5 Ways AR Became Cooler in Summer 2017
From Star Wars, to music videos, to NFL football, AR showed some really fun potential this summer
(Image: video screengrab – ‘Reggie Watts and Actiongram Mix It Up’)
Lenovo’s Star Wars AR headset
Now I’m not 100% sold on this based on the trailers that Disney has released. The graphics for the Lenovo Mirage AR headset don’t look as engaging as you’d hope since the holographic power comes from your smartphone, but it is Star Wars and you do get a lightsaber to play with, so this has potential to be a lot of fun. I’m not so sure how hologram Kylo Ren feels about fighting you in your kitchen or un-finished basement, but he’ll get over that.
Read more about it here
Universal Studios’ AR glasses – Harry Potter or Super Nintendo World
Surely, we all know people who are die hard HP fans, and likewise diehard Mario/Nintendo fans, so this one could be great for a whole whack of people. Just try picturing an app where wizards are flying overhead as you walk through Hogsmeade at Universal Studios Florida, or Mario is literally jumping on blocks and making coins drop out in front of your eyes at Universal Studios Japan. There’s obviously still a lot to be done by Universal (there won’t even be a Super Nintendo World until 2020) but so far this sounds like it’s worth waiting for.
Read more about what Universal might have in mind here
Baltimore Ravens HoloLens application
Okay, I admit I added this one almost purely because it’s my favourite football team that’s involved, but it is cool to see major league sports teams starting to use AR/Mixed Reality. This is just the beginning but hopefully it’s a worthwhile investment for the Ravens and that AR for training and scenario planning takes off from here. Even if you don’t like pro sports, there’s value in having them showcase HoloLens and AR to more households – so kudos to the Ravens and hopefully all goes well with this application!
Read about Baltimore’s use of HoloLens here
Reggie Watts – HoloLens + Actiongram powered music video
Reggie’s an interesting musician to say the least, so it’s no surprise he makes holograms appear in his music video with the help of Microsoft HoloLens. Of course he uses holograms in very Reggie Watts type ways. Just watch if you want to know what I mean, it’s entertaining in a “how do you come up with this stuff” kind of way.
See Reggie’s Mixed Reality video here
TankFest AR tank demo
Now I had never heard of TankFest before reading on this app, but I guess it shouldn’t surprise any of us that the game studio that brought us World of Tanks, Wargaming, created a sharp looking AR tank simulation for TankFest 2017. Using Google Tango and HoloLens, Wargaming displayed virtual recreation of a rare German WWII tank known as “Sturmtiger” on the show floor. If you want to know the true German name for Sturmtiger I’ll leave you to do the research, but just know that it’s now easier to see it up close with this AR simulation.
Read more on Wargaming’s Sturmtiger simulation here