 "HP to Expand Its Gaming PC Lineup")
Hewlett Packard (HP) is reportedly expanding its line of gaming PCs and is developing a series of new gaming concepts, the first of which was unveiled at a company event in San Francisco. HP showcased new mobile gaming platforms, as well as PC-controlled projection systems and a touch-screen system built into a table, saying that the prototype products typify its strategy to explore new avenues in gaming, along with improving the ways existing games are developed and presented.
The company showed off the ‘Misto’, a home computing device that looks like a coffee table with a built-in touch screen. Misto would be marketed as a gaming platform for families and social gatherings, which enables users sitting around a table, to view photos and movies or play touch-screen games together.
Another product unveiled at the event is the ‘Mscape,’ a mobile platform that uses multiple sensors to trigger events on a mobile device such as PDAs, cell phones or portable gaming consoles. The demonstration showed that Mscape’s sensors are scattered throughout a large area so that when gamers approach the sensors, they trigger an event in the game. For instance, a sensor could function as a bonus object that provides additional power, or serve as an obstacle or activate a puzzle that the gamer has to solve.
A third HP Labs project that the company said would appeal to gamers, links up two or more low cost projects to create high quality image from a regular PC. This system is designed to support anything from high-end business projectors to tiny micro projector systems to produce a high-quality screen with a minimal amount of setup and installation.
In addition to projects, HP is also looking to expand its gaming presence by building a lineup of gaming PCs. The firm acquired Voodoo, a maker of high-end gaming PCs, last year and now plans to introduce its line of mid-range gaming PCs under the Voodoo brand. These new systems aim to cater to gamers requiring better performance than HP’s consumer machines but lack the money for a high-performance Voodoo system that is priced up to $10,000.
However, HP also emphasized that it won’t enter into the highly competitive market of gaming consoles.