Philips has announced amBX, a technology which is said to extend the gaming experience out into the real world.

amBX, developed by the Surrey based Philips amBX Group, is a technology that will take gamers a step closer to a full sensory experience, with amBX enabled games providing gamers with the ability to use light, colour, sound, heat and airflow in the real world during gameplay. The technology uses a scripting language to enable games to send signals to compatible hardware such as lights, fans, heaters, and even furniture. This means that in a game the lights in your room will match up to the environment you are gaming in. E.g. Green for jungle and blue for the ocean. Strobes of white light could simulate a lightning storm and a burst of air from a fan could make huge jumps feel more realistic.

"For games creators this is a fantastic opportunity: amBX expands the immersive experience by bringing the real world environment into the gameplay," said, Jo Cooke, Chief Marketing Officer, Philips amBX. "The creative possibilities, using this technology, for the games industry and beyond are immense."

Philips is currently at an advanced stage of discussions with a number of leading videogames developers and peripheral manufacturers and plans to officially launch the amBX technology in May 2006.