Let me try to give a shot on the AR...

Lecture - What is Augmented Reality and Why it emerged?

Augmented Reality is quite misunderstood concept IMHO. I have been involved with design and implementation of quite many different kind of VR and AR systems over the years. And I always felt uncomfortable with the technology and what emphasis people put on the tech instead of for what purpose this tech is used.

One big problem for me personally was that none seemed to be able to explain why VR/AR are useful. Intuitively everyone has such fascination and awe, but when it comes to explaining things everyone went mute. Hence I started to try answer that question my self. This being only my personal point of view on things, more of and hypothesis over some 5+ years of empirical observations

On that basis, I gave lecture on Augmented Reality, introducing framework how I see VR/AR when developing different kind of systems mostly for industry. In more general sense the principles of this framework are also applicable to whatever kind of applications you develop. Even VR/AR games and where you put the challenges or push your player to the limits, for example Cymatic Bruce experience in Portal 2 when jumping off the cliff down to grab a box etc. Or when it comes to the use of Google Glass in comparison to Meta 1 for some GPS based adventure game or educational app.

I hope this lecture provides some structure when you try to understand what makes VR / AR games or applications either fun and engaging or from serious games point of view what makes them useful (Since you can do basically everything but that does not warrant value for industry).

In the recent Augmented World Expo 2013, many of the key players in AR field debated whether Google Glass is AR solution at all, or if Meta 1 is the true AR system. This debate also revolved around work conducted by Steve Mann on the perceptual enhancements. And I hope if you see my lecture it should become obvious that this starts to look like apples vs oranges kind of debate, hence not very constructive or useful arguments.

Please feel free to throw feedback. As I say in the video description this should also stir some discussion within the AR community what we are trying to achieve with our technology.

- Sauli

How about people focus on making games with better graphics and story,and forget making games that you can play in some glasses while walking to work?

How about people focus on making games with better graphics and story,and forget making games that you can play in some glasses while walking to work?

Why not both?

It's not like AR and good graphics and story are mutually exclusive. In fact, I don't really understand why one would have any effect at all on the other.

Personally, I think AR is very interesting as a concept, but I'm constantly disappointed by any demo trying to implement it in practice.

Seems we need way better sensors and a lot more image processing power before it becomes really usable in game development, more then just a fancy tech demo that is fun to play around with for a while until you get frustrated with it losing synch with the physical world all the time.

I guess I'm in the camp where I hardly define google glass as AR at all.

Sure, some context aware information overlay, but it's mostly just a transparent screen in the corner of your eye right?

In my imagination, proper AR would seamlessly integrate 3D objects in your surroundings. In the perfect future it would even take in account the lighting in the scene you are looking at, and make sure the 3D object is properly lighted.

It would be rock solid and not feel "floating" at all.

I would like to at least have 2D information bubble popups that does not "float about" but properly attach to objects you look at.

With such a system, you could do all kinds of cool stuff, but with the "bad synch" with the physical world, I find the AR-stuff I've seen to be mostly nausea-inducing and frustrating.

I think when you play games, you should play games. AR games have narrow scopes, and are only usable in limited environment like laser tags or board games, and it only serves as an enhancement. You obviously don't want to be playing Frogger while crossing real streets. You will only have one life there, and there's no princess on the other side of the street.

Google glass itself is already a huge distraction to the person wearing it, and the people around him. It has limited practical purposes, but far usable as a video gaming console.

Oculus Rift is the only thing that I think has some potential as a gaming platform. It's something you wear while you play games, and play games only. You are not eating while wearing that. You are not taking a shower while wearing that.

I don't think you should not be doing anything else while playing games.

I guess my previous posts were about what I know about the current state.

In this post I will dream a bit more.

I don't think AR gaming has to mean gaming "while doing something else".

It could drastically enhance dedicated gaming too.

And I think it really comes to shine when you combine it with multiplayer (with people at the same physical location, and beyond, they could be present by avatar)

What you would have in a "perfect" AR system is more or less the ability to have a screen "anywhere", and it wouldn't even have to look like a screen.

You could erase the border between classical board games, and computer games, and have shared multiplayer experiences on any table. (or maybe park)

It could be pretty sweet to play your sim game in your living room and walk around in it, instead of on a flat screen.

How about an educational game that teach kids about nature using a small flying creature telling you about the things you encounter while playing outside? (ok that one was "while something else")

You could make incredibly scary horror games...

Just a few things off the top of my head.

All though needing way better AR then is available today.

I'd like AR that is so good that you don't even have to have a classical screen anymore.

(and preferably no explicit glasses either, maybe just a dot you glue on the side of your nose that project the images on your retina).

You could just conjure up pictures wherever you needed them. on any surface, or hanging in the air...

I think when you play games, you should play games. AR games have narrow scopes, and are only usable in limited environment like laser tags or board games, and it only serves as an enhancement. You obviously don't want to be playing Frogger while crossing real streets. You will only have one life there, and there's no princess on the other side of the street.

I don't think you should not be doing anything else while playing games.