While at the World Cyber Games US Open Gaming Tournament at the Time Warner Center Mall last weekend, I tried out the Philips amBX gaming peripherals, which include a light effects set, speakers, a vibration pad for your keyboard, and fans that blow in your face. The amBX comes in various kits: the Starter kit ($199.99 at retail from Micro Center) includes the light effect, ProGamer ($299.99) adds the sound effects, and the Premium ($399.99) adds the vibration and air effects. The amBX gaming peripherals are an unconventional concept, but for gaming purposes, the lighting seems superfluous and distracting to me.
The lighting set incorporates an advanced lighting system that changes colors based on what's happening in the game. Each device has multiple lamps with LED lights; Philips claims that they can flash over 16 million colors. For example, in Call of Duty 4, players start to see red when they're shot. When I played Call of Duty 4 with the amBX connected, the lights suddenly glowed red as well, to help give me the same feeling my character had in-game. The lighting system can also be used for a party, as the system responds to your choice of music with a coordinated light show.
More details, and video of amBX in action, after the jump.
The speaker system has a 2.1 sound system, with satellites and an 80W subwoofer. Given the fact that I tried this out at a display in a mall, the sound was good and I was able to hear most of the game amid the mall's busy commotion.
My favorite amBX add-on, though, is the rumble pad, which sits beneath your keyboard and acts as a hand rest. When I shot my rifle in the game, I felt the pad vibrate (similar to the feeling you get with certain console controllers).
For me, the extra fan system was annoying. It has fans with variable speed control up to 5,000 rpm. Every time a grenade went off in front of me or bullets were flying past my face, the fans blew gusts of air on me. While it's a cool realistic effect, it was also a distraction from the game.
Overall, amBX is a suitable and satisfying concept for gamers who want to get the fullest and most fun experience from their games. I wouldn't recommend it to professional gamers, though, because the light show may throw your vision off while you're tracking targets in an FPS. In addition, the distracting fans could draw your attention for a crucial second, which could result in losing a game. The rumble pad, though, geeky as it is, adds to the fun of the gaming experience and I'd keep that.
It's hard to say which particular group of gamers Philips is trying to target with the amBX. If the company had added a rumble mouse with multiple buttons and 2,000 dpi, I think that gamers would be much more satisfied.
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June 3, 2008 3:08 PM
I found a flexible and lower cost ambient reality effects system at http://www.arfx.nl
Got it powering my gaming desk and arcade cabinet.
Worth checking out!!