Augmented reality is an important tool for laying information over the real world and enhancing our view of reality. AR is different from virtual reality in that it keeps us planted firmly in the here and now while enhancing (rather than replacing) our natural senses. That’s what makes Microsoft’s HoloLens platform such an important tool and very possibly more valuable over the long term than VR.
One of the more trendy phenomena in tech right now is Pokemon GO, Nintendo’s intensely popular AR game that runs on iOS and Android devices (and notably eschewing Windows phones). While smartphones can utilize AR in a distinctly two-dimensional format, and still be a lot of fun, they’re nevertheless limited compared to HoloLens. This is intuitively true, but the folks at CapitolaVR (via RoadtoVR) have given us a real glimpse of what Pokemon GO would look like on Microsoft’s AR platform, and it’s awesome.
The team used the Unity cross-platform game development tool and the HoloLens SDK to mock up a Pokemon GO demo, and they managed to put together the following video after only a single day of development. And so if anything looks wonky, keep that in mind.
Here’s the video:
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella talked about how Pokemon Go was a great promotional tool for HoloLens, and in watching this video we can see his point. Give it a watch, and let us know in the comments if watching what HoloLens can do makes you feel the slightest bit better about no Pokemon GO app on Windows phones.
