FUTURISTIC FUN

The Client And The Brief

Immersive Activations engaged Concept Evolution to design and develop the next generation of its gaming systems. The aim was an interactive gaming experience for users of all ages, built into a console that housed the latest technology but also robust enough to stand up to public use.

The system was to be a modular entertainment console capable of multiple configurations, so the same product could work across a range of settings, including shopping centres, airports and sporting clubs.

The Challenge

A gaming console for public spaces must do several jobs at once. It needs to house a large amount of hardware, survive constant use by the public, securely take payments, and still look good enough that venues want to install it in their premises, and people want to walk up and use it.

On top of that, we needed one design that could be modified to suit very different locations. A unit that works up against a column in a shopping centre also had to work in the corner of an airport or in the games room of a sporting club, which meant the console could not be a single fixed shape. It had to be modular, so it could be reconfigured to suit the space without redesigning the product each time.

What We Designed And Developed

Concept Evolution designed a modular entertainment console with a visually engaging look, built to be set up in more than one configuration.

We designed and developed all the custom parts that give the console its unique form, including:

• Extrusions

• Die castings

• Vacuum  formings

• Sheet metal

• Custom lighting

The design also integrates a large amount of hardware into the console, including:

• 32-inch touch screen

• Motion sensor and webcam

• Directional speaker

• Media engine

• Multiple payment devices

Bringing all of this together in one enclosure, while keeping it easy to use and good to look at, was a key challenge for our design team.

Key Design Decisions

Because Immersive Activations wanted the option of multi-player configurations but needed it to suit a diverse range of spaces across shopping centres, airports and sporting clubs, a single fixed unit would not have worked, so the console was designed to be modular from the start.  Multiple configurations let one product serve different venues without a new design for each.

The enclosure also had to carry a full suite of hardware. Fitting a 32-inch touch screen, motion sensor, webcam, directional speaker, media engine and several payment devices into one console meant designing the internal layout and the outer form together, so the technology fit and the unit still presented as a clean, inviting product.

Multiple payment devices were built in so the console could take different payment types, which matters for a commercial unit that has to suit the payment preferences of different customers.

The custom extrusions, die castings, vacuum formings and lighting were chosen to give the console a distinct look that suited the "futuristic" theme, and not just your average  off-the-shelf cabinet.

Capabilities Used

This project drew on:

• New Product Development (/new-product-development)

• Design and Engineering (/design-engineering)

• Visual Design and Product Visualisation (/product-visualisation-visual-design)

• Prototyping and Manufacturing (/prototyping-manufacturing-services)

The design, documentation, assembly and testing were carried out Concept Evolution’s workshop at Taren Point. Specific manufacturing processes, such as the die castings, extrusions and vacuum formed parts, were produced through Concept Evolution's vast network of trusted manufacturing partners.

The Concept To Production Pathway

The console followed Concept Evolution's typical path from idea to finished product. The brief was reviewed and refined, the design was developed in form and function, multiple rounds of prototypes were built and tested, then the custom parts and hardware integration were finalised so the console could be produced and put into public venues.

The Outcome

The result is a truly unique modular arcade gaming console that can be reconfigured for different environments and carries a full suit of interactive hardware, from a 32 inch touch screen to motion sensing, sound, a media engine and payment. It gives Immersive Activations a single product that suits shopping centres, airports and sporting clubs, and that can be set up to fit each space.