Recently ANTVR launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new MIX headset which offers users a compact and lightweight head-mounted display (HMD) for virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR) experiences. The headset was funded in only a matter of hours and continues to gain more funds with just over ten days left to go. To demonstrate the potential application of the MIX, ANTVR recently showcased the popular VR Kanojo title on the headset, now running in AR.
Developed by the Japanese company Illusion, VR Kanojo allows user to interact with a virtual girlfriend by the name of Sakura Yuuhi. Players are able to become immersed in the experience and, as the game describes itself, “fell her breath on your cheek and the warmth of her fingers on your arm as you laugh and talk the day away”. Working with ANTVR the developers have been making adjustments to the title to bring it over to the headset in a new version of the title which is now dubbed AR Kanojo.
The title will offer the same experience as players have come to expect with the VR version of the title but this time it can be experiences in a whole new way. Bringing the virtual girlfriend experience into the augmented reality is not just an opportunity of players to have a fresh perceptive on the title but also showcases the flexibility of bring VR titles over to AR.
“A virtual romantic partner is the ultimate dream for many men,” said ANTVR Founder and CEO Qin Zheng. “I love the concept portrayed in movies like Blade Runner 2049, which have long imagined that holographic lovers could mitigate their physical and emotional desires. This augmented reality experience is the closest we’ve come yet to making that science fiction a reality.”
ANTVR previously had their demonstrations of AR Kanojo running on the MIX available to view, though these have since been removed. You can find a different demonstration below though that showcases the AR potential of the MIX in a similar vain. The Kickstarter for the headset still has over ten days left at the time of writing and is way ahead of it’s funding goal.
VRFocus will be sure to bring you all the last on MIX and ANTVR in the future so make sure to stay tuned for more. In the meantime, you can see VRFocus’ hands-on with the MIX during our discussion with Zhu Lee, of ANTVR’s Software Product Department. You can find that interview by clicking here.