Gamertell

Tired of reading books or playing games with boring 2D characters that do nothing?

Well according to a press release from Games Press, Vuzix Corporation, developer of video eye wear for consumers announced a new game-changing Augmented Reality Accessory Kit to be used with the already popular VR920 Virtual Reality Video iWear. This new kit was announced at the 2009 Game developers Conference.

Augmented Reality is a new technology where you implant computer generated images into real life. Making images that would normally be a picture on a paper become a moving picture that you can interact with. It's like wearing 3D glasses but the pictures move around as well as pop out.

Vuzix has partnering with Metaio, Inc. to promote their new product. At GDC they demonstrated how a simple printed character on a page can be brought to life into a 3D animated character before your very eyes. Watch as a fire breathing dragon literally pops out of the page while other dragons fly around in the background.

The kit consists of:

• CamAR, a clip-on USB camera that mounts onto a pair of Vuzix Video iWear. The CamAR not only allows the user to see through to the real world but is also designed to accurately track objects and the user’s position in 3-dimensional space.


• PhasAR, a wireless augmented reality input controller is designed to be used in unison with the CamAR. The PhasAR allows users to interact with virtual, mixed and augmented reality worlds with a 6 degree of freedom tracking that lets the computer know exactly where the user is touching in the virtual and real worlds. Depending on the application, the PhasAR can become anything from a powerful virtual magic wand to a 3-D virtual paint brush. The PhasAR enables powerful 2-D like mouse support in order to effortlessly control virtual objects in 3-D
  space.

With these features you can perceive the world in ways you never have before. Augmented reality is going to make big changes in your reading and gaming experiences. I just hope it doesn’t cost too much.

GDC was held in San Fransisco this year from March 23-27. If you were lucky enough to go perhaps you were able visit Booth Number 6420 NH and see this new technology in action. If not, we should be hearing more about it soon.

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