Ingress Demographic Survey

Ingress Demographic Survey

Ingress game becomes more and more popular. For some weird reason it is still beta (for more than 2 month now), but it is not very hard to get an activation key if you really want it. Try to submit more than one email on Ingress website and cooperate with your friends if anyone receives more than one.

There are numerous Google+ and Facebook communities, IRC chats and so on, where codes pop up form time to time. Usually, you are required to solve some kind of puzzle and sometimes they are very easy. Also, artworks can bring attention and one of Niantic folks can send you access.

And still number of players is already high enough to perform a distributed survey and here are results for 1,572 people. For example, check these ones, which look quite interesting:

  • 88% have seen places they wouldn’t have seen otherwise
  • 74% of people had met fellow players in real life
  • 29% made new friends
  • 74% have driven their cars (not very environmentally friendly game 🙂 )
  • 2% conducted air travel (!!)
  • 5% cheated in one or another way
  • 46% used spare battery. Continuous 3G + GPS + screen on = battery drains faster than Superman flies.
  • 16% bought a new device to play. Yes, game can be played on older devices, but often lags.

Full survey can be read here – The Demographics of Ingress. Plenty of data, but charts are easy to understand. There is a link to the raw dataset to make own graphs and charts as well.

Wondering, if there is an iPhone version planned anytime in the future? I’ve heard that many happy Apple fans are not so happy anymore, as world goes crazy and they simply cannot.

Ingress Iphone

Time to grab an Android smartphone and choose your side wisely. Enlightened or Resistance?

Sergey Brin Wearing Google Glasses In Subway

Sergey Brin, Google co-founder, has been spotted in the New York subway, wearing Google Glasses. Lucky guy, who recognized Brin, was Noah Zerkin, another augmented reality enthusiast (what a coincidence!).

He snapped a photo and managed to have a little talk. Looks like Sergey is getting used to his new device, though currently, specs are quite limited. Plus, this photo is now famous around the world and creates needed buzz.

There are more Googlers, wearing Glasses in their everyday life. I can only imagine, how much attention it usually attracts.

At the same time people around Sergey do not seem to be interested in him. Ok, they might know better face of the Justin Bieber, but a cool techy device without glasses? Probably, they thought it was some medical stuff and did not want to look impolite?

Sergey Brin Subway Google Glasses

Olympus MEG4.0 Augmented Reality Glasses

Olympus MEG4.0 Augmented Reality Glasses

It is not a big surprise that not only Google and Valve are working on “Augmented Reality Glasses” project. But the name of the next player on this field is unexpected. It is.. Olympus.

Yes, Japanese company introduced their concept back in July 2012 and there have been no other official news regarding it. As you can see from the picture, it needs real glasses (unlike Google’s version) and is designed only to show information from the mobile phone via Bluetooth.

Virtual screen is 320 x 240 resolution and it is also only in front of one eye. Weight of the device is 30 grams, battery life is around 2 hours. Olympus claims that device is not created to work continuously and “with normal use” 2 hours become 8. Not bad already.

It has no camera, but there is accelerometer to determine, which direction the wearer is facing at the moment. Key difference from Google Glass is that it is intended to show information rather than collect it. Display is rumoured to be of a very high quality, perfectly visible in daylight.

Price and availability are unclear at the moment, probably it stays as a prototype. For me they look quite ugly, to be honest. And lack of camera makes them not a real competitor for Google. Why choose something weird and with less options?

Also, a strange Olympus patent has been found. It is basically an external viewfinder, which switches on only if camera is placed near the glasses. This option is quite nice as it makes cameras lighter and smaller while still retaining viewfinder option. And it can be easily implemented in MEG4.0 to work via Bluetooth.

Olympus External Viewfinder

Valve Thinks Of Augmented Reality Goggles

Valve Thinks Of Augmented Reality Goggles

Major gaming industry company Valve (famous for all time classics Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Portal) is working towards augmented reality solutions.

There is no official project yet, but in different interviews key people like Gabe Newell and Michael Abrash discussed the future of gaming, mentioning that Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality goggles (similar to Google Glasses) are logical evolvement of consoles.

Everything goes mobile, so do games. And while we can have games on our mobile phones, they are not so comfortable and easy to play. Michael Abrash thinks that augmented reality (AR) games and apps via goggles will have a visible domination in 3-5 years already.

Valve Augmented Reality Logo

And virtual reality (VR) even sooner. Reason for this is simple – it is easier to create completely new universe, than combine two in real-time. Main problem is tracking of the user position. Imagine, you see the building wall and AR app puts a billboard on it. Now, when you move (even your head), billboard should remain there and distort properly. Otherwise, illusion is broken.

This is something even harder, than Google’s project. Their Glasses initially display augmented object “in the air” or with “real world stitch precision” sufficient for normal smartphone use. But games usually require much better reality emulation.

VR for the time you are sitting on your sofa and AR to provide additional information, while you are on the street.

Another good point from Michael is about convergence of AR and VR. Future devices should ideally have both options. VR for the time you are sitting on your sofa and AR to provide additional information, while you are on the street. Sounds reasonable.

Let’s hope, Valve really has something in the pocket and will tease us from time to time. Just imagine Half-Life 3 using augmented reality technologies. Tetris will also be ok for a first step.

IllumiRoom Game Project From Microsoft

IllumiRoom Game Project From Microsoft

Microsoft presented IllumiRoom Project at CES, special technology designed for gamers. It utilizes TV, projector and Kinect to create an extended view, while you are playing.

System first scans your room to make note of the furniture and its location. This is needed to distort the picture properly according to room’s geometry and objects’ shapes.

Microsoft Illumiroom Shooter

The result is an augmented reality processed onto your surroundings, while you play favourite shooter or Super Mario 🙂 Field of view is expanded and an added feeling of motion is induced.

Peripheral vision will help you to battle enemies, for sure. Of course, you are still focused on TV, but your sight angle is pretty much the same you have in real life. This is a good example of game world moving forward, without using virtual reality helmets.

Also, technology should be good for different educational presentations for children – planetarium or sea views. Main action is on the screen and flying stars around make it much more real.

Video is said to be “live” without any special effects. Some parts of it reminded me of that cool light shows on buildings, when windows are “crushed”, walls are “falling” down etc.

Now, main question is whether this technology is able to utilize existing projectors? I doubt so, really. Remember, it scans your room? So, there should be a transducer to receive back and use all this data. I believe, Microsoft will have a special device for IllumiRoom, but will it be affordable for an ordinary gamer?

More details should be available at the CHI 2013 event held in Paris on 27th April. Probably, IllumiRoom will be integrated with the future updates of Xbox 360? (maybe 720 model?). Hope it does not stay as a concept for the next 5 years.

Layar – Augmented Reality App

Layar – Augmented Reality App

Android users can try an augmented reality app – Layar. It uses your smartphone camera and GPS sensor together with magnetic field detector.

The result is real world through camera with some places of interest on it. Now, what places? Here is the trick – layers (“layArs”) with different set of objects. For example, restaurants, monuments, galleries.

Some of “layars” are quite original, yet useless, in my opinion. Instagram photos, Tweets and graphical 3D animations, like flying sausages above the trees 🙂 Fun for children to trick the grandma.

Also, most of the “useful” ones are tied to the specific location, say, sights in London or street art in New York. Therefore, you may end up seeing nothing really helpful, except Instagram pics of your neighbour’s lunch 🙂

For some reason, folks behind Layar decided to shift idea of the app from the urban augmented reality to the, so called, “Interactive Print” – a “scanner”, which provides a hidden content (or even a “Buy it now” option), when pointed on some featured poster or magazine. Of course, these posters should have a special Layar barcode on them to show hidden data.

Layar Augmented Reality Interactive Print

In conclusion, app is worth trying, especially if you live or travel in a big city and have a good mobile plan. Then you probably find new and interesting places around. Or some cool place to eat/drink.

By the way, I noticed one “layar”, which encourages you to create a party spot for others to join – “Hey, step in, drinks are on the house!”. Then those news about 10,000 guests came to a party and ruined the house. Be aware of augmented parties 🙂

P.S. There are many furious comments on Google Play market regarding the fact that Layar was preinstalled as a system app on some devices, though not really needed by the owners. Not a clever move, I think. People should have a choice (to uninstall) or it will look like a coercion.

HackIngress – New Ingress Intel Map?

HackIngress – New Ingress Intel Map?

Update 03/06/13: As HackIngress is not live yet, try Ingress Total Conversion script. It has many useful functions that turn original Intel map to a superweapon.

 

Ingress gamers have probably noticed that there is a mysterious website appeared – HackIngress. It has a countdown message probably just to boil the expectations 🙂 6 days is left for something.. BIG? There is a commented CSS code on this page which gives some clue:

I have bypassed the Niantic Mainframe and have begun a subnet for much improved OPS. As I am ambivalent toward any faction, these tools will help all agents in reverse-engineering these shaper technologies. The NIA will invariably try to shut this down, but I have established numerous exit and entrance nodes within a private TOR in the background. NGOs will not shut me down. Stand by for further instructions and more information.

And then it was updated by:

My identity is compromised, but it is inconsequential. Who I am is irrelevant; the cause will proceed as planned. Niantic withholds, from both factions, the necessary tools to reveal the shaper purpose. Agents need better methods and utilities to accelerate our understanding of their intent and purpose. There will be no knockdown.

Looks like website will contain more advanced version of Ingress Intel map. And… here is some evidence! If screenshots are not faked, then they show us some new options like Total Fields, Total Portals, Link Distance and Portal Key availability.

Not sure about Total Portals and Fields, though. Probably, number of those for the given area? Click for a full size

HackIngress Map 4   HackIngress Map 3
HackIngress Map 1   HackIngress Map 2
 

Question – is it a new turn on the whole Niantic puzzle or some talented guy(s) has found a way to drastically improve user interface and the list of available options for Intel web map?

Anyway, this update is very long-awaited by many players. I will post later a list of all bugs and possible enhancements (marked by myself), which could be done by Google to improve this game.

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