No Smells On Consoles For "Decades"

21 May 2009 at 12:41:57 by

Earlier this week we reported it could be five years before we start smelling games.

Talking to IncGamers, Professor Bob Stone, research director at Birmingham University's Human Factors Integration Defence Technology Centre has said that the "delivery mechanism is clunky" and the "technology doesn't work, not at the moment anyway."

Although the research is being carried out for the Ministry of Defence, there were whispers of the technology coming to consoles.

"As long as you've got something that needs to be physically wafted at the human face you'll have delivery problems because it's going to be noisy, clunky and you'll not be able to remove the smell."

When asked if the technology would hinder gameplay, Professor Stone said that he struggles to see how smell can add anything to games at the moment.

"If you can create great content which makes your hairs stand on end using visuals and music, then what's the smell going to add to that?"

Professor Stone does say there might be a possibility to include systems which release smells that don't linger for too long, or mix with others which could enhance gameplay, such as weapons discharge, but it's unlikely anything more will come of it.

"With current levels of technology and, bearing in mind the complexity of how smell is linked to memory, spacial awareness and even emotion, I can't see how it's going to be used."

"We're looking at 20 to 30 years before this technology works."

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