Augmented Reality to Make Mobiles More Immersive
When tech fans aren’t discussing the latest innovations in the virtual reality (VR) realms, they’re probably talking about its lesser known brother: augmented reality (AR).
Often seen as a complement to VR but very much a growing industry in its own right, augmented reality is slowly gaining traction in the mobile world and that’s helping to create some interesting opportunities.
Indeed, one of the most exciting products to hit the market in recent months has come courtesy of Japan’s iconic gaming brand Nintendo. Despite being a relative newcomer to the mobile gaming scene (Miitomo was the company’s first mobile game), Nintendo has slipped straight into the AR market with Pokémon Go.
Japan Enters the Mobile AR Movement
Based on the 2012 AR game Ingress, Pokémon Go is a game where players must travel to new locations and collect creatures, train them for battle and then win fights to earn points. While the premise of the game isn’t anything new, the way in which players travel around the Pokémon Go universe is.
Because the game uses a Smartphone’s camera and sensors, as well as location-based algorithms, players can literally walk around the local area and find virtual creatures. By harnessing AR’s ability to overlay virtual worlds onto physical objects, Nintendo has created a game that’s the perfect combination of reality and virtual reality.
Although the latest Japanese innovation isn’t the first of its kind, the fact Nintendo is now an active player in the AR market could be significant. Whenever a major company takes an interest in new technology it often makes it a mainstream hit. For example, when Facebook bought Oculus Rift for $2 billion it took the VR headset from a niche hit to a global phenomenon.
While Nintendo might not have as much power as Facebook does in this regard, it certainly has enough of a mainstream appeal to show people the power of AR. With this in mind, we thought we’d run through a few industries that could benefit from integration of AR and smartphones:
Gaming Greats to Become More Immersive
One industry that will obviously use mobile AR is the gaming world. Classic options such as logic and platform games will benefit from AR, but the technology will also probably leak into other areas of the industry.
Online casino operators jumped on the mobile bandwagon a long time ago and now they are already showing an interest in the world of altered reality. Software developer Microgaming has already trialled a VR Roulette game, and meanwhile the possibilities of AR mean a site like 32Red Japan could explore new options.
For example, inside http://www.32red.com/jp/ users can access a variety of blackjack games which can also be played on mobile devices. Vegas Strip Blackjack Gold is one of the most popular variants 32Red Japan offers as it combines the basic mechanics of the game with the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas.
If AR technology was to be added to this game, it could virtually transport players to the bright lights of Vegas. Indeed, this game is known for its vivid graphics, but with AR capabilities the game could be overlaid onto a real table. This would allow players to actually sit down and feel as though they’re in a live casino.
The same could also be true for other casino games. Winner Casino’s Iron Man 2 slot game with $100,000+ jackpots could be overlaid onto the player’s wall, while Mr Smith’s baccarat squeeze with its gradual reveal dynamic (the cards can be slowly squeezed) could be set on top of a kitchen worktop.
Travel Without Traveling
Another sector that could benefit from the advent of mobile AR technology is the travel industry. While Google Maps has done a fantastic job of bringing virtual terrain to life, things could be made even more immersive with AR.
For instance, let’s say you wanted to take a tour of LA before you booked your flight. Combining AR and your mobile device could literally turn your local street into any street in LA. So, by holding up your iPhone or Android to the environment around you, an AR could map the terrain and overlay certain landmarks that you could then navigate to as if you were actually there.
Of course, while it will take some time for this technology to be perfected, there’s no reason it couldn’t work. Indeed, aside from Pokémon Go crashing servers due to its popularity, it’s already shown that it’s possible for players to move around a city and find landmarks and in-game features, so there’s no reason this dynamic couldn’t be applied to other media.
In fact, we’re still at the tip of a large iceberg and there’s no reason we couldn’t see mobile AR combine with mobile VR to enhance our experiences in the fitness world (using our phones we could work out anywhere in the world), the dating world (our phones could give us real-time info on a date) or anywhere else where data and escapism are required. There’s no doubt we’re in the midst of mobile revolution which is why AR looks set to take us to places we never thought were possible.
