Dubai: Forget 3D - arcade goers in the UAE will be able to play 5D games within a year, an entertainment company said.
Gamers will not only be able to see three-dimensional worlds on screen, but special seats and controls will let them "hit out" at lifelike events, said Prakash Vivekanand, Director, Amusement Services International (ASI).
"You'll be able to strike, let's say, a snake popping out or shoot at bad guys," said Vivekanand.
He made the comments on the sidelines of the DEAL (Dubai Entertainment, Amusement and Leisure) show at Dubai World Trade Centre this week.
The next level
4D entertainment - where seats and special effects, like wind gusts, are in synch with the 3D action on screen - has been in the market for years, but is not interactive. Viewers cannot control the content on display.
And though 3D console games let players interact with the virtual environment, they fall short on motion seats and special controllers, Vivekanand said.
"But 5D is beyond that - it'll immerse players into the game. This will push gaming to the next level; it'll be brilliant. The conventional arcades will be obsolete in five years' time," said Vivekanand.
What's more, he said, viewers or gamers will no longer need special glasses for experiencing 3D content.
He added: "The screen will be like a fish bowl sliced in half, for viewing depths. And the graphics or video will be specially designed for the content, to make it 3D."
Dubai-based ASI, which claims a 85 to 90 per cent market share in the UAE, said it is already involved in a 6D project.
"The smell factor is already in. There's a children's ride where a train takes them through the different smell zones of a fruit factory," Vivekanand said, but gave no details.
