Prepping for 2010 with a look back at Combatica

Shaggy October 31, 2009 0

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A short time ago we reported about a new company that is joining the amusement industry called Titan 4 Games. Their plan is to bring gesture-based motion gaming to the coin-op industry next year and as we are finding out from The Stinger Report, they aren’t the only ones looking to do the same thing. As such it is looking like next year will be the year of the gesture-based game and Kevin Williams sent us this brief piece to remind us where the next possible fad in gaming all started.

The Stinger Report is just preparing coverage regarding new motion-tracking arcade systems in the works, (Arcade Heroes already reporting on one – the ‘Titan-4-Games’ system – revealed this month). And wanted to mark the 10th anniversary of the use of motion-tracking technology in video games originated (as always) in the amusement scene.

Launched in 1999 – the ‘Combatica’, from Holoplex, allowed two players to have their movements represented on fighter game characters, in the companies unique cabinet enclosure; many years before the EyeToy, or the proposed Natal home console system peripherals. Similar initiatives went on to be used in the ‘MoCap’ system from Konami, and more recently the ‘UFO Stomper’ from TrioTech – but was originated some 10-years ago by Holoplex.

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