CastAR: Hands-On with the Early Dev Kit and Through-Glasses Gameplay (Video)
castAR is a technology that uses dual projectors to project a 720p, stereoscopic image onto special, retro-reflective material allowing you to see the projected game-world in front of you in 3D. The practical upshot of this is, you can throw a retro-reflective sheet onto any surface, vertical, horizontal or otherwise. Even cleverer though, if you add a friend with their own pair of castAR glasses, when they put them on and stare at the same surface they receive their own view of the game. The surfaces property mean that light is reflected back to the source, i.e. the user.
As I got to grips with my marble’s (stop sniggering at the back) handling characteristics, I consciously stooped and peered into the scene, trying to throw off the tracking. It was pretty solid, only breaking when I dropped below the surface of the table, where the marker sat.
Although the team won’t be drawn on exactly when that shipping date will be, it’s fairly clear that they’re unlikely to ship anything until they’re completely happy with the product.
castAR remains a unique and exciting hardware platform for gaming, with a truly social focus on multiplayer and potentially family based activities seemingly it’s real forte. The nature or AR means you’re less isolated from other players - the potential for castAR to replace activities such as traditional board-gaming for example is enticing.