Nintendo's E3 Show Floor Booths Revealed: Haptic Technology is Coming
Three new Wii U demo booths and floor displays have been revealed. Two of them are simply called "Action" (being run by Tecmo Koei, it's most likely Ninja Gaiden 3), Racing by Maximum Family Games LLC (no idea, most likely not very interesting), and one more truly surprising one - a "Peripherals" section provided by ViviTouch. For those who are unaware, ViviTouch does one thing and one thing only, and they're the leaders in their field - provide haptic screen technology. To refresh anyone's memory, haptic screen technology is the tech that actually allows you to feel the screen as different textures (like fur or metal), and it was heavily rumored to be a part of Nintendo's then unknown new system all through spring of last year - and unless Vivitouch has randomly decided to completely change its mission statement and product line, the Wii U is getting some haptic action.
Haptic technology is a very complicated thing to master, but it's considered to be unbelievably immersive. ViviTouch's lineup has won numerous awards for its stunning technology shown at various events such as CES, and has been met with some seriously great reactions. This kind of technology could be a surprisingly big boon for Nintendo - I can only imagine what they could do with adding the sense of touch onto sight and sound (as already mentioned, Nintendogs would be a completely new experience). Haptic tech could be the miracle reveal at E3 that completely shifts perception of the Wii U to universal praise. The ability to not only see and hear the game world but actually feel it sounds just like something that Nintendo would embrace, and would be a natural step forward in their continuing line of new game experiences.