Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday showed off innovations it said were at the heart of a plan to become a major player in the multi-billion dollar computer game market.

HP used a San Francisco art and film studio as the setting to demonstrate gaming creations that sprang from collaboration with engineers at VoodooPC, a Canada-based premier computer game company HP bought in September of 2006.

HP has its sights set on winning computer game business from rival US computer maker Dell.

HP said it would begin selling computer game gear later this year featuring innovations such as mobile technologies that make dashing about outside part of the play.

HP was targeting mobile, online and computer gaming and did not intend to go compete with video game consoles made by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo.

Technologies demonstrated by HP Labs included a curved computer display designed to "immerse" gamers in action and a way to incorporate city streets in games played on the move with wireless handheld devices.