The new console, available on Kickstarter, makes mobile gaming more active and engaging through motion control and AI and encourages time outdoors
Danish tech and gaming start-up, UDU, today announces the launch of its UDU CONSOLE and the UDU GAMES app. The idea was born in 2018 when co-founder Asbjørn H. Christensen worked as a design and engineer intern at LEGO and realised that almost all the toys and games that kids and people play, forces them to sit still indoors. From this, UDU was founded in 2019 with a vision to turn inactive gaming into an active and outdoor activity which the UDU CONSOLE aims to do for kids and families alike.
Compatible with smartphones and tablets and with games constantly being added, it is a console that will provide a whole new attitude and experience to mobile gaming and is already a 2022 Platinum winner of the MUSE Produce Design Award.
The UDU CONSOLE is the first console for mobile gaming which enables immersive gaming experiences that can be outdoors and active. With 81% of the world’s kids and teens not being physically active enough, the console was developed to tackle this problem. The mobile games that can be played with the console are controlled with physical gestures and the next level motion detection understands the players movements through AI and translates these into meaningful gameplay. This makes the games much more immersive, active and fun to create a gaming experience that is filled with learning. The HD Haptics also make it possible to feel 1:1 what happens in the games through the vibration of a sword as it cuts through the air or the flow of the brush as it touches the canvas – whatever may be happening in the game will feel super real to anyone playing.
Not only featuring impressive AI and Haptics for gameplay, the console has a crisp and clear colour display, RGB LED’s, a trackpad, squeeze button and trigger button to make every game unique and cognitively logical to play. Beginning play is simple and users can just connect the UDU CONSOLE to any smartphone or tablet through Bluetooth and use the UDU GAMES app to access a universe of engaging customised games – most of these based on geo-location – with hundreds of hours of social, learning and entertaining play for kids, teens, adults and the whole family.
The first console to truly be made for the outdoors, it is designed to be sleek and compact whilst also being ergonomic and durable. The sleek console fits naturally into either hand and is incredibly intuitive to use. As an extra safety feature, it also comes with a wristband to keep it securely in the hand of any player – preventing any accidents when the game might be getting competitive and movements more erratic! The durable casing ensures that the console is water repellent and robust so it can be used outside without any worries of breaking if dropped on the floor, in a puddle or caught in a bit of rain.
Asbjørn’s co-founder Christoffer B. Christensen
With UDU, we set out with a team of industry experts to make an entertaining new gaming experience that is fun, active and outdoors.
Because you move and feel just like your game character, the play becomes so immersive and fun that you don’t even notice that you are moving around and burning calories outdoors.”
Available on Kickstarter from the 4th of October, backers can gain up to a 40% discount off the usual retail price of $199 for the UDU CONSOLE and 12 months of free subscription to the UDU GAMES app (normal price is a monthly fee of $10).
Backers can expect to get the product in around April 2023 with general sale planned for the summer.
Hopefully we will get a console in for a full review, closer to release.