Philips uWand and Gamious debut same-screen Smart TV multiplayer gaming

Tuesday 6^th August, Eindhoven, The Netherlands – Philips uWand, the intuitive camera-based direct pointing remote control technology, has today announced a partnership with video game publisher Gamious to bring same-screen multiplayer gaming to Smart TV for the first time.

Philips has enhanced its direct pointing technology to enable up to four uWand equipped remotes to be used simultaneously and to individually control distinct on-screen elements. To demonstrate this, Gamious’ latest title, Dark Day LA, will be multi-playable at the uWand booth at IBC 2013. In the game, one player assumes the role of a vampire trying to mingle with the crowds, while the other is a police sniper tasked with tracking the vampire down.

“TV is a social experience and gaming is a social experience, but until now a multiplayer gaming experience has required a games console. Our technology and partnership with Gamious shows how that gap can be bridged and new audiences addressed,” said Navin Natoewal, General Manager at Philips uWand. “We are seeing growing consumer demand for a more sophisticated TV remote control, both for navigating complex Smart TV EPGs and also for multiplayer gaming. uWand technology is the answer.”

uWand technology uses an infrared camera embedded within the body of a remote control. The camera monitors the remote’s position relative to a small ‘beacon’ on the TV. This direct pointing technology makes uWand ideal for multiplayer gaming, as the cursor appears exactly where the user is pointing, and now up to four remote controls can be monitored at once.

“We are delighted to be working with Philips uWand to introduce a social element to gaming on Smart TV,” said Pim Bouman, CEO at Gamious. “As one of the leading innovators in this space, Philips uWand’s direct pointing technology makes same-screen multiplayer incredibly easy and will help us bring our latest game, Dark Day LA, to a new audience.”

Bouman added: “Thanks to our partnership with Philips uWand we can now enter the Smart TV market, something that simply wasn’t possible with the controllers that are now provided with Smart TVs. We have experimented with other pointing control technologies, but they deliver an unsatisfactory experience for gaming. Now, on Smart TV, we can give players the same immersive experience that they’ve come to expect from console based gaming and new mobile platforms.”

For more information about uWand technology, or same-screen multiplayer Smart TV gaming, visit Philips uWand at IBC 2013, Amsterdam, 13th – 17th September (hall 14 stand 103).