Augmented reality is about to get cheaper and easier. If a little clumsier.
Ghost, now funding on Indiegogo, touts itself as “a complete Augmented Reality solution, including a smartphone-powered headset and a suite of apps that is accessible, affordable, and useful.” The idea with the sub-$100 headset is to make AR — aka projecting virtual images into real-world environments — a far more accessible technology.
The Microsoft Hololens and Magic Leap, meanwhile, are expected to run customers well north of $1,000.
Compatible with pretty much any modern phone (iPhone 6 or above and most Android callers), Ghost is purposely modeled after a virtual-reality headset, which presents advantages (comfort, ease of use, a 70-degree natural field of view) and disadvantages (if you wear this outside of your house, prepare to be mocked).
Moving way beyond Pokemon GO, Ghost is touting its ability to create interactive screens that float around your head (if you’re into multitasking), scale virtual 3D models to your real-life environment (great for home design) and allow you to surreptitiously view videos while walking around in public, which seems really ill-advised and dangerous.
You can also use Ghost as a VR headset by snapping on a magnetic VR visor. It will work with most mobile VR apps, including Google Cardboard compatible ones. Just $79 during preorders, this might be a good intro to two bits of enhanced reality tech that haven’t quite reached mass appeal yet.
[H/t New Atlas]
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