Welcome 2012! Welcome CES!

Hey everbody,

happy new year and welcome back for more Augmented Reality fun in 2012! I’m sure we can expect more insane technology updates through the year. Major new gaming console updates to be expected – they will bring some AR news along for shizzle. Also tinier and following Moore more powerful smartphones, new tablets (ipad3 in a month?), and more technology fairs to show off the latest gizmos. To kick off the year, I’ll directly quote some news, shown at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012, that started today.

Anti-Couch-Potatoe

To start with the big player, we have Microsoft, announcing their Kinect SDK to be available for PCs officially (and as a special flavor of the SDK) starting on February, 1st. The adjusted device will cost $250 and is already said to be slashed down to $150 later 2012.

Meanwhile at CES, Microsoft shows their latest endeavors with the Kinect, using it for television programs. They show us their concept of how an interactive telly show could look like, even further forcing us to get up and not only use a remote to zap or play (thanks again, Nintendo! ;-)). Take a look at their combination of Sesame Street with the couch live view, nicely depth-keyed with the Kinect: in the video starting at 4:40. Still, this is just a ready-made concept. It’s not defined, how multiple viewers and actors at home could interact with an at-this-time broadcast show. Will Elmo be hit with 50000 coconuts from all kids?

Flying Saucer

Lot of attraction at CES is also drawn to the known AR DRONE. Now released in their 2nd version. The drone now comes with 720p HD video signals, floating to your iDevice. They show a well-done marketing video with their flying saucer, that makes me scream: I WANT TO FLY! The operation UI is always shown on an ipad, making it possible to see through the eyes of the drone directly (as before), but now with HD and easier navigation: it’s calculating relative steering information depending on the distance/direction between drone and player.
Though range and battery life are sure too be more limited than suggested. Nevertheless big fun!

See also different hands-on videos, popping up from CES. Let’s take this one, showing a bit more live streaming.

Fitting to the release they also have a new single player gaming app, using markers to be put on the ground, letting you kill those aliens once and for all! See AR.Rescue video!

So much to kick off. Let’s now augment 2012!!

PS. Munich “AR Stammtisch” again tonight!

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