There's no denying that Microsoft's Surface is one cool piece of technology, and it's definitely not just a giant iPhone. The entire surface (hence the name) can read IR codes and other goodies, and that allows developers to play some neat tricks. There's a Dungeons and Dragons student project for the table that allows you to play a traditional game of D&D on it, complete with a Dungeon Master coordinating the game from his laptop.
But that project, called SurfaceScapes, isn't officially sanctioned by Wizards of the Coast, holder of the D&D license. Mayfair Games has partnered with Vectorform to bring Settlers of Catan to the Surface. It's only one of the most popular boardgames created in the last 50 years, and has sold over 15 million copies. Haven't played it yet? You need to. Just maybe give the boxed version a try before you pony up $15,000 for a Surface.
You may have played this before in someone's dining room, or seen it on Xbox Live or the PSN, but I spent some time checking this out at PAX this year, and it nearly made me break down and sell my car just so I could have it at home. It supports three of four player play, has trading in it, uses IR-coded dice, has a little x-ray visor to keep your cards hidden and ... it is just a geek's dream come true. Especially by using a massive gadget.
Check out the video above from Vectorform, and the one I shot below from PAX. If they ported most of my favorite German-style boardgames to this thing, I'd definitely have to buy it. And if they announced tomorrow that Galaxy Trucker or Through The Desert was coming to it, I'd pawn everything in my apartment to buy one. Catan on the Surface is a great start. Check this out in person if you possibly have the opportunity, and you'll see what I mean.
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cloudinsky
it was my fantasy long time ago, and now its real. there are lot of games where to use it poker, puzzles.. in cafees and with friends. amazing! there should be a whole packet of games for that price..1000$ =D
sodared
blah
Blue_Vortex
I can't wait to see this in coffee shops and restaurants
Aristofiles
15000$ for a game and thay couldent find annything better than settlers? Settlers is a decent board game but it has.... limitations
Severnik
I've got a table version of pacman as a coffee table in my living room, but this easily out does it. Course, it didn't cost me 15k to have a pac man table.
LTman86
It's definitely not built for the consumer household in mind to start with, but hopefully when the prices go down it will.
Although, I would have hoped the cards blocking your card from other people's view would have had RFID tags on them like the dice so that the system can cover up your cards or move with the cover so you won't accidentally knock it away.
And as much as I like touch screen technology, I've found that dragging your finger across a glass screen constantly can have drawbacks. I've found my finger gets very sore, warm, or irritable after dragging it around a warm surface constantly. So maybe touch interfaces should look into that.
theantigzus
ok the surface was made basically for Hotels, Restaurants and other buisnesses not for households
crwatkins
I'm really excited about this technology. I would love to see it eventually come down in price and be marketed to private consumers. Imagine your living room having this as the coffee table, with all your entertainment and home resources being ran through it. Control your TV or the air conditioner. Play a board game with family or friends. It could be really, really cool.
EKG
Catan is a great game. The Xbox Live version is actually very, very good.
IBloodstormI
That thing is awesome. $15K is a bit out of my price range given I only have $20 in the bank, but I do so want to program for that.
ZyloWolfBane
15k? While people wont pay over $1000 for a PC? And they think the Ipad is too expensive?
Yeah wishful thinking M$.
When a computer equals the price of a car you know the world is going down the crapper.
DrFUNK
this is actually pretty cool. It'd be awesome to see this as a standard house hold item down the road. And having it sync to your house or something. but right now 15k is a little pricey
Displaying 1–12 of 12