Technabob » outrun

Analog OutRun: Arcade Racing Comes Full Circle

Technabob — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 19:00:35 +0000

Remember the old SEGA arcade classic OutRun? Well one geek out there sure does, as he decided to take the game and create an analog version as a tribute. The game is powered by an Arduino board, along with various servo motors and sensors.

This real-world version of OutRun was built by a guy named Gustavo. It has little cars which speed down an endless-loop racetrack as the driver steers to avoid obstacles. The controller has a steering wheel from an R/C car, and miniature gas and brake pedals you can control with your fingertips. A scrolling backdrop contains the obstacle cars, while your vehicle is on a motorized track that moves it side to side. LEDs and photosensors are used to detect when your car reaches the edges, and magnetic sensors detect when you’ve collided with another vehicle. Here’s a video showing Gustavo’s analog OutRun game in action:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The funny thing about this is that SEGA’s 1960s arcade game Grand Prix was actually analog, and used similar mechanical principles, as you can see in the video below:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Microsiervos (ES) via FaseExtra (ES)]

OutRun: Augmented Reality Driving Video Game Actually Drives

Hazel Chua — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 01:04:56 +0000

It’s been a while since I went down over to the local arcade, but I went crazy with the racing games the last time I was there. I’m a really bad driver, so crashing and veering off the road without any real consequences was a welcome change for me.

But more than that, I was really impressed with how much racing games have evolved to more interactive games. For example, the seat moved with each turn I made, and the whole chair would vibrate or lurch forward whenever I crashed into something (which happened pretty often.)

However, the OutRun AR project is totally in a league of its own, because it’s basically a video game that has been brought into the real world. This project of Garnet Hertz’s first made waves in 2009, and after a couple of years, he’s finally done with it.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Hertz, an informatics researcher from the University of California Irvin, made OutRun IRL a reality by incorporating the classic driving game into an electric golf cart that has been fitted with cameras and custom software that can roughly render what’s actually in front of you in using retro-style arcade graphics.

For the future, Hertz and his fellow researchers hope that their technology could somehow be used to create AR-based wheelchairs to help the disable and maybe even develop some video game-based therapy and remedies for disabled gamers.

[via Nowhere Else (FR) via Engadget]

Sega Taikan Mini Arcade Cabinets: Video Games for Mice

Technabob — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:39:01 +0000

Now that you’ve got your Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and Tetris retro mini arcade cabinets, it’s time to add to your tiny arcade collection with a few slightly newer games. These 4-inch long mini arcade games are modeled after classics from SEGA’s arcade hey-day.

The SEGA Taikan Game Collection is a complete set of classic sit-down arcade games including OutRun, Hang On, Space Harrier, Thunder Blade and a fifth “secret mystery game” (scroll down to see the mystery revealed). Actually, the way that they’re being packaged, they come in a set of six, so you’ll get a bonus duplicate game you can give to a friend – or in case the dog eats one of your micro-machines.

Expect the Taikan Game Collection to ship this December. You can pre-order a set over at NCSX for $48.90 (USD).

[photo via Hobby Media]

Sega Arcade Cabinets for Miniature Gamers

Alisha K. — Fri, 29 May 2009 12:00:20 +0000

For many of us, the days of arcades are long past (and if you’re lucky enough to have one nearby, cherish it!), but we remember plugging in all those quarters with a particular fondness. Well, prepare to have that fondness exploited, in the form of adorable miniature arcade cabinets.

Even if it were possible to count the number of hours I wasted on games like OutRun, I wouldn’t want to. The results would be less than glamorous (and might remind me that I could own that BMW by now if I’d saved all those quarters). Would I want a constant reminder of that on my desk? Yes, yes I would. It’s just so cute!

The Sega Taikan Game Collection will be available this fall, and includes five different games: Space Harrier, Super Hang-On, OutRun, Thunderblade and Afterburner. Now if only they were playable….

[Hobby Media via Retro Thing]