In the Year 2000: You'll be nicer to me on Live, because I'll know where you live...

Written by Jim Squires

Monday, 01 January 2007 09:32

When you think of the controversy surrounding Gizmondo, chances are you think of trashed Ferrari's, Homeland Security, and the Swedish mafia. And why wouldn't you? It's exciting, it's sexy - it's a damned Steven Soderbergh movie. But the real Gizmondo scandal isn't in how the saga ended, but in how it began. Gizmondo began its life as the answer to the question "How can we create a GPS device that will let us know where our kids are at all times without them realizing it?" Don't believe me? Go read the October 2006 issue of Wired.

So the birth of gaming-related GPS may have come from a rather unprogressive place, but that doesn't mean we can't come up with some progressive uses for it. Built-in GPS, both in home consoles and handhelds, could be the next big thing in gaming. Here's why;

Enhanced DRM protection - The groundwork is already there and the first baby steps have been taken. Purchasing and downloading movies and tv shows to our 360's is quickly becoming the norm. By the end of this console cycle we're going to be living in a world where our PC's and our home consoles are virtually indistinguishable from each other when it comes to their entertainment capabilities. Think iTunes, only not as fruity. But with an increase in region-specific downloadable content (there's a legal reason non-US households can't download movies or TV) having GPS can ensure that a console resides in the region it needs to when making a purchase. This means no more work arounds or cheats like fake US accounts to make things happen. Locked-out consumers might not like it, but believe me, everyone else will be ecstatic.

Theft protection - What better way is there to protect your investment than to know exactly where it is at all times? It's the equivalent of the auto industry's "Boomerang" technology. Even if you think it's a little excessive to need to have a GPS chip in your PS3, how many of us have lost a handheld in our lifetime? This'll make sure that bad boy comes right back where it belongs.

"Local" Multiplayer - Traditionally the term local multiplayer has meant "whoever's sitting on your couch." But wouldn't it be cool if you had the option of playing with people within a 10 mile radius so that you could make friends locally?

Mapquest DS - Why pay to have an expensive GPS system put into your car when a GPS-enabled handheld could do the same thing? Productivity software on consoles is nothing new. In Japan it's been a regular fixture of the gaming community forever, but over here non-gaming items have always been viewed with the sort of disdain usually reserved for "edu-tainment." Still - the times they are a-changing. People are more than happy to browse the internet on their Wii or video conference on their 360's. Being able to take your handheld with you so you'll never get lost? Sounds like a plan to me.

Colors - Colors was a Gizmondo game that, surprise surpise, never saw the light of day. But that doesn't mean it wasn't a great concept. The object of the game is to claim turf for your gang by going to actual real world locations. We're talking truly GPS-enabled gaming! Just think of the possibilities - Bring a GPS-enabled wiimote into a Starbucks and get a cool item for Animal Crossing. Create handheld scavenger hunts that any other gamers in your area can participate in. Play Wi-Fi games of hide and seek with people you've never met. Remember the board game "Guess Who?" Now you can bring it to life in your mall's food court!

To the best of my knowledge, no console manufacturer is working on GPS-enabled gaming at the moment. That means it's up to you, our loyal bbpsers, to spread the word! Get some hype built! Make this happen! And maybe, just maybe, we'll get to play tag just yet.

Comments (1) Add Comment

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written by Telstar, January 01, 2007

This is my favorite column here on the site! Always well written.

I remember hearing about some college kids doing some real life pacman thing in the streets using GPS, but nothing as far as a major release. Problem is you'll need people to buy it to be successful, and it' hard to guess sales levels