"By Daniel Bates
Last updated at 8:37 AM on 19th January 2011
A software developer has created the next big stink in interactive gaming - a modern day ‘Smell-O-Vision’ for your console.
The ScentScape plugs into your computer or games machine and emits a variety of odours whenever you play a game.
If your character is crawling around the forest, for example, the unmistakable whiff of pine flows out of its filter.
Watch 'N' Sniff: The ScentScape plugs into your computer or console and emits appropriate smells as you play a game
Should you find yourself at sea, the smell of the water will be instantly delivered by the ‘personal scent delivery system’.
The ScentScape has around 20 pre-loaded smells and is programmed to respond to exactly what is happening on screen.
But its makers hope that the in-built editing application will allow gamers to make their own scents and share them with other users.
The $69.99 (£44) device, from California-based Scent Sciences, has a ‘volume control’ feature to ensure you are not overwhelmed by the fumes.
Additional ‘smell cartridges’ such as holiday and summer mean it will also be possible to add smells to home videos.
Other cartridges could be created for aromatherapy and other applications.
‘ScentScape is an innovative digital scent delivery system which provides the extra dimension of scent to gaming, entertainment and other consumer markets,’ Scent Sciences says on its website.
‘Scent Sciences' technologies enriches the user experience by layering scents to enhance immersion and presence with unique delivery hardware, software and services.
‘Simply connect the Plug-N-Play unit to any compatible PC or gaming console for an instant experience of sight, sound and smell.’
Technicians have for years tried to find a way to combine smell with vision, often with ridiculous consequences.
Director Hans Laube made the most celebrated foray into what he called ‘Smell-O-Vision’ with his 1960 film Scent of Mystery in which 30 different smells were injected into the cinema via specially designed tubes next to the seats.
Walt Disney also toyed with the idea for Fantasia in the 1950s but balked at the cost.
More recently Japanese researchers claimed a breakthrough when they used regular home computer printers and replaced the ink with various scented liquids, forcing the scents through the inkjets to produce aromas, like grapefruit, lavender and cinnamon.
Arguably the most durable effort in the field was Scratch ‘N’ Sniff which was patches in magazines and newspapers which emitted an odour once a label was pulled or scratched off.
The craze began in the 1970s and lasted around 20 years before manufacturers started giving away free samples instead.
Scent Sciences plans to begin selling the ScentScape later this year and is currently in talks with developers about how it can be used for games and other applications."
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