Pokemon GO has brought attention worldwide to one of the most exciting technologies to have come to the consumer space, Augmented Reality or AR. While Microsoft has wowed people with their AR demos of HoloLens glasses, Pokemon GO, with its unparalleled success, is what took it mainstream.
As more people are finding out about AR, they are becoming interested in AR based apps, excited by the concept of the collision or the mingling of the real and the virtual worlds.
Here are some AR based app games that you might like.
1. SpecTrek
Just like Pokemon GO, in this game you gotta catch 'em all, but instead of Pokemon you'll be catching ghosts here. This app also relies on GPS and AR technology. You have to step outside your house to explore various locations. You will spot ghosts in these locations and with the help of your camera, you'll need to lasso the spooky creatures. This game is available both on iOS and Android.
2. Ingress
The AR based game, Ingress, was also developed by Niantic Corp, the creators of Pokemon GO. And it is in many ways the base of Pokemon GO. There are 'Portals' in Ingress that are often to be found in the same locations as Pokestops and Gyms in Pokemon. You have to choose a side, either Enlightened (Green) or Rebellion (Blue), and as a player, you have to capture Portals for your team around the city by visiting them.
You then have to link the Portals to create the energy field that will give your team greater ability to defend the Portals from the other team.
3. Paintball Arena
This game uses Augmented Reality in the best manner. The camera-based game, that can be played in the backyard or a garden, requires a Wi-Fi connection. But you wouldn't need to go to a paintball arena anymore.
First, you have to define the colour of different players' shirts. If you are hit, your phone will vibrate. The app uses colour detection technology to count points. Completing different missions will earn you points which can be exchanged for better gears and guns.
4. AR Invaders
AR Invaders is a tower defense game where you have to defend the earth from invading alien creatures. This game can be played in two modes. If you're standing, you can have a 360-degree mode and if you're sitting you can play in the 180-degree mode.
The game has a multiplayer mode as wall. There are a total of 9 levels with different types of enemies with different difficulty levels.
5. Toyota AR 86
This game provides great racing experience within the comfort of your home. You have to print the marker available at the website.
Once you have printed the marker, you can start driving the car which can be controlled by your smartphone. You can take turns and avoid corners and obstacles while driving. You can also record and upload all your driving videos on the website. The game is available both on Android and iOS platform.
Besides games based on Augmented Reality there are many AR based applications to help you in your everyday tasks, Google Goggles and bar-code scanner being just two great examples.
