Augmented & Virtual Reality Confabulation
What Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality developers are talking about
Originally launched as an iPhone exclusive, the viral blockbuster HQ Trivia will soon hit Android devices as well. Combining a live game show with a fast-paced trivia game, the app draws more than a quarter million players every day.
The post iOS smash hit game HQ Trivia is coming to Android for Christmas appeared first on Digital Trends.
Für Apples iOS steht die ARKit-App Graphmented bereit, mit der sich Excel- und Google-Tabellen am Arbeitsplatz einblenden lassen. So können Anwender die Tabellen-Blätter nicht nur auf dem Tisch ablegen, sondern aus den Daten eine dreidimensionale im Raum schwebende Grafik generieren lassen.
Über Sinn oder Unsinnigkeit der App Graphmented lässt sich zwar prima streiten, schön anzusehen ist das Visualisierungs-Programm aber allemal. Mittels Augmented Reality kann man beispielsweise den realen Schreibtisch auf dem Smartphone-Display einblenden lassen und Dokumente von Excel- oder Google-Tabellen auf der Arbeitsfläche ablegen. Anschließend kann die App aus der 2D-Tabelle eine 3D-Grafik zur Visualisierung anzeigen. Hierfür stehen Punkt- und Balkendiagramme zur Verfügung. Will man auch beispielsweise Mitarbeitern die 3D-Tabellen zeigen, gibt es zwei Möglichkeiten: Sie lassen sich per Video aufzeichnen oder man streamt die Inhalte via Apple Quicktime beispielsweise an Projektoren oder ein Apple TV.
Die ersten Reaktionen auf die App waren gemischt, da sie unter anderem mit Abstürzen zu kämpfen hatte. Die soll ein frisches Update nun aus dem Weg räumen. Seit der heute erschienen Version 1.1 unterstützt Graphmented zudem auch Microsofts Excel und den Clouddienst Dropbox. Etwas unverständlich: Bisher hat der Entwickler Badr die App nur für das iPhone angepasst, sie läuft also nicht in der nativen Auflösung des iPads. Der Download der App ist kostenlos, allerdings begrenzt sie die Anzahl der Tabellen, die man nutzen kann. Will man einen unlimitierten Zugriff, muss man ein Abo über 0,99 Euro monatlich abschließen. Voraussetzung für Graphmented ist iOS 11 und ein ARKit-kompatibles iPhone oder iPad mit mindestens A9-Prozessor.
Der Beitrag Graphmented: Google- und Excel-Tabellen in Augmented Reality für iOS zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
Apple may have only began its roll out of iOS 11 a few days ago but there’s been plenty of augmented reality (AR) apps arrive in that time. One of the latest comes from Brazilian developer Sinergia Studios with a mech filled experience called Army of Robots.
Built using ARKit, Army of Robots is a first-person shooter with the iPhone’s screen acting as the view from the cockpit. Users can play anywhere, all they have to is choose several suitable locations for the robot enemies to appear and then destruction awaits.
The enemy robots seem to appear randomly among the locations users have selected, so they have to keep on their toes to destroy them all. Just to mix things up and add further difficulty to the challenge the robots can vary in size, from small desktop walkers to massive enemies that can reach head height.
Army of Robots retails for $1.99 USD on the App Store and it’ll support iPhone SE / 6s / 6s Plus / 7/ 7 Plus and iPad Pro (all 3 versions) and 9.7″ 2017 models, with iOS 11 installed.
If you’re after more AR apps for your iPhone how about Curiscope’s shARk, Skullfish Studios’ Lila’s Tale: Stealth, Climax Studios’ ARise or The Virtual Reality Company’s Follow Me Dragon.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of the latest AR apps, reporting back with the newest releases.
After covering the launch of both ARkit from Apple and ARCore from Google, it is now time to compare their features and understand which one is better both from a developers’ and end users’ point of view.
Matt Miesnieks wrote another piece of insightful information, comparing the two technological solutions and highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each one.
I think as a technical solution they are very very close in capability. Effectively indistinguishable to users when it comes to the user experiences you can build today. ARKit has some tech advantages around hw/sw integration and more reliable tracking. ARCore has some advantages around mapping and more reliable recovery. Both of these advantages are mostly only noticeable by Computer Vision engineers who know what to look for.
Read the full article here: https://medium.com/super-ventures-blog/how-is-arcore-better-than-arkit-5223e6b3e79d
If you’ve been following all of VRFocus’ ARKit announcements then there’s probably a few augmented reality (AR) titles you’ve ben keen to get your hands on. New experience announced today have included Climax Studios’ ARise and The Virtual Reality Company’s Follow Me Dragon. As you may expect there’s plenty more to come, the latest being Skullfish Studios’ Lila’s Tale: Stealth.
Lila’s Tale: Stealth is a puzzle adventure title where you have to guide titular character Lila through a magical realm filled with dungeons, collecting coins, avoiding enemies and retrieving a key to escape.
You can place Lila anywhere to being playing then move her around with the phone. Featuring five levels to play through, the coins collected on route through the dungeons can then be used to upgrade Lila, increasing her movement speed or her light to better illuminate the area.
Available now through Apple’s app store, Lila’s Tale: Stealth retails for $1.99 USD. Skullfish Studios also plan on adding further content and levels in due course.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of the latest AR apps for iOS devices, reporting back with the latest announcements.
With the roll out of iOS 11 yesterday developers are beginning to release their augmented reality (AR) apps for Apple’s mobile devices. Today has already seen Climax Studios ARise launch and now The Virtual Reality Company has delved into the AR field with Follow Me Dragon.
The experience features adorable dragons who dance, jump, pose for pictures, play fetch and fly through real-world environments. Designed to be enjoyed by participants of all ages, users can take pictures with their dragons and share their adventures via social media accounts.
“With Follow Me Dragon, VRC is taking a leap forward into Augmented Reality,” explains VRC co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Robert Stromberg in a statement. “Beginning with the first dragon, Drake, each character will have a unique personality that will navigate real world environments with its own flair. Collectively, the dragons will serve as the foundation for an immersive new fantasy experience.”
VRC’s CEO Guy Primus adds, “while early adopters to the app will enjoy all the delightful interactions they can share with the current dragon, VRC’s development team is actively working to build and grow the world of Follow Me Dragon – both within the app and beyond.”
The Virtual Reality Company is known for its cinematic VR releases like Raising a Rukus and The Martian VR. VRFocus will continue its coverage of the studio, reporting back with its latest projects.
Yesterday saw the release of Apple’s iOS 11 operating system for its mobile devices, bringing with it compatibility for augmented reality (AR) and ARKit. Today, Climax Studios – the team behind Lola and the Giant and the Bandit Six series – has announced its first AR app made with ARKit, a puzzle adventure called ARise.
Built as a result of a game jam the company ran to inspire creative and innovative concepts for AR videogames, in ARise players lead a pint-sized adventurer up the stony flanks of a vast petrified monster, using perspective to cross chasms and scale sheer cliff faces.
The goal is to reach the top and awaken the monster. To do this players must utilise the core strengths of AR – being able to move around and look at a scene from any angle – to guide the trepid adventurer past the obstacles that lay in wait.
“By using perspective, exploration, angles and almost no controls, we hope we have created a fresh game play experience that will develop over time,” said Simon Gardner, CEO of Climax Studios. “With ARKit we were able to leverage the power of the iPhone and iPad’s built-in camera, processors and motion sensors, to easily build ARise, which is a highly detailed and compelling virtual game that sits on top of the real world.”
The first three levels of ARise are available to download today from the App Store for $2.99 USD / £2.99 GBP / €3.49 EUR. In the coming months Climax Studios will be releasing further content for ARise, all for free.
Check out the gameplay trailer below to see what ARise is all about. For further updates, keep reading VRFocus.
Wer erinnert sich nicht gerne an die legendäre Filmszene aus Star Wars: Eine neue Hoffnung zurück, in der R2-D2 den aufgenommenen Hilferuf von Prinzessin Leia auf dem Planeten Tatooine projizierte und damit eine spannende Rettungsaktion in Kraft setzte. Damals handelte es sich noch um reine Science-Fiction, heute wird es zur Realität. Mit der neuen ARKit-App Holo Messenger vom Entwickler Abhishek Singh ist es möglich, solche holografischen Botschaften selbst zu erstellen und an seine Freunde zu verschicken. Entsprechend werden die Nachrichten werden getreu zum Original von den bekannten Droiden des Star Wars-Universums dargestellt.
Die neue App Holo Messenger von Abhishek Singh wurde mit dem ARKit entwickelt und ermöglicht euch die Erstellung von holografischen Nachrichten. Diese folgen dem Stil von Star Wars oder Star Trek und werden von bekannten Charakteren der Sci-Fi-Universen dargestellt.
Die Nutzung funktioniert folgendermaßen: Ihr nehmt ein übliches Video mit eurem iPhone auf und erläutert darin die gewünschte Nachricht. Daraufhin sendet ihr das aufgenommene Video an eure Freunde. Diese erhalten jedoch nicht nur eine simple Videonachricht, sondern können sich diese dank AR von R2-D2 oder BB-8 vor ihre Füßen projizieren lassen. Dadurch erhalten so manche unwichtigen und auch wichtigen Nachrichten einen epischen Touch. Für Freunde des Star-Trek-Universums gibt es ebenfalls eine Darstellungsmethode, in der die serieneigene Fortbewegungsmethode zum Einsatz kommt. Entsprechend wird der Nachrichtenbote innerhalb des Raumschiffs heraufgebeamt und erläutert sein Darlegen.
Damit ermöglicht der Entwickler die ersten holografischen AR-Nachrichten, die zugegebenermaßen nur eine Spielerei sind. Dennoch sieht es äußerst interessant und spaßig aus und zeigt, was mit dem ARKit alles möglich ist. Wer Interesse am Austesten des Holo Messengers hat, kann eine Mail an Herr Singh schicken. Dieser sendet daraufhin die App an euch. Holo Messenger ist nur mit dem iPhone kompatibel.
(Quellen: Upload VR | Video: Abhishek Singh Youtube)
Der Beitrag ARKit: Holo Messenger erstellt holografische Nachrichten durch R2-D2 zuerst gesehen auf VR∙Nerds. VR·Nerds am Werk!
The Apple event at the brand new Steve Jobs theatre revealed details of iPhone 8, the next version of Apple’s signature device. Since the launch of ARKit, there has been much excitement over the possibilities offered, which saw fruition with a presentation at the event.
Atli Mar from Directive Games presented a demonstration of The Machines, a title which allows for competitive multiplayer in augmented reality (AR), one of the first titles to implement this. AR allows users to use their position in the real world to gain an advantage, by moving to a tactically superior position.
Using Unreal Engine to create high-quality graphics, and the ARKit surface detection to project a complete 3D rendered battlefield on to a table top, floor or other surface, users will be able to move around the battlefield and see their forces move in real time, supported by the power of the new iPhone8.
Players can control either the rebellious human faction, or the powerful robot hive-mind, creating and deploying different kinds of robots and putting up defences to protect their home base from attack.
Further information can be found at the official The Machines website.
The developers of The Machines expect the title to be available on the Apple App Store later this month when the iOS 11 update rolls out.
VRFocus will bring you further information on The Machines as it becomes available.
360-degree video remains one of the most popular ways for users to create and engage with virtual reality (VR) content. Technology company VIA are launching a new video camera platform for 360-degree filming and panoramic still photographer aimed at the iPhone market.
The VPai Slide is designed to offer a complete package for iPhone users who wish to begin shooting 360-degree videos, or take panoramic still photos. The VPai Slide can shoot 360-degree photos at 5 mega pixels, and has a host of features for more dynamic photos and videos, such a time-lapse, various view modes such as Panorama, Asteroid, Crystal Ball and VR. The software is capable of live-streaming, so users can offer their footage directly to social media network such as Facebook or YouTube.
The hardware is designed to attach directly to an iPhone using an integrated Lightning connector and has its own battery and storage, so users wont need to worry about running out of power or storage space on their iPhone. If storage becomes an issue, the VPai Slide offers free cloud storage, which can also be then shared to other users or to social media networks.
“VIA continues to push the boundaries of ultra-portable 360-degree camera innovation with VPai Slide,” said Richard Brown, VP International Marketing, VIA Technologies, Inc. “This highly-integrated platform enables rapid entry to this fast-growing new market.”
Further information can be found on the VPai Website.
VRFocus will continue to report on new VR and 360-degree hardware.