, I’d be surprised if there’s any real need for the “better” unit.  Besides, I can’t possibly rock any harder than I already do at GH2, so what’s the point?

So I’ve had an Xbox 360 for a couple of weeks now, and it’s quite awesome, I must say.  Guitar Hero 2 is great (I’ve gotten a litte better since my first foray), both my wife and I are hooked on Viva Pinata.  But neither is anywhere near as addictive as two simple PC games I’ve recently stumbled upon (do I owe eBay some money for saying those words together?).

The first, thanks to Michael Gartenberg, is Peggle.  Peggle is a cross between Kaboom and traditional pachinko.  You have virtually no control over the action during the game, yet it’s insanely addictive.  I actually coughed up the $19.99 to get the registered version after tearing through the demo (which was fairly comprehensive, I must add).  I’ve still got a lot of the “challenges” left to go, but I’m hoping for an expansion pack or a Peggle 2 in a few months.  I’ve got another Andrew Jackson ready for PopCap Games when it does…

Second up, which I just found two days ago, is called Desktop Tower Defense.  It’s completely free, as they show completely unobtrusive ads during gameplay.  It’s from Kongregate, who claims to have 572 different games available to play, all free.  I tried a few others, some are fun, some aren’t, but DTD has me obsessed right now.  It’s easy to learn, but takes a lifetime to master.

Thanks to my cousin, I’ve had an Xbox 360 for about a week now, and it’s continued to impress me more and more every day.  Live marketplace is great. Downloadable demos are amazing.  The HD graphics are outstanding.  I haven’t tried media streaming yet, but will soon.  In the meantime, I’m playing a few games here and there, with three highlights (so far):

1. Gears of War.  No surprise, it’s the super-mega title the platform’s truly waited for.  Honestly, it’s not really my favorite game at all, I just don’t enjoy the gameplay that much.  But it’s art, and even just watching others play is entertaining.
2. Viva Pinata.  Okay, I have Veronica Belmont and Ryan Block to blame for this one, as they recommended it for something my wife might enjoy.  She does, but crazy enough so do I.  It’s just plain fun.  YKHIK?  Because I like Viva Pinata…
3. Guitar Hero 2.  Also pushed on me by Veronica and Ryan, wow is this one impressive and addictive game.  The only reason I’m typing and not playing is because I actually want to try to get some sleep tonight. 

One of the reasons I found GH2 (as those “in the know” call it) so interesting was the complete twist on hand-eye coordination it requires.  To me, using a video game controller is a bit of an instinctive thing.  Like a centipede, if you ask me how I use it, I just stammer and come to a halt.  But I get how the buttons work.  WIth GH2, the guitar-as-controller is a completely different metaphor on how to play a game.  I’m a lot more conscious of what my pinkie is doing than normal - and I’m still on a beginner stage.

Here’s a little video in which I show my skills (runtime is 48 seconds)

I don’t know if I’d spend $100 on it, but it’s definitely a fun game in the lineup! Full game reviews available from LoadingReality, IGN, TeamXbox, and GameSpy.  Or you can watch this two-year-old play.

Warning: this is one of my geekier posts! 

Brett Thomas over at bit-tech wrote a nice piece on games he felt needed a “remaster” job.  Remastering, in this context, means the gameplay is just fine, but the graphics and sound need an overhaul.  I liked his list for the most part, and its inspired me to make my own.  In addition to the “remaster” category, I’m adding “redo” (which means the game has a good storyline, but should be rebuilt using current tools and interface concepts), “rerelease” (if the game is perfect as is, but might need new drivers to work in XP or Vista) and RIP (which reflects a game that was great, but should remain in our memories - kinda like the movie “The Dark Crystal”). 

I’m not exactly sure if this is my “all-time” favorite games list, as I’ll probably forget as many great ones as I remember.  Also, the list is in no particular order:

• Civilization 2.  It’s now 10 years old, which means I’ve been playing it for 10 years.  The original version is actually still installable on XP, although it seems there was a ‘refresh’ edition in 2002.  The graphics are poor, the sound is bad, but the gameplay is terrific (although I’d love it even more with a non-cheating AI) and I wouldn’t sacrifice the speed of the old version just for prettier icons.
  Verdict: Rerelease (already done)
• Wing Commander 2. Still the best “space shooter” I’ve ever seen, with a fun, vivid storyline and great gameplay.  I really liked the ‘mortality’ aspect of the story arcs - failing a mission early on had long-term impacts, something that I find lacking in more modern games.  Would love to revisit the game in HD.  By the way, never, ever, ever watch the movie.
  Verdict: Remaster (especially on an Xbox 360)
• Ultima 4 and 6. Best. RPGs. Ever.  Both were playable and beatable without needing cheats or hints.  Both took tremendous time investments to play, but had extremely rewarding storytelling (I literally had chills when I beat Ultima VI).  Check the links for both games - apparently both can still be run in DOS emulators.  I’m happy to have my fond memories here, especially because I just don’t have the time anymore!
  Verdict: RIP
• Out of this World (aka Another World).  This groundbreaking game was probably the last game I ever really got into until this past year, as I didn’t game all that much in my 20’s.  Again, I loved the storyline and the polygon graphics were state-of-the-art at the time.  I believe with a refresh it’d do very well in the current crop of games and gamers.
  Verdict: Remaster
• Kaboom!.  Nothing made better use of the Atari paddle controller than Kaboom.  Nothing.
  Verdict: RIP
• NHL 94. While the modern versions of EA’s NHL series are wonderful to behold, they are so much more complicated than video game hockey used to be.  I still think hockey is the best video game sport to play, as the games have the most auto-intelligence (in other words, if the guy you are controlling screws up, the rest of the players still play “right”).  I’d love to see NHL 2008 leverage the simplicity of the original, but with the gorgeous graphics the series boasts today.
  Verdict: Redo
• Bubble Bobble.  How about turning it into a first-person shooter?  Just kidding.
  Verdict: RIP
• Blood Money.  This is the first of the Amiga games I’m mentioning.  This great side-scroller had one of the most amazing soundtracks I’ve still ever heard in a video game.  No real need to bring it back to life, but if you get the chance to hear the sound, check it out.
  Verdict: RIP
• Cyberball.  I like this game so much I actually had a full free-standing arcade version of it in my home in Pittsburgh, back in the late 90s.  Football. Robots.  Explosions.  Multiplayer.  Awesome.  Bring it back as it was, or refreshed, or whatever it takes.  Just bring it (supposedly coming to Xbox this year)!
  Verdict: Remaster or Rerelease.
• Gauntlet II.  I think I gave up more allowance quarters to Gauntlet II than any other game in history (maybe Ikari Warriors, but it’s close).  I played and beat the Secret Room Challenge enough times to win a t-shirt!  Atari revived Gauntlet a few years ago, but I don’t think it had the same magic as the original.  Red warrior needs food… Badly.
  Verdict: Remaster
• Lode Runner and Lemmings.  Two games that suffered through way too many derivatives and sequels, none of which touched the original.  Both allowed “user-generated content” (ooh!) and both had virtually endless replayability.  Unfortunately something tells me they’d both be best left preserved as they were.
  Verdict: RIP
• Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I know most people seem to pick Zork for the legendary Infocom games, but Hitchhiker’s was my favorite.  The humor combined with the amazing challenge (I did need to resort to a hint book for the damned “dark room” early into the game, as well as the whole “tea - no tea” thing) just made for a wonderful combination.  In fact, I think this game and the original BBC TV series both rate higher for me than the original books!  I’d love to see a new take on the content with all the current technology, or just see how ‘the kids today’ handle the difficulty of the original (which is playable online). 
  Verdict: Redo or Rerelease
• Populous.  The second Amiga game on the list (even though it was ported elsewhere, the Amiga version was hands-down the best.  Why?  The breathing).  Invented by Peter Molyneux, the guy who then created Black & White and other amazing AI-heavy games, Populous was the original RTS game in my book.  I recall struggling for hours to get serial-to-serial connections or 9600 baud modems working just to play it multiplayer.  You can actually still play the DOS version (downloads here), but this would be spectacular if recreated today.
  Verdict: Redo or Remaster
• Total Annihilation.  The king of RTS games.  Better than StarCraft, WarCraft, Total War, and Command & Conquer.  Once called the best game ever made, it’s definitely in the tops of my lists.  The fan base even today is amazing, and there is a “spiritual successor” coming in 2007 in the form of Supreme Commander.  Getting the original TA to work in XP is a pain, and should be supported.
  Verdict: Rerelease
• Wizardry. My favorite “old-school” RPG.  Gave players all the geekiness required to enjoy D&D, but in a very playable way.  The story was so-so, but the game was very addictive because of the simplicity of the interface.  Back when you had to actually make your own maps in a game (I miss grid paper).
  Verdict: Redo
• Zak McCracken/Maniac Mansion.  Two of the funniest “adventure” games ever made, back when LucasArts was a bit more of a light-hearted studio.  Took the whole concept of in-game puzzles and easter eggs to a new level, so much that you didn’t really care if you didn’t “get” all the inside jokes around you.  Both games’ plotlines were extremely well thought-out, and would do great today.
  Verdict: Remaster
• Mind Walker. Now I’m going old-school.  Considered by some to be the original Amiga game (by the way, I never even owned an Amiga, but yet 3 of their games made my list!), Mind Walker lived in a category of its own, and still doesn’t fit in any genre.  Should be refreshed and put on the market for every console ASAP.
  Verdict: Redo

And I’d like to give a special mention to Nethack, for my all-time most-played game (I still play it occasionally both on the PC and on my PPC-6700!).  Now, nobody touch it, please.  If you’ve never played it, you are missing out.  It’s free, and you can start playing immediately.  It has more depth than any other game, in the history of games.  It doesn’t need any pretty graphics or surround sound, and I don’t think it ever will get either!  And with that nod, I officially out-geek even myself.

One CES trend was obvious: digital picture frames. Saw em everywhere. Gonna be huge. More on another day.

Another trend was a little more complex: short video game chairs with built-in rumble packs, speakers, subwoofers, drink holders, rocking bases, and tush-warmers. Hm, wait, no, no. There weren’t tush-warmers. But I saw these goofy seats from a variety of companies across the show floor, and I have to say: I don’t get it. Relative to a couch, these bizarre chairs seem less comfortable and less convenient to game in. Am I just too old for this stuff?

More game chair coverage from CES: GameDailyXL, Kotaku, QJ.net, BornRich, TechZO, and DigitalStraightTalk.

One of the biggest trends in gaming over the past year or so is to add physicality to the gaming experience. Some companies, such as XaviX, aim to actually have fitness-oriented video games. Then there’s the immensely successful Wii, with a motion-enabled controller that’s winning the hearts (and breaking the arms) of kids across America. During CES 2007 (in the Sands Expo) we met up with Ana Soriano from Qmotions who showed their approach to adding the physical interaction to the other consoles. Here’s a little video of their technology in action:

More on QMotions: Forbes, Matt Sarrel’s blog, and IGN.

With a name like The Dream Machine we could be talking about anything from a sleep tool to something a bit more R-rated. In this case, it’s a video game controller (sorry for the letdown if that wasn’t what you were hoping for). But it is a big controller and does all sorts of cool stuff! Watch the video and check out the photos below.

More CES Dream Machine coverage: The Gizmos, SF Gate (and their video), and Gizmodo.