Augmented reality games for the PC

There are thousands of computer games for the PC which now includes a range of augmented reality games. Examples of which include:

  • Dead Space: a horror 3rd person shooter game which takes place in outer space. Your role is that of an engineer who has to battle a deadly virus which turns people into mutants.
  • Batman: Arkham City: a game which is based upon the popular Batman series.
  • Tron Augmented Reality Demo: based upon the Tron films in which you experience a race between two light cycles.
  • I am Iron Man: another AR demo where you adopt the persona of the movie character Iron Man by wearing his metal helmet. This is achieved by looking at a webcam on your PC which triggers the metamorphosis into the famous Transformer.
  • Transformers demo: this is similar to the Iron Man demo. You sit in front of a screen which uses a head tracking system to map the movements of your head but as a robot. It superimposes a Transformers head over your own with the option of a robotic voice.

How do these work? Examples such as the Tron AR demo require you to print out a marker (augmented reality card) which you place in front of a webcam. The webcam and software identifies the markers which triggers the release of 3D graphics or animation that are overlaid onto this marker.

Note: The marker is similar to a piece of card. As long as the marker is kept in view of the webcam it will continue to display those 3D images.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *