HP reveals gaming handheld, wants us to go outside

Computer company HP has just revealed a new handheld gaming unit called the MScape. This unit uses GPS location-based technology to make the actual world a sort of game arena.

The Sci Fi Tech blog says that "the handheld's screen acts kind of like a lens through which the real world is rendered just like a video game." It sounds like preset GPS locations trigger (flag) graphics or gameplay when the player comes across them. 

It makes more sense coming from HP: "Mediascapes are mobile, location–based experiences that incorporate digital media with the sights, sounds, and textures of the world around you. A mediascape blends digital images, video, audio and interactions with the physical landscape. Games, guided walks and tours, and destinations are among the mediascapes created so far. Download a mediascape onto a portable device, and see how your landscape comes alive as you move through the environment."

This is still just a prototype, and no production details have been released.

How do you feel about going outside, running around, and looking "through" a handheld game unit  to see the world? Would this be something you'd be interested in?

[via Gamasutra -- thanks, Justin]