Author Topic: Play Videogames on the Big, BIG Screen (Read 6194 times)

WindyMan · « **on:** June 21, 2004, 07:24:32 PM »

If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, you can participate in a game tournament with a rather enormous twist.

The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, CA is hosting its third annual Maxgames tournament on Friday, July the 23rd. It's a console game tournament that includes such GameCube games as Mario Kart Double Dash, Super Smash Brothers Melee and Super Monkey Ball 2.

Normally, we don't alert our worldwide audience of an event in such a small area of the country, but this one is a little different. The final rounds for many of the games at the tournament will be held on a big screen. A very, very large screen.

My TV is bigger than yours!

Imagine playing a game like Mario Kart on the largest TV you can imagine, then make it ten times bigger. They'll be doing that on the big theater screen here, as well as for other games like Halo and SSX3.

If you'd like more information about the tournament, click here. It seems likely that there will be plenty of room to spectate, so if you just want to come down and see the latest games played on an IMAX-grade screen and sound system, you can do that too.

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #1 on:** June 21, 2004, 08:23:38 PM »

Zombie Jesus. O_O
They should play a mean game of Tetris Worlds or Superman 64 on that for lol.

Felis Demens CCXXI · « **Reply #2 on:** June 21, 2004, 08:43:28 PM »

That, mah friends, is an OmniMax theatre. It's even more impressive seeing one for yourself.

The St. Louis Science Center prominently sports one, it's an even greater sight to behold when it's showing. The big honkin sound system is as stunning to the ears as the screen is to the eyes.

Can't imagine what it'd be like to play a game on it.

I gar-on-tee that a loud explosion in a game in there will make your butt rumble far more than the force-feedback in the controller will for your hands.

Knoxxville · « **Reply #3 on:** June 21, 2004, 08:52:44 PM »

....JOYGASM!!!

Berto2K · « **Reply #4 on:** June 21, 2004, 09:09:47 PM »

I am so keeping an eye on this. The Tech Musem of Innovation is basically across the street from where GDC is held in the San Jose Convention Center. Its only like 15 minutes from my house. I am so there!

Shift Key · « **Reply #5 on:** June 21, 2004, 09:19:24 PM »

*pietriots rise up and shake fists at Berto*

TheYoungerPlumber · « **Reply #6 on:** June 21, 2004, 09:58:56 PM »

Wouldn't games look ridiculously pixelated on such a screen?

Infernal Monkey · « **Reply #7 on:** June 22, 2004, 12:45:43 AM »

Most likely. 'Tis a pity those Game Boy Video Paks don't work on the Game Boy Player, how cool would it be watching a horribly stretched out episode of Spongebob Square Pants? That's right, very cool!

Take pictures, Berto! I hope the fat Optimus Prime cosplayer in Shifty's avatar is there! Take pictures of him!
"This flash lights our darkest hour"

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #8 on:** June 22, 2004, 12:53:08 AM »

Quote
I am so keeping an eye on this. The Tech Musem of Innovation is basically across the street from where GDC is held in the San Jose Convention Center. Its only like 15 minutes from my house. I am so there!

Man, Berto, you get to go to all the cool gaming events.

Berny · « **Reply #9 on:** June 22, 2004, 05:43:20 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Felis Demens CCXXI
That, mah friends, is an OmniMax theatre. It's even more impressive seeing one for yourself.

The St. Louis Science Center prominently sports one, it's an even greater sight to behold when it's showing. The big honkin sound system is as stunning to the ears as the screen is to the eyes.

It is actually an iMax theater and is one of the few things beginning with "i" that is in no way related to apple. The St. Louis Science Center calls its iMax theater the OmniMax cause it sounds cool. They're showing Harry Potter there right now and I want to go.

They were showing Matrix Revolutions at iMax theaters and at the time I wanted to see it but there were no theaters near me playing it. I don't know how many there are in the US. I'd guess it would be a rather small number.

StrikerObi · « **Reply #10 on:** June 22, 2004, 05:44:41 AM »

OmnIMAX is awesome. I used to go to one at the Libery Science Center in NJ before I moved down to FL. I'd love to be able to go to this.

Edit: Mouse Clicker has the best tag ever.

Guitar Smasher · « **Reply #11 on:** June 22, 2004, 06:20:45 AM »

Quote
Originally posted by: Berny
Quote
Originally posted by: Felis Demens CCXXI
That, mah friends, is an OmniMax theatre. It's even more impressive seeing one for yourself.

The St. Louis Science Center prominently sports one, it's an even greater sight to behold when it's showing. The big honkin sound system is as stunning to the ears as the screen is to the eyes.

It is actually an iMax theater and is one of the few things beginning with "i" that is in no way related to apple. The St. Louis Science Center calls its iMax theater the OmniMax cause it sounds cool. They're showing Harry Potter there right now and I want to go. They were showing Matrix Revolutions at iMax theaters and at the time I wanted to see it but there were no theaters near me playing it. I don't know how many there are in the US. I'd guess it would be a rather small number.

Sorry to correct you, but it is actually an 'iMax Omnimax' theatre. The reason for the 'omnimax' in the name is because of the screen's curved concave ellipse shape. If it wasn't concave, it would simply be a 'iMax' theatre. I know this because there's an Omnimax at the Ontario Science Centre, in Toronto, and an iMax at the Museum of Civilization, in Hull (Gatineau), Québec.

Molobert · « **Reply #12 on:** June 22, 2004, 09:22:45 AM »

That is awesome. I've been to that Imax and it's gigantic. I might have to go to this, it's only 30 minutes away from my house

mouse_clicker · « **Reply #13 on:** June 22, 2004, 10:14:35 AM »

Quote
Edit: Mouse Clicker has the best tag ever.

I knew at least you would like it, Striker.

KnowsNothing · « **Reply #14 on:** June 22, 2004, 11:50:07 AM »

I've been to an an Omni/iMax/Poop theatre. Indeed, they are incredible, but I don't think videogames would play so well on them. Even if they weren't horribly stretched or pixilated, it'd be disorientating and hard see everything that's going on.

But it's cool anyway. They should play some F-Zero on that.

Jim_Graham · « **Reply #15 on:** June 22, 2004, 01:52:53 PM »

Hey all,
Jim Graham here. I'm helping get the word out about Maxgames. Regarding concerns over pixelation, I've attended it twice and that's never been an issue. Here's a blurb regarding the type of projector they use. It's big:

"Just for Maxgames, AV partner Billingsly & Brown, Inc. loads into the theater a Digital Light Processing projector - (info at http://hometheater.about.com/cs/television/a/aavprojectora_4.htm ) - shining a minimum of 5000 ANSI lumens onto the Giant Dome Screen. Players and spectators alike witness video game images approximately 40' by 60' during the last rounds of selected games competition. Crisp image and clean sound."

I hope that answers your questions. If you have any others, don't hesitate to shoot me a note at jim@jgpr.com or AIM at jgprdotnet. Or post here, of course

Berny · « **Reply #16 on:** June 22, 2004, 03:57:48 PM »

Okay then, Guitar Smasher. Guess I was wrong. I'm sorry. I honestly thought that the generic name was iMax.

I must now supuku. I'll worry about spelling supuku after I supuku.

seen33 · « **Reply #17 on:** June 24, 2004, 08:43:16 PM »

I read on that site that the smash bros meele tourny says no special characters. does that mean no Falco? Cause its not really a tournament if you take out all the non-default characters. Not fair because some guy is a master at pikachu and i am at falco that We cant fight. Bah why do i even care.. I live to far to attend anyway lol.

Also... I have been to the science centers omnimax theater and watched some jane goodal documentry. Let me just say that I was not satisfied. Yes its big. But you neck hurts cause your constenly looking up and the viewing experience is like that of sitting in the very front row at a colossous movie theater. Its hard on the eyes and when things are moving fast you cant see very well. Also since the screen is so big, if you character is moving from left to right and up to down you LITERALY have to move your head cause the screen is bigger then your actual vision.

Hostile Creation · « **Reply #18 on:** June 25, 2004, 08:56:41 AM »

I've been to the one in St. Louis, and it'd be damn cool to play on something like that. But I wouldn't want to go to some big tournament. . . it'd be much cooler to just go with my friends, or have some big PGC game party there. That would be freaking awesome.

MrCodeDude · « **Reply #19 on:** July 24, 2004, 01:23:59 PM »

I've attended all three MaxGames @ The Tech. The description is misleading, when they mean play on the iMax theatre, the games do not fill the screen. The image is probably the same size as playing games on a two-story house's outside wall. I've asked the two technicians who were responsible for setting up the projector with the consoles and asked them if they could give a rough estimate on how big the diagonal length of the image was. Neither could give me an answer, but I would have to say it was probably a 10' by 10' image projected to the middle of the iMax screen.

It's not really that amazing and the whole thing is pretty boring unless you're playing or were attending one of the three available chats. I ended up leaving around 3pm because the boredom was really setting in. (I had been there since 9am)

Jale · « **Reply #20 on:** July 25, 2004, 02:34:05 AM »

10' by 10' is still huge in my opinion.

soul-assassin · « **Reply #21 on:** August 05, 2004, 04:27:05 PM »

I was there for the first section of games. I came in 2nd in the Super Monkey Ball 2 tourney. There is no pixelization, and the screen size was said to be 40' x 60'. It was really impressive, and super cool to play on the big screen. And the sound was insane. The Nascar game sounded nuts, really loud. I wish I could have stayed and played/watched the Halo tourney, but had other plans. They also showed some of the red v blue stuff, and the new high def Halo 2 trailer. If you're in the San Jose area next year around this time, I highly recommend going. If not to play, at least to experience it. Two thumbs way up!!

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Author Topic: Play Videogames on the Big, BIG Screen (Read 6194 times)