I’ve been playing ARKit augmented reality games on my iPad for a month now. I’ve started experimenting with the technology not too long before I’ve decided to create this AR Critic website. I was fascinated with the technology and what can be achieved with it. I saw the crazy ARKit demos that people are sharing on the web and I am hooked since then.
Spending lots of time playing and using ARKit apps and games have thought me quite a lot of the advantages and disadvantages of this amazing technology. In this article, I want to talk about the reasons why I find augmented reality a fascinating technology?
Physical interaction — ARKit can detect your position in the physical space. This allows developers to developer experiences where users can interact with virtual objects in the physical world using only mobile device itself to do so. This also allows developers to build an experience that its interaction is based on the location of the player in the physical world. For example, a game like AMON, a puzzle ARKit game, has shown us how enjoyable and immersive an AR game can be when using just the location of the player and object interaction as part of the gameplay mechanics.
The physical interaction makes you feel part of the game itself, rather than play it as a spectator. This is an advantage that until now was only available in VR, and now you can experience it using just your mobile device.
Better emotional bond with the virtual — When I played games like Follow Me Dragon, AR Dragon, and My Very Hungry Caterpillar AR games, I was able to make a better emotional bonding with the virtual characters because they were a part of my world. It;s like really cool creature has just landed in my room and I can interact with him (almost) directly. Of course, if there wasn’t a window between us (the mobile device) like with the HoloLens, it would be even better. I think that for kids it’s going to be even more prominent.
Body movement feels good — I don’t know if you are doing exercise on a regular basis, but I do. I always enjoy being in motion and I found out that I really enjoy playing games that require me to be in constant motion. I remember playing the game like Catchy Words, and I remember really enjoying holding the iPad in front of my chest and doing the pull and push motions to put the letter in the right place.
I am not saying that everyone would enjoy playing a game like that, but even a mild sports activity can make you feel invigorated, even if it’s just part of a game.
Innovative game and apps ideas — When I start playing virtual reality (VR) games, I was amazed how this technology completely changes the way we play games. AR can do the same thing, but differently of course. What I love about new technologies like VR and AR is that they give developers a tool to create some amazing ideas, especially in gaming and educational apps.
ARKit allows developers to come up with some very creative ideas for games and app that we wouldn’t be able to experience otherwise. ARkit is just making its first baby steps, but you already see amazing experiences that people are creating with it.
Like VR, it will take some time until it’s ready for its prime time, but because it’s a mobile industry and it’s Apple, it’s growth and popularity is going to be much faster compared to other platforms like VR.
Mobile is better —The mobility is probably one of the key factors that can lead to a substantial growth of this technology in a very short time. There are already millions of users that can run ARKit apps on their devices. But living this aside, AR is much more accessible than desktop VR for even mobile VR. First of all, you don’t need any additional accessory to consume the AR content, just an ARKit-enabled iPhone or iPad (the same goes to Google ARCore). Second, you still have the option to see things around you, unlike a VR headset where you can no longer see the real world around you, just the virtual space.
Bottom line is that Augmented Reality is more accessible and more mobile than VR. This by itself is a huge advantage. This means that more people will play AR games and use AR apps outside the house. VR is mainly played at home.
A large variety of free and affordable apps (to come) — Another thing that I like about mobile apps, which is true for AR apps as well is that you get to download many free apps, and those that are paid one, their costs aren’t high. It’s great that you can open the App Store every day and find new games to play and apps to use. It’s unlike my PS4 console where I need to way months to play a few games if at all (games that I do want to play).
As of the time of writing, there aren’t many ARKit games and apps, but there will be plenty in the near future.
E-Commerce — If you tried the IKEA ARKit app you probably know how e-commerce can benefit from this technology. Using this technology consumers can actually try on some accessories to see whether they look good on them or place furniture in the house to see if they fit or match their house. This allows consumers to make much smarter buying decision even without living their house. Products that until now you had to get to the store to try out, buy now there wouldn’t be any good reason for you to do so. For example, you can check out how a set of chairs look near your table and order them online without even physically being at the store or seeing the physical product.
What do like (or don’t) about Augmented Reality technology? I am really interested to hear your thoughts as well.
Image credit: By OyundariZorigtbaatar (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons