Star Wars: Battle Pod to be unveiled by Bandai Namco

It was 31 years ago, when Atari released the original ‘Star Wars’ arcade game. Obviously, a lot has changed in gaming since then; namely those kaleidoscopic arcades making way for personalized gaming systems like PCs and consoles. But Japanese game publisher Bandai Namco it seems, has still not given up on the glorious heydays of ‘social’ video gaming. Their Amusement section is all set to release the Star Wars: Battle Pod, a boisterous arcade machine that promises to bring back all the vehicular goodies from the science fiction realm.

In that regard, the big contraption will allow you to virtually pilot all the renowned crafts from the Star Wars universe, including the X-wing, a speeder bike, a snow-speeder, the TIE Advanced starfighter, and even the gargantuan Millennium Falcon. And as a ‘cherry on the top’, all of your space navigational exploits will mirror the famous movie battle scenes (like the exalted Death Star run) – thus giving additional incentive to long-time Star Wars ~~fanboys~~ aficionados.

Now of course, all of these nifty features are more or less expected. However, where the Star Wars: Battle Pod would truly shine, hints at the advanced haptic feedback of the arcade system. To that end, the pilot seat you will be perching on, will make its motions in accordance with the virtual flurry and destruction on the screen. Additionally, the controllers will also twitch, while specialized fans located above will blast air at you to bring out the ‘authentic’ flair of space mayhem.

As for the visual side of affairs, the tactile attributes will be aptly complemented by the humongous dome screen that stretches to both the sides. In essence, you will be flanked by the ‘inclusive’ display – with the enveloping scope rather accentuating on the overall level of interactivity. So, all in all, the force is surely strong with the Star Wars: Battle Pod – which will make its debut in US (and then the rest of the world) by early 2015.