Augmented Reality: Future or fad?

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With more entertainment devices implementing multimedia capabilities throughout their evolution. Don’t get me started on how weird I still think it is that we can now watch TV, movies and browse the web on a CELL PHONE. Future technology will most likely be more geared towards accessibility and presentation than bleeding edge hardware. The question then becomes one of whether or not we are ready for the next wave but if people are willing to accept whatever the next trend in consumer electronics may be. Even now we have tablets, phones, handhelds, consoles and PCs that have successfully integrated touch screen technology into their framework and I don’t see a change in this trend anytime soon. The reason I feel that now would be a better time than any for this particular technology to become consumer friendly is because of the lack of immersion that still remains when we are pressing simulated buttons on our phones or swatting through physical space at a virtual tennis ball that is STILL limited to the confines of the device itself. That alone is why I feel that motion sensing technology has such limited implications presently. It’s due to the lack of immersion from physically interacting with something that we KNOW is confined to a limited area i.e the screen. Augmented Reality (or AR) technology has the best chance to succeed now because all of the other devices that we currently use can either integrate with it or still maintain market share without having to worry about the competition aspect of something along the lines of Android vs iOS. AR just is and while I’m sure that there will be companies that want to secure their methods in which it is used the potential for its uses are undeniable. Right now AR tech is still in its infancy and there are video game developers that have begun to use the tech albeit in a cursory way The Nintendo 3DS and PSVita have AR Capabilities but it seems as if they are unsure where they wish to take it next. Microsoft’s tentatively named “Xbox Illumi-room” on the other hand seems to be taking the right approach and I am looking forward to seeing if they can follow through and continue to innovate on their part. Below are some examples of AR technology so you can see it’s potential with your own eyes:

Xbox Ilumiroom:

video courtesy : youtube.com

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