While flat & head-mounted displays soak up most of the attention for new products in the arcade sector, the existence of alternate forms of display tech catch our attention from time to time. One of the more exciting prospects has been that of “holograms,” or more appropriately, volumetric displays. We have covered volumetrics previously with Voxon Photonics and their VX1 display, where they have continued to develop on the technology. Now, they’ve reached a new milestone in their work with the Voxon Z3D.
First shown at the Tokyo Game Show 2018 event, the Z3D uses the latest iteration of the VX1 volumetric display. This generates true 3D images with depth, and does not require any wearable item like glasses to view. For those who like a more technical description, here’s a piece from the press release (the full PR can be found below):
The Z3D is a swept surface volumetric display, and is powered by the Voxon Photonics Engine. This engine comprises an ultra-high-speed digital projection system, CPU, volumetric graphics engine and reciprocating light diffuser. Volumetric images are created by projecting slices of light at 4,000 frames per second onto a moving screen. The images diffuse at precisely the right position in physical space, and through persistence of vision, the human eye blends them together, resulting in true three-dimensional digital objects that can be viewed in the same way as one would view a real object, from any angle, and without special goggles or glasses. The Z3D supports multi-user interactivity for gaming and other interactive applications.
Of course while talking about it is nice, seeing it is even better:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrtpqmVNItQ
With it being available for purchase, I did ask them a couple of questions that potential buyers might be curious about. First, does it have a coin slot? The answer is not by default, but if demand was there, it can be done. The target market for this particular unit is the home/”man-cave” sector, looking at those early adopters who really can’t live without the latest in tech toys. As such, I imagine that the games that come with it haven’t been licensed for public coin-op use anyways, so that is part of the hurdle that would have to be dealt with. Voxon recognizes however, that there is interest there in the arcade space, so they are open to the commercial coin-op possibilities of the device and display, including the development of ” fully fledged arcade machines with coin slots in the future.” For the Z3D itself, it is going to be limited to 500 units.
When some games come to mind for this, I have to be a nerd and think of an obscure 3D game for late 80’s era computers like Virus…seems like that one was made with this display in mind. But, there’s certainly more than that which would work out beautifully on a display like this. Fortunately, the unit comes with dev tools that can be used to create new volumetric content.
I also asked about the size, which I’ll provide in both metric and imperial. Height is 1200mm (floor to dome top; 47.24″), while the control panel is 1035mm(40.75″) from the ground; the control surface is 710x710mm(27.95″ both), while the base is 420×420(16.50″ both). At that, it’s compact, so will not take up a ton of room.
For more details than all of that, here’s the press release and here’s a link to the official webpage with Voxon’s contact info. Pricing isn’t listed, so you’ll have to contact them to find out. What do you think about this?
Voxon Launches the World’s First 3D Holographic Arcade Machine, the Z3D
The Z3D’s unique and captivating visual appearance (think holograms from science fiction) in true 3D, has added a whole new dimension to gaming.
Media Release – Adelaide, Australia – 26 June 2019
Following on from the successful release of the world’s most advanced 3D volumetric display, the VX1 and after a successful debut at the Tokyo Game Show 2018, the world will now be able to purchase the Voxon Z3D.
A New Dimension in Gaming
The Z3D’s unique and captivating visual appearance (think holograms from science fiction) in true 3D, has taken what has only previously been imagined and brought it to life. Voxon’s Z3D has now added a whole new dimension to gaming.
Will Tamblyn, Voxon Photonics CEO and Co-Founder, said of the announcement, “We knew we had a real wow factor product in the VX1 volumetric display, but when combining this with the social aspect of multi player gaming and the retro-futuristic arcade form factor, the Z3D now allows us to deliver a whole new dimension in gaming.”
“The ‘Z’ part of the name is really referring to the z-axis. It’s no longer just x and y axis two dimensional gaming. We can now create games in a true 3D volumetric form which can be viewed by a number of people, from any angle, without the need for headsets or glasses. This allows us to make some of the old classics new again, create your own games, or use new volumetric video technology.”
“It’s inspiring and exhilarating to create something new, to do what others thought couldn’t be done. This is just the start of our journey with volumetric display technology, but making a 3D holographic arcade machine, is a fun way to start sharing it with the world.”
Voxon plans to both sell the Z3D directly to consumers globally as well as partner with distribution companies within the gaming industry worldwide.
The Voxon Z3D Technical Description
The Z3D is a swept surface volumetric display, and is powered by the Voxon Photonics Engine. This engine comprises an ultra-high-speed digital projection system, CPU, volumetric graphics engine and reciprocating light diffuser. Volumetric images are created by projecting slices of light at 4,000 frames per second onto a moving screen. The images diffuse at precisely the right position in physical space, and through persistence of vision, the human eye blends them together, resulting in true three-dimensional digital objects that can be viewed in the same way as one would view a real object, from any angle, and without special goggles or glasses. The Z3D supports multi-user interactivity for gaming and other interactive applications.
Z3D Features
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All the functionality of the Voxon VX1 with the addition of a removable arcade table top & custom made games
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Genuine Sanwa arcade components
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LED strip lighting effects
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Compatible with plug-in-play game controllers (such as Xbox 360 controllers)
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Easy to use menu and games launcher
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Windows 10 architecture
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Includes Voxatron and other games.
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Unity Software Development Kit included for making your own games & projects
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C based SDK for low-level programming
Software and Content Creation
All software on the Z3D is driven by our proprietary Core Graphics Engine, which is provided to developers free (on a single user license basis). In addition to the Core Graphics Engine, Z3D units will be shipped with the following;
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Games included: Snaketron Z, Super Turrets, Balls For Dinner (Again)
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Voxtron Game Engine which includes a number of preloaded games as well
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Voxiedemo – a suite of volumetric graphic demos with source code
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VoxieOS to view sample 3D models and animations
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Sample applications and games
Find out more about Z3D here: https://voxon.co/z3d
– ENDS –
For further media information contact:
Will Tamblyn
CEO and Co-Founder
will@voxon.co
0433 623 625
Lynton Manuel
Marketing and Communications Manager
lynton@voxon.co
0405 343 770
About Voxon Photonics:
Voxon Photonics are the creators of the world’s most advanced 3D volumetric display. Voxon’s 3D Volumetric technology brings digital content to life and helps empower people to visualise, communicate, learn and have fun in a collaborative manner with no barrier to the 3D experience. No special glasses are required. Voxon Photonics is now looking to partner with premier companies within industries such as medical, gaming, education, automotive, mining & visualisations to bring their emerging and awe inspiring technology to these different markets.
Find out more about Voxon Photonics here: https://voxon.co
See the incredible videos here: https://youtube.com/voxonphotonics
This new entry seems to have great potential in diversifying the arcade space, and I am glad it is another game system that can play multiple games on a single machine like Exa Arcadia and Neo Geo. 500 units for initial launch aimed at home users craving for latest technology (likely including developers) is a great way for them to recoup their investment so they can expand development for the arcade unit with coin slits and/or card readers. The only thing that I would like to see improved is a bigger display while controls can be moved near the edge so there is more room to display the Z3D environment. Otherwise, it seems that small bite sized games are a great start with a seemingly small resolution.