The Geek Church

This is the Xappr Gun, designed to change an ordinary smartphone into a very cool-looking gun with the smartphone as a viewer. You should be able to work with all kinds of phones like the iPhone, plus Android and Windows phones as well.

The Xapper plans to come out with a lot of Augmented Reality (AR) games such as AR invaders. Then there Spary’Em (don’t Say’Em) a game where you zap mosquitoes.

Oh, I haven’t told you the best part yet. If you get a bunch of these Xappr guns together, you can have a game similar to the eighties fad Lazer Tag. I believe that this game is called ATK, and it really is about time someone brought back this old fad.

You should be able to get the Xapper Gun sometime in June for a price of $44.99.

As the E3 2010 conference in Los Angeles gets underway this week, Microsoft is already grabbing people’s attention with the recent demonstration of their new motion control system, Kinect (previously named project Natal). There were several games for children, groups and adults shown at the event and you can expect game developers such as Konami, Lucas Arts and Turn 10 Studios to be involved with the launch of Kinect as well. Popular titles like Star Wars and Metal Gear Solid are scheduled to arrive on the new controller system in the near future.

The Kinect device itself consists of a RGB camera, 3D depth sensors, and a multi-array mic and it also has a motorized tilt function. Microsoft intended for it to be a new kind of dashboard interface controller for the X-Box 360. In order to use it, you first log-in by waving your hand. Then your hand movements will control a cursor on the screen, allowing you to make selections on the displayed menu and browse through featured content. This new motion control system is designed to respond to your voice as well. According to Crunch Gear, Kinect might be the closest thing resembling the technology seen in the film, Minority Report so far.

With Kinect, Microsoft is taking a more direct approach to the concept of motion control than Nintendo or Sony. On the Wii and the PS3, motion control relies on the use of an actual hand-held controller. While the absence of a more conventional controller could lead to some problems in gameplay, there is definite potential with the user interface for Kinect. Thus, Microsoft’s new game control system may spark the beginning of a new age where hand-held controllers for PC and console gaming would be obsolete.

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With it comes to LEGO, its building blocks offer nearly endless possibilities in their use. You only need a strong sense of creativity and a willingness to experiment, so new applications can be found for the classic toy building material. For example, LEGO Technics actually created a fully-functional weapon that closely resembles a Lee Enfield sniper rifle.

The LEGO sniper rifle was developed by Jack Streat. It features a bolt-action operating mechanism for firing and removable clips. This baby really does shoot projectile rounds, which are LEGO blocks, of course and the clips are also made of LEGO material. The rifle even has a scope, target crosshairs and an attachable stand for positioning the weapon to use on the ground.

This creation is definitely a feat of engineering creative genius. Kind of makes me wonder if LEGO has a future in developing new weapons technology. But that’s assuming they actually start using stronger material that really can neutralize enemy combatants in a battlefield. Hey, as the making of this sniper rifle proves, this toy building blocks company could be capable of just about anything.

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Listen up, fans of the Rock Band game series! Today, cool new features were announced for the latest installment of the popular music gaming franchise. The outer body of the guitar-style controller is getting 150 buttons and it will be for the pro version of Rock Band 3. The idea here is to tailor the controllers accordingly for a real musician’s experience in the gameplay, focusing on Pro Mode. This is for advanced players and the rest of the game will stay the same for everyone else.

Furthermore, the two-octave keyboard (keytar) is featured for difficulty in dealing with one-to-five ranges and actual dead-on notes. Next, the drums come with three cymbals, which are now designed for separate notes and they each have their own lane with a unique shape to help you keep track of them. Then, there’s the guitar, which comes in the form of a $150 Fender Mustang pro. It’s packing 17 frets and 6 strings of accurate placement for a total of 102 buttons and six nylon strings that need to be played separately.

The release of Rock Band 3 also offers a Squier Stratocaster that really plays like an actual guitar or Pro model. You can find vocal melodies from Beatles Rock Band in the game as well. Currently, there’s no information about the release date but you can see a preview on new Joystiq.

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If you’ve ever been to a theme or amusement park, then you probably know that the roller coaster is a popular thrill ride. Just imagine the spine-tingling, pulse-pounding and heart-dropping sensation of being in a coaster cart screaming up and down over miles of steel rails in a matter of minutes. Some people exit such a ride afterward feeling like they just lost years of their life. You know what I’m talking about if you’ve ever been on this thrill ride and yes, I’ve been on several on my lifetime as well. However, most roller coasters are machines operated by people at the controls. But what if you actually rode on such a thrill ride by using pedals with your legs and feet instead of relying on a machine?

This thrill ride really does exist and it’s in Japan. It’s called the Sky Cycle Roller Coaster, which is found at a theme park named Washuzan Highland Park in the land of the rising sun. This thrill ride is equipped with seatbelts and even a small, pink bucket in each cart (probably for those with weak stomachs). One excellent tip for going on a roller coaster is not to do so right after eating any meal. Otherwise, you might see that food again in a less than appealing fashion.

The Sky Cycle Roller Coaster was discovered online three years ago. Click here to see a full gallery of images from this unique, thrill ride driven by the pedaling power of a customer rather than a large machine. Hey, maybe this roller coaster will be less scary since you’d be running it with your body instead of trusting a machine operated by a complete stranger.

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Hey there, devoted fans of the Guitar Hero series! This is truly a day for you to rejoice. As you might be aware, Warriors Of Rock, the next installment of this popular music gaming franchise is an upcoming title in the near future. Therefore, Activision has developed two new gaming guitars to debut with the release of the latest sequel to Guitar Hero.

The first design features a series of cutaway sections and a ferocious, new age look in the body of the instrument. This guitar was also designed to make “shredding” easier and more enjoyable for the gamer. The cutaway sections were made through an internal redesign, integrating the electronics into the neck. Furthermore, this enables the player to swap different bodies around the controller parts.

Warriors Of Rock is the sixth game in the Guitar Hero series to date. Apparently, this franchise is ready to move onward with another title as if to say that “it’s not a dead fad at all”. Nonetheless, the second guitar design is also available for your viewing pleasure. Check it out after the jump.

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Playing video games for an extended length of time on a computer or console can certainly takes its toll on your body. In a matter of hours, your back, waist and legs could get stiff from sitting, your eyes feel strained and tear up from staring at the game screen and your hands get tired and perspire from using a controller or keyboard. As a gamer myself, I’ve found that sweaty hands is one of the most common issues I face when playing video games. Well, if you hate dealing with hot, perspiring hands during your game-playing, then Thermaltake has a solution for you.

They created a gaming keyboard called the Challenger, which actually comes with a small fan. This fan is a 6,000rpm unit designed to connect to the top of the keyboard’s panel and it sends cool air across the keyboard to relieve your hot, sweaty hands. The keyboard also has two USB ports and a headphone and mic jack on its back. Furthermore, the Challenger comes in three different models, which each have individual characteristics. The Challenge Ultimate has the most features, which include 256 backlight cool options, 64KB of memory and fourteen macro keys. The mid-range Challenger Pro comes with only ten macro keys and the entry level Challenger offers six macro keys along with 32KB of memory.

According to a marketing representative, all three versions of the Challenger are available for a retail price of under $100 and the Pro model in particular is in the $65 range. In addition to this gaming keyboard, Thermaltake is featuring a red-glowing, 4000dpi Black gaming mouse as well. With this keyboard, you might finally be able to spend more time enjoying your video game and less time having to rub sweat off of your hands.

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Apparently, training simulations aren’t just for pilots and foot soldiers in the military anymore. Now we live in a day and age where field medics also receive their education and preparation from simulation technology. Recently, Engineering & Computer Simulations from Orlando, Florida developed a training simulator in the style of a first-person shooter for medics serving in an active combat zone.

This simulator is called the Tactical Combat Casualty Care simulator (TC3). It takes place in the setting of Afghanistan and the user will play as an active medic with a variety of medical situations given as playable missions. In one of the missions, the user must act as a medic to treat a man with a serious neck wound. Following his team of soldiers who clear the area of hostile threats in a “hot spot”, the player finds the wounded man and is challenged to give him the proper treatment. Then your medical skills are tested as you are required to perform the right procedures. Such medical procedures include applying a pressure dressing to stop bleeding, checking the man’s pulse, setting up an IV, amputating badly damaged limbs and stabilizing the patient for safe travel. Furthermore, you have to perform your work while your team of soldiers is defending you during a fight on the battlefield. Lastly, the mission ends when the soldiers have resolved the combat situation and medical transport is summoned to take your patient to a hospital ward. After each mission, the simulator gives the user a brief report of their performance. Then successful work will be recognized while you’ll be rebuked for mistakes and you will be referred to the proper educational information for follow-up training.

The Tactical Combat Casualty Care simulator seems to match the quality of your average first-person shooter for a game console pretty well in visual graphics and gameplay. It does have potential as a game for entertainment as well as being a training simulator. Initial reports of this simulation’s use indicate that it gets better results than basic multimedia presentations for a young audience. The TC3 also features a mission editor that enables teachers to customize simulated scenarios for their students’ lessons.

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Ah, the wonders of paper. This byproduct we get from trees is used in many ways. We commonly see it as pages in a book, magazine or newspaper, advertisement fliers, notepads and blank sheets from a printer among other things. But now the company WowWee has added making playable guitars to the long list of paper’s uses.

The product line for these “paper-made” guitars is appropriately called PaperJamz and the actual instruments come in five styles, which each feature certain, well-known songs. The Stratocaster has ‘What I Like About You’, ‘Two Princes’ and ‘End Of The World’. The Telecaster comes with ‘Born To Be Wild’, ‘Mississippi Queen’ and ‘Smoke On The Water’. The Flying V features ‘You Really Got Me’, ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’ and ‘Godzilla’. The Explorer offers ‘Hey There Delilah’, ‘All Star’ and ‘Helicopter’. Lastly, you can play ‘Woman’, ‘Rock Star’ and ‘Take It To The Limit’ on the SG-style guitar. However, these guitars were actually made without strings so three alternate methods are necessary for playing them. The user can just strum along to the songs, use “rhythm mode” to follow the rhythm of the songs with strumming and freestyle by creating your own notes and songs. Nonetheless, basic strumming is the easiest method while doing freestyle is the most challenging way of guitar playing.

The Paperjamz guitars are currently available for $35 each at IWOOT.com. Amplifiers and drums are also available as accessories and they’re made of paper as well. These instruments are compatible with headphones and speaker jacks and you can also play real chords if you have backing tracks to accompany them. Personally, I never thought I’d be living in a day where musical instruments can be made from paper. But it seems that technology and people’s creativity continue to make the unlikely and unexpected possible these days.

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Nowadays, we’ve grown accustomed to products of technology that perform once than one function. For example, a smartphone allows you to browse the web, play music, use social network sites and actually make phone calls. Furthermore, a device like an iPad gives you wireless internet access on the go, lets you run applications and also works as an e-book reader. So, we seem to favor multi-purpose devices in today’s culture. Now a concept device has been designed for air purification and providing access to pictures and videos online.

This concept is called the Twilight Air Purifier. Its main function is to provide cooling and circulation of the air in a room, adjust for the ideal temperature and offer a desired fragrance chosen by the user. This device also is equipped with an OLED sheet located over the surface on the cooling panel, which consists of polymer tubes with small holes to maintain airflow. With this OLED sheet, you can place images on display and watch videos as downloadable content.

The Twilight Air Purifier was developed by Brazilian students of Industrial Design and it also won Whirlpool’s Inova Award. Members of the design team include Camila Possato, Camila Fortes, Renan Oliveira, Sarah Carvalho and Walter Batista. Furthermore, the device is meant to reflect trends of the future involving architecture and consumer interaction with appliances and their environment. The concept of an air purifier that gives you access to online pictures and videos is a unique idea could prosper as a trendy new product on the market. However, I wonder how much the general consumer would have to pay if this device is fully realized for actual use.

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