Games Controlled By An Exercise Bike 323
Fidigit writes "I know that most people reading this won't be _that_ interested in exercise, but given there's tech with it ... What do you think about computer games controlled by an exercise bike in your house?
It sounds crazy, but it might just work." Update: 01/14 00:14 GMT by T : An anonymous reader points to another example of the same concept.
equilibrium (Score:2, Funny)
Paperboy! (Score:5, Funny)
exercise and video games (Score:2, Funny)
I wrote one! (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Nintendo mats? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:And this is new? (Score:5, Funny)
"tour" of famous cities + Disney parks, the speed of which varied by the speed I was pedaling."
Yep.
It was about as exciting as the movie Rollerball.
I bet these things would have been a hit if they played porn instead. "If I pedal backwards, she becomes a virgin!"
Better idea (Score:4, Funny)
Diabelch III, brought to you by Donutech. "Mmmm... Sprinkles..."
maybe a chance (Score:2, Funny)
Slashdot really needs to cath up... (Score:4, Funny)
Wow, exercise bicycles with video games attached to them? I can't wait until Slashdot covers Rob the Video Robot!
Not all it's hyped up to be... (Score:2, Funny)
Well, the company who was developing the software/technology to do this was pretty much clueless. They developed a custom 3D engine that looked worst than the original Doom (no 3d hardware, just software) with some ugly, ugly courses. Crashes were common and nobody ever used the bikes in our gym (we had a full gym for employees to use)
The hardware had problems too. You had to hook up magnets to your wheels and run wires from the bike to the computer to let it know how fast you were peddling... but the problem was that a lot of bikes weren't easily adaptable and you would have to pretty much hack the hardware to get it on the bike... and then the rotation speed would be off during races, etc. A memorable instance was a demonstration on Good Day LA between the 3 hosts - the 2 chicks and the old guy... well, they were racing and one of the hosts was going like 10x faster than everybody else... lapping the other hosts because of the hardware related problem. All on live TV - It was funny
Funny thing is that my boss had told me about this new tech they had been shown... using bikes for movement and plugging it into a PSX! He said they had been playing RoadRash. Over 18 months later it looks like they might have actually come out with the product.
Exercise Video Game (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Nintendo mats? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:At You Local Gym (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Paperboy! (Score:1, Funny)
Re:And this is new? (Score:5, Funny)
Bug Report 1821: Evidently problem with voltage regulator. Went into high gear, and received 3rd degree burns.
Bug Report 1822: Need to improve quality control at molding department. Metal support wire occasionally pokes through soft rubber parts.
Bug Report 1823: When movie-controller BSODs, evidently the pressure system gets locked on "Maximum".
Re:equilibrium (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Slashdot really needs to cath up... (Score:3, Funny)
How many Slashdotters do you think have seen the inside of a gym in the past decade or so?
Pedal your way through a game of Joust... (Score:2, Funny)
Joust [yesterdayland.com] would lend itself quite well to the pedal-for-your-life concept.
Now, if somebody would just brew up an easy interface for MAME [mame.net], we'd be set!
Re:Not news (Score:2, Funny)
I've been using a minoura and the TV. When the commercials come on I spin up. I'm counting on the networks increasing their advertising to make my sessions tougher:)
I'd hate to smell (Score:3, Funny)