Microsoft announced Microsoft Mesh, a new mixed reality platform for the company, last night, but there was something else to see as well. Hololens, the company’s AR goggles, could play host to one of the most popular mobile games of recent years — Pokémon Go.
Which, if you think about it, is a perfectly logical evolution for the tech — once we get to the point where a headset isn’t costing $3,000. Augmented reality games like Pokémon Go and that new Harry Potter thing are perfectly designed for a mixed reality experience that calls for goggles or glasses.
Hyped on Hololens
The folks over at Niantic have got a demo video that illustrates what such a game might look like, and it’s perhaps the most awkward thing we’ve ever seen. Which, seeing as it’s a proof-of-concept designed for people investing money and not the people who might spend some money, makes a little sense.
Niantic founder and CEO John Hanke said, “While this demo is not intended for consumer use, it offers an early glimpse into the future evolutions in both software and hardware. We’ve only scratched the surface. We know the years ahead to be filled with important achievements which will serve as waypoints in AR’s journey to become a life-changing computing platform.”
And, if you can look past the cringe-factor here, the demo video does offer a glimpse of what’s possible. Today it might be feeding pokémon, tomorrow we might replace paintball guns with high-tech Hololens visors, light guns, and impact vests for some live-action AR Call of Duty. Just as long as we’ve left teabagging behind by that point.
Source: The Verge
