Category: Codename Neon

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Niantic Labs Showcase More Multiplayer AR Gaming With Puzzle Demo Codename: ToneHenge

Nianitc Labs have been rather busy lately. What with the new friend features coming to Pokémon GO, Global Challenges, and Alolan Pokémon hatching for eggs. Outside of the popular augmented reality (AR) title the company recently acquired Matrix Mill to advance their AR platform which lead to the reveal of Codename: Neon and their Niantic Real World Platform. Now, continuing with all the excitement, they have shown off Codename: Tonehenge via the Niantic Engineering Twitter account.

Codename: Tonehenge

Codename: Neon was a eight player multiplayer prototype that showcased cross-platform, low-latency AR networking. With Codename: Tonehenge, the company is continuing to demonstrate their multiplayer cross-platform AR capabilities with an AR puzzle that requires players to work together and interact with digital objects in physical ways.

This includes players needing to drag heavy statues to a specific point in a shared AR session before then turning the statues to unlock energy orbs. Feedback is provided to players via visuals within the AR scene and haptic feedback on the smart device that the player is using. Simultaneously interaction is also required in the puzzle to unlock the final stage which, one completed, sees the players finishing the demo and claim victory.

Codename: Tonehenge

The Niantic Real World Platform has only just been revealed and showcased in these prototypes but is already looking to be a powerful tool for content creation. With Codename: Neon and Codename: Tonehenge showing that the cross-platform multiplayer with low-latency with support for up to eight players in a shared AR session. Niantic Labs are really raising the bar on what AR is capabilities of and opening to the door to new experience in the future.

Niantic Labs are planning to open up the Niantic Real World Platform to other developers to help them build innovative experiences that connect the physical and the digital world in ways that have not been imagined yet. Third party developers who are interested in working with the platform can sign up to receive more information here and have the chance to be selected for initial testing later this year.

You can see the demonstration of Codename: Tonehenge below and if you have no done so already you can learn more about Codename: Neon here. For more on these and the Niantic Real World Platform in the future, keep reading VRFocus.

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AR-Tech-Demos zu Codename Neon und Tonehenge von Niantic vorgestellt

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Entwicklerstudio Niantic (bekannt für Ingress und Pokémon Go) stellte auf einem Presse-Event in San Francisco neue Tech-Demos zu zwei AR-Titeln vor: Codename Neon und Tonehenge. Die AR-Multiplayer-Spiele ermöglichen ein virtuelles Lasertag und das gemeinsame Lösen von Rätseln mit dem Smartphone.

AR-Titel Codename Neon von Niantic – AR-Multiplayer-Lasertag mit dem Smartphone

Die Journalisten von Upload VR konnten den neuen AR-Titel Codename Neon von Niantic direkt vor Ort testen und berichten über ihre Erfahrungen mit dem Multiplayer-Spiel. Demnach konnten auf der vorgestellten Demo bis zu neun Spieler gleichzeitig in Echtzeit in einem Raum gegeneinander antreten und sich mit virtuellen Laserstrahlen abschießen.

Das Gameplay wirkt ebenso simpel wie spaßig: Die Teilnehmer/innen sammeln weiße Punkte auf dem Boden auf, die als eine Art Munition dienen. Mit einem Druck auf das Smartphone feuert man daraufhin die gesammelte Ladung ab, die sich in Form eines bunten Laserstrahls entlädt. Der anvisierte Gegenspieler ist nicht in der Lage, die Geschosse abzuwehren, jedoch ist es möglich, die anfliegenden Kugeln mit eigenen Kugeln zu annullieren. Insgesamt 90 Sekunden konnten sich die Mitspieler in das actionreiche Gefecht stürzen, bis die Demo endete.

Ob das Gameplay des vorgeführten Spiels auch in anderen AR-Titeln von Niantic wie Harry Potter: Wizards Unite eingesetzt wird, wollte man vonseiten der Verantwortlichen nicht beantworten. Insgesamt hüllten die Entwickler/innen über das AR-Spiel den Mantel des Schweigens.

AR-Titel Codename Tonehenge von Niantic – AR-Multiplayer-Rätselspiel mit Avataren

Neben Codename Neon präsentierte das Entwicklerstudio zwei weitere (nicht spielbare) Tech-Demos. Das AR-Multiplayer-Spiel Tonehenge erlaubt es Spieler/innen, als verkleidete Avatare Statuen zu verschieben, um Energiekugeln auszulösen. Diese Energie ist notwendig, um das Jiggsaw-Puzzle in der Mitte des Spielfelds zu lösen. Crossplattform-Support für iOS und Android soll gewährleistet werden.

Die zweite Demo präsentierte die neue AR-Technologie von Niantic in Pokémon Go. Beide vorgeführten Spiele sind keine fertigen Produkte des Unternehmens, sondern befinden sich aktuell in der Entwicklungsphase.

(Quellen: Upload VR | Video: Upload VR Youtube)

Der Beitrag AR-Tech-Demos zu Codename Neon und Tonehenge von Niantic vorgestellt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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AR-Tech-Demos zu Codename Neon und Tonehenge von Niantic vorgestellt

Werbung für Virtual Reality Hygiene

Entwicklerstudio Niantic (bekannt für Ingress und Pokémon Go) stellte auf einem Presse-Event in San Francisco neue Tech-Demos zu zwei AR-Titeln vor: Codename Neon und Tonehenge. Die AR-Multiplayer-Spiele ermöglichen ein virtuelles Lasertag und das gemeinsame Lösen von Rätseln mit dem Smartphone.

AR-Titel Codename Neon von Niantic – AR-Multiplayer-Lasertag mit dem Smartphone

Die Journalisten von Upload VR konnten den neuen AR-Titel Codename Neon von Niantic direkt vor Ort testen und berichten über ihre Erfahrungen mit dem Multiplayer-Spiel. Demnach konnten auf der vorgestellten Demo bis zu neun Spieler gleichzeitig in Echtzeit in einem Raum gegeneinander antreten und sich mit virtuellen Laserstrahlen abschießen.

Das Gameplay wirkt ebenso simpel wie spaßig: Die Teilnehmer/innen sammeln weiße Punkte auf dem Boden auf, die als eine Art Munition dienen. Mit einem Druck auf das Smartphone feuert man daraufhin die gesammelte Ladung ab, die sich in Form eines bunten Laserstrahls entlädt. Der anvisierte Gegenspieler ist nicht in der Lage, die Geschosse abzuwehren, jedoch ist es möglich, die anfliegenden Kugeln mit eigenen Kugeln zu annullieren. Insgesamt 90 Sekunden konnten sich die Mitspieler in das actionreiche Gefecht stürzen, bis die Demo endete.

Ob das Gameplay des vorgeführten Spiels auch in anderen AR-Titeln von Niantic wie Harry Potter: Wizards Unite eingesetzt wird, wollte man vonseiten der Verantwortlichen nicht beantworten. Insgesamt hüllten die Entwickler/innen über das AR-Spiel den Mantel des Schweigens.

AR-Titel Codename Tonehenge von Niantic – AR-Multiplayer-Rätselspiel mit Avataren

Neben Codename Neon präsentierte das Entwicklerstudio zwei weitere (nicht spielbare) Tech-Demos. Das AR-Multiplayer-Spiel Tonehenge erlaubt es Spieler/innen, als verkleidete Avatare Statuen zu verschieben, um Energiekugeln auszulösen. Diese Energie ist notwendig, um das Jiggsaw-Puzzle in der Mitte des Spielfelds zu lösen. Crossplattform-Support für iOS und Android soll gewährleistet werden.

Die zweite Demo präsentierte die neue AR-Technologie von Niantic in Pokémon Go. Beide vorgeführten Spiele sind keine fertigen Produkte des Unternehmens, sondern befinden sich aktuell in der Entwicklungsphase.

(Quellen: Upload VR | Video: Upload VR Youtube)

Der Beitrag AR-Tech-Demos zu Codename Neon und Tonehenge von Niantic vorgestellt zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!

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Niantic Labs Reveal Codename: Neon, A Crossplatform Multiplayer AR Gaming Prototype

Developer of the hugely popular Pokémon GO, Niantic Labs, has taken to Twitter to showcase a new prototype that the company have been working dubbed Codename: Neon. The title, showcase in a short video posted on the new Niantic Engineering Twitter account, is a multiplayer augmented reality (AR) gaming experience that allows for intense neon filled battles.

Codename: Neon

Codename: Neon leverages cross-platform AR technology that has been built using low-latency AR networking techniques to allow for eight players to run a shared session. This session then allows for multiplayer, first-person shooter battles to be played in which allow for each user to fire neon orbs at each other, earning points and competing for the highest score in real-time.

The prototype facilitates high performance shared AR experiences along with cross-platform technology. The gameplay session seen in the below video was recorded on both Apple iPhone 8’s and Google Pixel 2 smart phones, running in conjunction to each other in the same session. This functionality brings a new level of possibilities to the world of crossplatform AR gaming and is a milestone for both the company and the technology.

Codename: Neon

Writing on their blog post about their new Niantic Real World Platform, Niantic Labs mention that one of the biggest challenges to overcome in creating multiplayer, visually compelling expertness was latency. Without the correct timing their is no way to build an experience that can be enjoyed by all those taking part to the same degree. To address this, Niantic Labs have developed a proprietary, low-latency AR networking solution that enables unified, cross-platform play with a singe code base, ensuring development is fast and easy.

The develop note that the Niantic Real World Platform could be used for a wide range of different application, they are focusing their efforts on building gaming experiences to showcase its power for now.

Codename: Neon comes hot off the heels that Niantic Labs had acquired Matrix Mill to advance their AR platform. With the success of their first title Ingress and now the ever growing Pokémon GO, it is no surprise that Niantic Labs are using their position to develop new and exciting AR opportunities and build a powerful platform as a foundation for future titles.

You can see the demonstration of Codename: Neon below and for more on Niantic Labs in the future keep reading VRFocus.

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Hands-On: Codename Neon From Niantic Is A Real-Time Multiplayer AR Laser Tag Game

Hands-On: Codename Neon From Niantic Is A Real-Time Multiplayer AR Laser Tag Game

Pokemon Go, for all it does right to get people moving and interacting with the world through an AR lens, has a lot of limitations. One of the biggest shortcomings is how it handles the social aspect of the game. There really isn’t a way for you to interact with other players in real-time in the game world at all and even though millions of people play the game every day around the world, it often ends up feeling like you’re all just playing by yourself.

Some new advancements in Niantic’s AR “Real World Platform” could be changing that. At a press event located at their San Francisco, CA offices yesterday I got the chance to go hands-on with a new tech demo they’ve been working on that shows off seamless AR multiplayer.

It worked a bit like laser tag, you can see some footage of it here:

Basically we all ran around this warehouse room picking up white dots on the floor to get ammo. Then I’d tap on another player to shoot homing missiles at them. They couldn’t dodge the missiles once I shot it, but they could block it with a missile of their own. The demo lasted about 90 seconds, after which I was told I did “very well” scoring over 40 hits.

It was…underwhelming. I am hoping this technology will be applied to Harry Potter: Wizards Unite in such a way that real-time wizard duels are possible, but no one was willing to talk about that game at the press event. It felt like a big, giant magical elephant in the room.

The demo allowed for approximately six people to run around, all tracked in real-time, which was neat, but it wasn’t shown or explained in a usable context.

Ironically enough the far more interesting two tech demos they showed at the event weren’t playable. First was some really impressive occlusion features for Pokemon Go made possible via the acquisition of  a new company, Matrix Mill, and the other was a cooperative puzzle solving game called Codename Tonehenge. Here’s that footage:

This demo impressed me for two reasons: 1) all players had avatar masks assigned to them in real-time that were animated, meaning when you looked through your phone you’d see the avatars, not human people, and 2) it’s actually collaborative with objects that can be manipulated and interacted with. Now imagine that blown up on a large, city-wide or even worldwide scale using the mapping technology that powers stuff like Pokemon Go.

Instead of people meeting up to sit and flick their phone screens at a park, they could  collaboratively solve puzzles and riddles in the real world via their phones. Or in the future, using a lightweight wearable on their eyes/face.

Obviously Neon and Tonehenge are both very much tech demo ideas and not fully realized products, but they represent the first steps towards the “next generation” of mobile AR technology. And what makes it so exciting is that these advancements are happening on the software side with networking and machine learning and AI and cloud computing and don’t require significant hardware changes to realize.

The actual content of the Neon demo was far from impressive, but if the features shown there and in Tonehenge show up in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, I’ll be very happy.

Let us know what you think of this down in the comments below!

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The post Hands-On: Codename Neon From Niantic Is A Real-Time Multiplayer AR Laser Tag Game appeared first on UploadVR.