Microsoft Surface, D&D and PAX East 2010

A far more advanced version of Dungeon & Dragons on the upcoming Microsoft Surface was demoed at the Penny Arcade Expo in Boston this weekend.

Now we thought that the the Surface was going to be projection based, and the Philips Entertaible was the easier to use back-lit multi-touch display. But it seems that the Surface has also gone in this direction, too, using infrared to identify pieces and orientation.

This simply looks amazing. You should pay attention if you're not a D&D fan -- this could be the future for all board games. While we're sure that some titles will still be on your shelf with full fledged pieces, think of the potential for new game systems designed specifically for these touch surfaces. Expansions, new scenarios, user content, multiplayer over the interwebs, and *Gasp* the ability to save your game and play multi-session epic board games. Massive battles, long term narrative, play with friends across the country. The skies are the limit.

Of course this thing is going to be uber expensive when it ships, and yeah ... there is that grey cloud on the horizon. You have to believe the technology will be cheap enough for the mass market within a few years after release.

Come on technology!

Read More in: Board Games | Gaming News | RPGs

Share this Article with others:

Related Articles:

• Minion Games Adds 4 New Titles to Their Lineup - Oct 12, 2011
• Free Small World Expansion Links Base Game and Underground - Oct 04, 2011
• Mayfair Games Opens a Europe Distributor and Release Test of Fire - Sep 18, 2011

Came straight to this page? Visit Critical Gamers for all the latest news.