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Is this the future of Augmented Reality?

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Sony, Valve and Oculus are putting their faith in Virtual Reality as the future of video games – and they could be right. On the other side of the fence though, we have Microsoft and Magic Leap, who’re embracing augmented reality; things overlaid on top of the things we see in real life.

Microsoft has its Hololens, which as a tech demo, is ludicrously impressive stuff – whether or not it’ll work that way in reality is a very different question.

Augmented reality startup Magic Leap, which managed to raise over half a billion Dollars last year (much of it thanks to Google) has released a video showing what their tech is capable of – or at least, a digital approximation of what their tech is capable of.

A video released by the company gives us a first real glimpse at what they’re up to, showing how users can interact with apps and desktop icons and manipulate things in real time, in 3D. Later on in the video, we get to see how it might be used for video games, showing how real(ish!) weapons can be used to take on virtual enemies.

The first-person video goes on to show how the technology can be used to create an immersive shooter game that uses physical weapons to fight virtual robot enemies.

“Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it to TED, but we wanted to share one of the things that we’d planned to share at the talk,” the YouTube video’s caption says.

“This is a game we’re playing around the office right now (no robots were harmed in the making of this video).”

Magic Leap, a company that’s been purposefully enigmatic, still hasn’t said what they’re really doing, offering little more than this video. I don’t quite buy it as real just yet, especially as special effects company WETA – the folks behind the special effects in Lord of the Rings – had a hand in making this video.

What the hell is Magic Leap though? According to the site:

“We know what you’re thinking: ‘Who the heck are we? What is this all about? Why aren’t you saying anymore?’ And you’re right, we need to say a little more about what it is we’re creating.

“So What is Magic Leap? Magic Leap is an idea.”

Last Updated: March 23, 2015

40 Comments

  1. RinceThis

    March 23, 2015 at 11:37

    NO…

    Reply

    • Sageville

      March 23, 2015 at 12:26

      You elaborated far too much…..

      Reply

  2. Blood Emperor Trevor

    March 23, 2015 at 11:38

    Magic Leap… of faith.

    Wait until the first person kills themselves by jumping off a high view point thinking there’s a hay cart there.

    Reply

    • Sageville

      March 23, 2015 at 12:29

      Best leap of faith was in “The Other Guys”

      Reply

  3. ReaperOfSquirrels

    March 23, 2015 at 11:40

    I’ll pass… thanks anyway.

    Reply

  4. Hammersteyn

    March 23, 2015 at 11:41

    1001 cutest cat moments, sounds more like the present

    Reply

  5. Ryanza

    March 23, 2015 at 11:42

    I don’t get it…

    Reply

    • Hammersteyn

      March 23, 2015 at 11:42

      It uses DRM
      *Runs

      Reply

  6. Hammersteyn

    March 23, 2015 at 11:42

    If it means replacing this blob of fat that is my eye in my skull, then sign my up

    Reply

  7. Ryanza

    March 23, 2015 at 11:45

    Beer goggles? I still don’t get it…

    Reply

  8. Hammersteyn

    March 23, 2015 at 11:48

    “What the hell is Magic Lap though?” Augmented Lap dances? Yes please.

    Reply

    • Ryanza

      March 23, 2015 at 11:51

      Do you still need to touch yourself for that? Or will your brain touch you?

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        March 23, 2015 at 11:54

        I… Um….well…..I mean to be honest……..
        *Pleads the fifth

        Reply

    • Blood Emperor Trevor

      March 23, 2015 at 11:56

      I know right? If it means I can make my sister look like someone else it’ll be way less awkward. Er… I mean… HEY LOOK OVER THERE!

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        March 23, 2015 at 12:00

        I’d also want to make your sister look like someone else if she gave me a lap dance
        *RUNS

        Reply

        • Sageville

          March 23, 2015 at 12:33

          Ouch! But you only get 8/10 on the burn-o-meter due to the fact that his mom was not brought into the equation….

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            March 23, 2015 at 12:37

            LOL

          • Ryanza

            March 23, 2015 at 12:40

            Oh let me try.

            You mother is so fat that my virtual reality goggles doesn’t have enough memory to delete all the excess skin.

          • Ryanza

            March 23, 2015 at 12:42

            I’m not good at jokes.

      • Deceased

        March 23, 2015 at 14:07

        Scrolled through the comments to see if anyone mentioned the lack of feedback for interaction with AR … Not sure how we got to this comment dude, but now I have rather mixed opinions about the LazyGamer comment section :/

        On the one side, we have this incredibly strange comment that you made ( Emperor ) … and on the other side, we don’t have this as a featured comment 😐

        *Edit* ( For clarity sake, I couldn’t stop laughing when read in context with Hammersteyns’ Lap Dance comment )

        Reply

  9. Ryanza

    March 23, 2015 at 11:54

    • Hammersteyn

      March 23, 2015 at 11:54

      We’re allready there. It’s called mobile devices.

      Reply

      • Ryanza

        March 23, 2015 at 12:03

        The phone you use is part of a trace program. It’s designed to disrupt your input/output carrier signal, so we can pinpoint your location.
        What does that mean?
        It means fasten your seat belt Dorothy, cause Kansas is going bye bye.

        I like that Dorothy line.

        Reply

  10. Ranting Raptor

    March 23, 2015 at 12:02

    Mmmmm. I don’t know hey. Running around with such a large set of “glasses” isn’t very appealing to me. Heck just wearing standard glasses all day irritates me.

    Reply

  11. CypherGate

    March 23, 2015 at 12:03

    I dont see how far they can take this in gaming to be honest. When watching the video i was thinking ok so you in that section of the office. A: Do you stay in that space and shoot things whole day? B: How would they create various levels? C: Would that require you to go to a different area where ever you playing the game almost like the android game called Ingress? I just see these sort of tech being used in more simulation based gaming. Like say… life simulation at the work place or games like Ace Attorney or games like Pool, Snooker etc etc or hell even a medical style games where you do operations etc etc I dont see large adventure games being made with this or RPGS.

    Reply

    • z1n

      March 23, 2015 at 12:35

      I think it’ll be part of a new genre called ‘lifestyle games’ where you get internet point for silly things. Eventually people will be wearing AR more often than not. Games companies and marketing surveys will find a strange symbiosis.

      Think 4square but with more. Internet points + advertising + people have way too much time to waste.

      Reply

      • CypherGate

        March 23, 2015 at 12:37

        It make sense for them to use it for such things, but why place emphasis on gaming you know? Especially FPS’s genre must always be used as an example. I like the Idea of VR itself, but this Augmented reality isnt all that to me.

        Reply

        • z1n

          March 23, 2015 at 12:46

          Yeah I agree. I feel these demoes have been fairly narrow minded so far. I think AR will have many more practical applications and VR will be geared more for entertainment.

          Reply

  12. Ryanza

    March 23, 2015 at 12:09

    Do not try and bend the spoon, that’s impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth… there is no spoon. Then you will see it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

    Reply

  13. Pieter Kruger

    March 23, 2015 at 12:22

    “whether or not it’ll work that way in reality is a very different question.” No Geoff, it’s “AUGMENTED” reality, so no! ????

    Reply

  14. Pieter Kruger

    March 23, 2015 at 12:26

    They shouldn’t be focused on FPS, if they can make me a RTS or Diablo like game that’ll display top down on my table/floor and I can use my controller as usual I’LL BUY IT IMMEDIATELY!

    Reply

  15. z1n

    March 23, 2015 at 12:32

    I think AR will be filled with adverts. Brushing your teeth, toothpaste adverts. Driving to work, car/repairman adverts. Lazing on the couch, hardcore porn. erhm yeah you get what I mean.

    Reply

    • Ryanza

      March 23, 2015 at 12:36

      while peeing, penis enlargement ads?

      Reply

      • z1n

        March 23, 2015 at 12:42

        While playing the Witcher, no DRM amiryt?!?

        Reply

        • Ryanza

          March 23, 2015 at 12:43

          While playing The Witcher 3 – Can’t find non DRM related games.

          Reply

          • z1n

            March 23, 2015 at 12:47

            Haha they are around 🙂 Cities: Skylines doesn’t rape you with DRM.

            But hats are more important than DRM, one day our economy will be less valuable than Valve’s hats even.

  16. ElimiNathan

    March 23, 2015 at 12:44

    The only place this will become a reality is in the cloud with all that Xbone performance 😛

    Reply

  17. ?? ?

    March 23, 2015 at 13:23

    ?????????? LINE:amao05

    Reply

  18. Lothy

    March 24, 2015 at 07:06

    Judging by the comments it seems im the only one that believes AR will exceed VR… Sooner or later, time will tell *adjusts time on watch*

    Reply

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