Earlier this month PC maker HP had a press event that showed off several technology prototypes that were promoted for gaming purposes. FiringSquad got in touch with Rahul Sood, founder of VoodooPC and HP's Chief Technology Officer for their gaming unit to find out more about these new prototypes and how they will improve PC gaming:

FiringSquad: First, HP has decided to really get into gaming for the PC, first with the purchase of your company VoodooPC. Why do you think HP believes gaming is an important part of their strategy?

Rahul Sood: HP has been a quiet leader in the gaming space for a long time with our blade servers and workstations, and being a strong player in the gaming space has long been a part of HP’s strategy. The acquisition of VoodooPC has locked HP into the market even tighter – merging the gaming DNA from Voodoo with the R&D in HP Labs gives us a more focused strategy to be a more visible leader.

One of the key reasons HP has put gaming at the forefront is we recognize that gamers are early adopters love leading edge technologies. HP can commercialize our innovative technologies for gamers, and then spread them to our other products as they scale and become more economical. Voodoo gives HP a strategic position in the gaming market to move on this strategy, along with the DNA to do it exceptionally well. …and as you know, HP Labs is one of the leading sources of innovation in the world.

FiringSquad: At the press event earlier in April HP showed off prototypes of several upcoming technologies. One of them was the curved display that was simulated at CES. What can you tell us about this product?

Rahul Sood: Using multiple, inexpensive projectors, Panoply creates a seamless, curved display that fills a gamer’s field of view, increasing realism and immersion. The image is created using a fast, automatic, camera-assisted calibration process that avoids the need for precise projector aiming. Beyond gaming, Panoply could be used for a wide range of other applications, including remote collaboration, home theater and scientific visualization. It is being considered for use in HP’s Halo telepresence product. The bottom line is what you saw was a prototype – and we have the ability to scale this to any size we want. This is where dreams become reality.

FiringSquad: How hard will it be for game developers to make games that will support this technology and has HP talked with developers about having games that will take advantage of the technology?

Rahul Sood: Well, let’s just say it’s as easy as creating additional content for a wider screen display. The display drivers work without an issue, now it’s up to the game developers if they want to create more content and tools for the gamer. At the same time we have the ability to use multiple inputs on this display so the possibilities are endless. Again this is a prototype, we are still exploring ideas.

FiringSquad: The press event also revealed a new projector that is being marketed to gamers. Can you talk more about this technology?

Rahul Sood: Pluribus is a core enabling technology that combines the power of multiple inexpensive projectors to quickly and automatically create a scalable “super-projector” capable of high resolution, great brightness, deep contrast, high frame rate and a wide color gamut. Pluribus could have a significant impact on display markets including gaming, digital cinema, event projection, collaboration and visualization. Again we can scale this to any size we want.

FiringSquad: HP also showed a handheld unit that can be used to create a kind of virtual world via real world locations. Can you talk more about this device?

Rahul Sood: Essentially we have a long term vision that mobile will become more physical, more interactive, and more immersive. What better way to experience such immersion than with your own physical being? The fact is kids are starting gaming at a much younger age than when we were growing up, and games are more addictive. It’s time to get them off the couch.

Mscape is a way to lay multimedia digital experiences – including text, audio and video -- on a physical landscape, creating a “mediascape” that enriches the experience of interacting with a specific location. Pocket PCs or cell phones equipped with GPS or other sensing technologies provide users with a way to detect and access information from the world around them. Applications could include gaming, education, tourism and location-based services.

FiringSquad: Are there any games in the works that will actually use this handheld technology?

Rahul Sood: We have some prototype games that we’ve developed at HP Labs to conceptually demonstrate the possibilities of the Mscape technology. Again, this is a prototype and we’re showcasing the possibilities to our partners.

FiringSquad: When will the curved display, the projector and the handheld unit be released for consumers?

Rahul Sood: We have pulled some IP out of HP Labs for demonstration purposes only, to show a vision of virtual worlds merging with reality, coffee tables that are also gaming surfaces using touch, and high-end racing simulators with immersive curved displays. These demonstrations are concepts and we have not announced any products yet.

FiringSquad: HP also announced plans to launch a more affordable series of gaming PC products. Can you tell us more about the reasoning behind launching a new product line and how will it differ from VoodooPC’s products besides its price?

Rahul Sood: At the HP Gaming Summit in April, we did not announce any new products. What I did say is that we have recognized a gap between the HP branded and the Voodoo branded product lines and we plan to fill that gap in the near future. As I said, we are looking for ways to pull IP out of HP Labs and commercialize our innovative technologies for the enthusiast market. We believe our roadmap is compelling, and when we start to launch products you will see and feel the difference.

The reason we are confident that our roadmap is pretty tight is simple: HP did not put a bunch of middle age men in a room (picture it) and say “hey fellas, let’s start being cool and edgy” …. Instead they acquired VoodooPC, and under Phil McKinney we at the HP Gaming team have inspired one-another to believe that it can be done – and now we’re really doing cool things. I mean really frickin cool.

FiringSquad: At a panel during the press event Trion World Network founder Lars Butler stated, "I believe the days of the console are numbered. There is one more generation of gaming consoles and that's it." Do you also believe that improving PCs for gaming will also spell the death of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo's game business?

Rahul Sood: Almost all of our customers own consoles as well as personal computers. HP is working with mobile, online and computer gaming technologies and we have no intentions to compete with video game consoles made by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo.

I think Lars has a very compelling vision for connected gaming – I have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times, and he has a unique perspective of the industry. We expect big things from his company in the future – did you know the guy who created Might and Magic is on his team? Yeah, I got to meet him J that was really cool.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about HP's plans for PC gaming?

Rahul Sood: I have always held nothing but the utmost respect for my competition. The big problem is that everyone is doing the same stuff these days. There’s nothing different happening out there. There is only so many ways you can paint a PC before you have to ask yourself “WTF am I doing here?”

Historically Voodoo has always been a leader. We were the company that changed the way the industry built PCs – taking the detail from the inside out. We were the company that first introduced liquid cooling in production (in fact, we introduced Cool-it to the world and now everyone is using them). We were the company that first introduced a fanless-PC to the market, which we played a key role in the development. We have always tried to differentiate and sometimes it’s been challenging.

Now, under HP, the possibilities are endless. Thanks to the management team you can literally feel the positive energy in our research and manufacturing facilities. HP is buzzing again, and it feels great to be on a winning team. Did I mention we’re hiring?

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