Light, Colour, Sound, Rumble, Air Flow, Action!

Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway and Far Cry 2 are two games due for release this year, under Ubisoft's label. The French company responsible for the two titles has recently signed an agreement with Philips to enable its products with the latter's amBX technology (short for ambient experiences). amBX delivers full 'surround senses' using light, colour, sound, rumble and even air flow through enabled devices.

"In striving to create high quality games, incorporating the most innovative technologies to produce the best possible gaming experience is of fundamental importance to Ubisoft," commented Vincent Greco, Worldwide Production Technical Coordinator, Ubisoft. "With amBX we can enhance the immersive experience, adding a new dimension to our games."

AmBX is a technology developed by Philips which uses auxiliary devices such as rumble generators, ambient coloured lights, and fans to supplement the audio-visual experience of movies or videogames. Software support is achieved through a bespoke scripting language, and the hardware which presents the results is scalable, according to Wikipedia.

Incorporating amBX in Ubisoft's games will create a huge arsenal of real world effects and experiences using air movement, light and rumble. Variable speed fan effects will simulate wind speed from soldier movement on foot, in the air and in vehicles, as well as punches or airbursts from explosions and object collision. LED light effects will deliver directional light - across a 16 million colour range - to indicate danger, bullet and shrapnel impact. Rumble effects will of course create distinct tyre and track rumble from different vehicle types, a wide range of weapon recoil effects and the thud and shock of being on the receiving end of a bullet, grenade or bomb.

"Working with one of the world's largest publishers on two of the most successful gaming franchises of all time is an amazing opportunity for our amBX technology to really shine in front of a worldwide audience," commented Jo Cooke, Chief Marketing Officer, Philips amBX. "Brothers in Arms Hell's Highway and Far Cry 2 are titles that will showcase just how powerful and in your face amBX effects can be in a war game. This is just the start of the alliance between amBX and Ubisoft and the level of our co-marketing with Ubisoft will underline our dedication to bringing all-new ambient effects to world class games."

As confirmed by the report, all the amBX effects will be running throughout both gameplay and the cinematic cut scenes as far as Brothers in Arms Arms Hell's Highway is concerned. Here's where you can find a full list of amBX-enabled, modded and FXGenerator compatible games.