Tag: ar technology

Augmented reality is bringing fitness to mobile gaming

Augmented Reality Fitness Mobile GamesThis state of the art technology is makes these games available on smartphones and tablets.

Fitness games have become very popular on consoles, but now the concept is available through mobile gaming because of the addition of augmented reality into the field.

Now, fitness apps are available to be played on smartphones and tablets in addition to PCs.

Until now, console games have required physical controllers or the Kinect motion sensor equipment, for example, in order to detect movements. However, through the use of augmented reality apps, the camera features in smartphones and tablets have made it possible for mobile gaming to offer this same type of fitness opportunity.

The device cameras include the player into the augmented reality environment for a similar experience.

The very first app to take advantage of the augmented reality mobile gaming alternative to fitness console games is an application called BallStrike. This app is available at the Windows 8 store for devices that run on that operating system. It is also now available for Android and iOS devices. This game requires the player to punch and explode a number of balls that appear on the screen around a live image of the player. The premise is to encourage the player to move around so that he or she will become more fit over time. The application displays an estimated number of calories burned throughout the game.

To make sure that the augmented reality experience is as accurate as possible, the player must stand about 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from the device camera. The distance needs to be judged so that the entire person can fit on the screen. At that point, the “boxing” session starts. It starts off at a fun and easy learning level, but as the player progresses, the difficulty increases.

Another addition to the augmented reality fitness mobile gaming marketplace is Fuego’s River Adventure. This is currently available for iPad users, only. It is a combination of a fitness app and an arcade game in which the player floats down a river on a raft, and the user has to avoid obstacles. This requires the user to jump around in front of the device and, presumably, burn calories in so doing.

Augmented reality game is being used by Kobo to promote ebooks

E-Reader Augmented Reality GameThe hope is that ereading will receive some attention and more people will give it a try.

Kobo has just announced the creation of game that uses augmented reality in order to promote ereading, which is an appropriate theme considering that this is the central purpose of the device.

The game is the first of its kind for the device and is meant to specifically promote an upcoming book.

The augmented reality mobile gaming experience is called The Descent. The inspiration for the experience is from Dante’s Inferno, as well as from additional authors. This includes Dan Brown and his upcoming book release which will be entitled Inferno, as well as J.F. Penn, and the self-published works of that author. The books that have been created by Penn were themed on a basis of the nine circles of hell and Dante’s Inferno.

This unique augmented reality promotion is meant to draw attention to the books and ereading as a whole.

The promotion that is complimented by the augmented reality game is meant to encourage readers to download two of Penn’s ebooks, for free, so that they can read their digital copies. These two books are Kobo exclusives and are entitled Sins of Violence and Sins of Temptation.

The books must be read in order to obtain clues for the online augmented reality game, so it is not only meant to encourage the download of the books, but it is also meant to have readers actually read the ebook versions on their Kobo ereaders.

This augmented reality marketing promotion is meant to be an advertising campaign for Penn, as well, who could stand to benefit from it if the books turn out to be popular. While the first two books are free, there will be a third book in the series that will be released in September. That book will be called Sins of Treachery.

Moreover, readers have even more encouragement to play the augmented reality game and read the books in order to arrive at the end, as the first player to make it as far as the game’s final step will receive a $5,000 award, in addition to an ereader device that has been autographed by Dan Brown.

The promotion with the augmented reality game will be a short one, as it is running only through May 14th, at which time the Dan Brown book will be available for sale.