Last year, a dedicated team of conjurers in Dell Technologies’ Experience Innovation studios broke the mould of the PC gaming experience by introducing Concept Nyx – an edge gaming concept that provides easy access to gaming libraries across multiple devices and screens, allowing players to effortlessly move their gaming session around the home. This year, the team has expanded its experiments to investigate ways to make gaming libraries more accessible than ever before.
One controller to rule them all
Real-time strategy and MMO (massively multiplayer online) games rely heavily on the keyboard and mouse, which have long been at the centre of PC gaming. Then, console-style controllers began to appear next to PCs, giving simplicity and a couch-friendly appearance but lacking much in precise control. A superior, redesigned controller that was created with today’s gamers’ demands in mind was necessary.
The first concepts included special add-ons, a tonne of buttons and sensors, as well as a modular structure that could be disassembled and altered to suit the needs of each game. What if, though, the controller recognised the user from others at home and launched back immediately after being picked up? What if, rather, the controller optimised itself based on the game being played?
Enter Concept Nyx Game Controller.
This notion is one way for Dell to evaluate technology that can aid future experience roadmaps. The quantity of features packed into this prototype is astounding. At first glance, it may appear to be just another controller, but upon closer inspection, you will notice numerous unique characteristics are never before seen on a PC gaming controller.
Personalised settings and material might be right at the user’s fingertips. A sophisticated fingerprint scanner could instantly boot the user into Guild Wars 2 and broadcast to any additional devices or displays simply pointing the controller at them and pushing the trigger. As an alternative, there is a voice command capability.
Dell is working with haptics and self-adjusting variable resistance thumb sticks that may be adjusted to players’ tastes or the exact game they are playing. Whether operating a tank, hunting with a bow, or fighting robots, the thumb sticks and X-triggers may provide players with rich sensory feedback. Shift buttons to allow for additional front button possibilities, clever scroll wheels for simple navigation and weapon cycling, and an intelligent touchpad for rapid access to configurable controls are all included in this design, making it easier to stay out of the settings menu and remain in the game.
It can be difficult to keep track of the many gaming controls across different titles, therefore Dell combined the controller with fully configurable intelligent on-screen controls and overlays to display the button mapping. There is no need to guess if the X-button is set to shields or grenades with this feature.
No More Tug of War
Remember the battle between the gamer and the television binger? Because the built-in Wi-Fi connection straight to Concept Nyx allows everyone in the home to comfortably multitask and browse chat applications, emails, movies, or games on intuitive split-screens, the white flag may well be raised in the future. Even better, connect one (or two) Bluetooth headsets and game on half of the screen while the other half watches a movie – or, even better, play two games!
The Concept Nyx dashboard has also been enhanced and made simpler so that users can rapidly access games and see what their friends are playing. With the freedom to game with and around others in the same room, Dell is experimenting with new shared experiences that might bring families and friends closer together. Dell wants parents and the upcoming generation of gamers to enjoy and share future gaming experiences. To help in this, Dell created some cutting-edge dashboards and parenting tools that let parents watch, engage with, and converse with their kids.
All play and no work? AI solutions for hybrid life
Finally, have you ever had the want to be in two locations at once? When you’re multitasking, perhaps finishing off work while keeping one eye on a game or a movie, the phone rings. What if a user could activate an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant in addition to the split screen features to listen in for their name or pick up on when someone asks them a question so they don’t miss anything crucial? What if the call also included captions so that users could quickly scan them for more context when they were asked to respond?
It may appear to be one of the most bold experiments to date, but the merging of work and play is real, therefore Dell will continue to investigate how AI may aid effortlessly shift between jobs and environments.
What next for Concept Nyx?
Gaming pioneers immersive experiences, and these investigations served as the foundation for the creation of Concept Nyx’s intelligent edge ecosystem beyond gaming. As players, Dell is excited to push the boundaries of intuitive gaming experiences and hopes to apply what they’ve learned to future portfolios. Stay tuned for further info!