MARC SALTZMAN
Province
get good vibrations from the DBox
roll with the punches in the Renegade chair
Prevent crow’s feet with the Vuzix iwear
It’s not enough that today’s home theatres include a huge high-definition display, surround sound speakers and Internet-connected video game consoles — specialty chairs are now available to help you get even more out of your digital entertainment.
The following are a few gadgets to help you enjoy your movies, music and video games.
For the movie fanatic: D-Box
You’ve heard of the Xbox, but how about the D-Box? Created by the Longueuil, Que.-based D-Box Technologies Inc., the D-Box Motion Code system lets you feel your favourite flicks from head to toe. These high-end living room armchairs ($10,000 for Screening Room series; d-box.com) are powered with an electromechanical ride system that makes them tilt, raise and vibrate according to what’s happening in the movie. (Also required is a D-Box Motion Controller, for $3,000, which must be installed and hooked up to a Blu-ray disc or DVD player, a TV and the Internet.) Pop in one of the more than 850 supported flicks (and counting) and the controller reads and syncs the instructions to the D-Box seat so it can move along with the film.
For hardcore gamers: Renegade
While Nintendo Wii gamers might prefer to stand to get into the action, serious Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC-loving couch potatoes can pick up a geeky specialty gamer’s chair that houses 12 vibrating motors, designed for you to feel every bump and grind in racing games or every shot fired in 3D shooters. Compatible with all major consoles and computers, the grey-and-black plush Renegade Game Chair ($249.99; ThePlaydiumStore.com) from Ultimate Game Chair, Inc. also includes stereo speakers mounted to the headrest and fun extras such as a huge cup holder and co-ordinated lighting effects that flash while playing..
Squint-buster: Vuzix iWear
If you don’t have the room for any of these crazy contraptions, perhaps you’d prefer something a little more intimate? Don’t risk getting crow’s feet by squinting to see video on your iPod’s teeny screen. Instead, plug in the Vuzix iWear AV920 glasses ($349.99; www.vuzix.com), slip them over your face and lean back to watch a simulated 157-centimetre display, viewed from 2.7 metres away. Be sure to check the website for iPod compatibility, but they also work well with other portable media players, portable DVD players, camcorders and gaming consoles.