The DenDama kickstarter thread got me thinking, what would a future-tech kendama experience be like? What do you think? Be as realistic, or far-fetched sci-fi as you would like! The Dendama aims to allow people in remote locations to play kendama against eachother in realtime, by mapping the tricks that are completed, and connecting users through an app. Imagine the pinnacle of a product like this: something that perfectly tracks your play, and communicates it to someone in a far-off land, so it's very much like you're playing in the same room. What about VR technology where we can paint the kendama with a certain something so that it can be tracked and displayed to another person? That way you can play next to eachother in a sort of augmented reality VR. I saw a video with the basics of that sorta tech being displayed. We just need some cameras that can map stuff in extreme detail in realtime!
For the not-so-distant future, i do see a kendama game of sorts on the Nintendo Switch becoming a possibility! In the far flung feature, the aesthetics of the game should remain relatively similar (still using wood, i hope) but small improvements, like piezoelectric sensors in the cups to power the 3-axis accelerometers, tactile (vibration) feedback and wireless connectivity to your mobile device(s), then putting you on a virtual leaderboard, in hopes that even the people at the farthest corners of the earth could compete with everyone else. Heck, i could even use this tech to provide lessons to people around the globe! Imagine me landing a small cup. The piezoelectric sensors will capture the strength of the ball landing on the cup, accelerometers will capture the movement of the ken and tama, then these signals will be sent almost immediately to the other end of the globe, where vibratory feedback will be received on the ken, indicating which cup was landed, and how strong the ball landed on the cup, and the accelerometer data shows up on a computer screen, or tablet device or smartphone. I babble too much, indeed. (I know that i've pretty much described the Dendama, but this has some improvements over it.)
I really like the thought of the dendama with a vr experience. I feel like we are trekking into some amazing things in the future of kendama.
I really like the idea, but the traditional feeling of a "real" kendama get's lost I think. Just my 2 Cents
Dendama has so much potential. I'm imagining that, but still easy enough to play with that advanced tricks aren't impossible on it, with sensors accurate enough to track the most minuscule movements or adjustments. It's honestly hard to imagine what it could turn into...but for now, kendama's perfect how it is. Beautifully simplistic. That's my actual favorite thing about it.
If they could somehow make regular kendamas (wood ones or even a Rez) function like a Dendama, that'd be perfect. The fact that kendama right now is just pieces of wood is one of my favorite things about it. It's a simple yet complicated toy. Take the technology (with improvements of course) and online playing aspect of Dendama and the simplistic wooden aspect of kendama and that would be cool for me.
Just like the Xbox video thing: when you scanned your skateboard in. Scan in your Kendama, slap on vr glasses. something like a slayband that has enough sensors in it, that it can be attached to any dama, without having to use a specifically made one, and also doesn't change your dama too much.
for me VR will be very weird XD pretty much people may think that the person playing it is a whacko of some sorth hahaha well i also thought of that. but there will be some sort of product that can make your current set-up recognizable by the app. i was thinking some stickers that can be placed in the dama & will serve as points for MoCap. that way it is still relatively accurate as the actual dendama
Theres many variables that take place if the Dendama is not wood -not being able to hone in on stalls -the weight of the overall "dendama" -durability just tiny things like that ya know could effect overall experience
You're talking as if people on VR don't look crazy already lol. As far as VR goes, I want to see a controller that's shaped like a kendama, and you can play virtually, even change the size of the dama while in game, not that changing sizes would be relevant to skill, but it would be funny. I like what @htimSxelA said about the painting idea. Technically you could already use some painting apps for the VR system to paint kendamas just not in real-time yet and with friends.
100% agree. I love technological advancement but what makes Kendama incredible to me is the simplicity of it all. There is no doubt in my mind that if the program gets funded that Dendama will change the game but I don't know if the community is quite there yet.