[ Response | Lazer Tactical Action Game Message Board ]
Posted by John Falto
on February 8, 2012, 2:40 pm, in reply to "Engaget says the details of the NEW Lazer Tag from Hasbro"
While I admit I like the style (I am a sucker for heavy blaster styles), I feel left out. I have seen similar "blasters" that work with iPhones that allow you to do "battle" in an augmented or virtual reality. Problem is two fold:
1) You can only use an Apple device. This limits your market place immediately.
2) Most people may not want to actually do battle with their Apple devices. I went to an airsoft event a few months ago and a team was using a smart phonehone app that would allow you to see your teammates on a gps map, or augmented reality display. One player fell and lost his phone, while another had his screen cracked when his opponents decided to light him up.
From an engineering point of view, I see this as a boon to the manufacturer as it is almost completely app driven that doesn't even have to reside completely on the unit itself. It could be cloud driven. An IR emitter, an IR reciever and a system to translate the information and interface with the phone is all you need. Power ups, health packs, weapon choices, even combining virtual adversaries with real ones, could all be software driven, and if the market place allows for open source, this could be fantastic.
However, for me, I am left a bit dry mouthed because of the decision to tie into a smartphone (and not even a universal range of units).
"tagging with extreme prejudice"
