"Our definition of 'controller' is too rigid," Eiji Morikawa says. So the 28-year-old electrical engineer dreamed up a line of bizarre accessories that would turn gamers into, er, superbeings. He calls his designs Periborg -épart peripheral, part cyborg -éand two of them (Ore-Commander and Shock-C) are on the market in Japan. Here's a peek at his products and prototypes, and how they might help mere mortals become high-scoring heroes. - Tim Rogers
Morikawa's Line of Game Gadgets
(For pictures, click photo at left)
Obacha-Break: Hang this air horn around your neck, and you can unleash a klaxon to disorient your opponents during multiplayer matches. Hardly sporting, but preferable to a humiliating defeat in King of Fighters.
Cocolo-Con: "Remember when you first played a game? Remember how excited you were, how you stayed up all night?" Morikawa writes on the Periborg site. "The Cocolo-Con is here to remind you of that." It does this by, uh, tracking heart rate and administering wrist massages.
Ore-Commander: What do trigger-happy old-school gamers want most? Faster firing capability. This thumb-mounted vibrator helps you pound buttons 20 times a second.
Shock-C: Why pause the action to eat? This utensil holder slips over two fingers and can be fitted with chopsticks or a fork and spoon. Your thumb is free to work a controller, which "never gets greasy," Morikawa says.
Electric-Wang Show: This unfortunately named device can display scrolling messages like "Looking for opponents" or "Bring me a Coke." It's a great way to communicate with other humans without looking up from your precious, precious game.
credit Jun Takagi
*Eiji Morikawa displaying his Periborg.
- Obacha-Break
2 )Cocolo-Con - Ore Commander
- Shock-C
- Electric-Wang Show*
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Peripheral Visions
