No doubt, our generation marks the breakout era of video games, transitioning from the nerd’s basement to your uncle’s Facebook account. But will we really like a Grand Theft Auto-esque life? Here’s Schell’s vision of life as a series of mini games, as he stated in DICE 2010:

You see, the problem with Schell’s ideas is that they come after the fact, after the success of Facebook et al. Schell himself acknowledges that today’s big hits came from nowhere, things that even veterans wouldn’t have bet a cent on. So why is he so certain that this extrapolated future will come true? I have no doubt that Schell is a genius, and that what he said may very well come true. But I’m also sure that I, an avid gamer, would hate the life that he is talking about.

Despite it’s many similarities, life isn’t really a video game, not even a series of games. Unless you kill yourself, you cannot always take a break from life. In life the consequences are, well, real. The future that Schell talks about will drive many people insane with its incessant nagging and challenging, but you can’t just shut it off because it’s everywhere and it’s your actual world. The points from ads and companies will give people false values of their worth, in the same way that Xbox 360 Achievements add that shallow validation to gamers, when in fact a lot of the achievements and trophies are given for moronic tasks, trampling on the fact that gamers can and should be able to judge if they’ve accomplished something difficult without needing a virtual trophy.

At the end of his presentation, Schell exclaims, “…I do know this stuff is coming. It’s gotta come. What’s to stop it from coming?” I have one word for Mr. Schell: customers. Businesses and companies have pitched a lot of ideas time and again that exuded nothing but pure awesome when they thought of it, only to be shot down by the paying public. What Schell’s future will do is drive people away from gaming. Video games are not just about rewards and challenges: they’re about stories and epic moments, orchestrated and accidental. And yes, despite the many addicted gamers, pro gamers, hardcore gamers out there, for me and many other people games do offer a way to relax and take time off from life.

I will be utterly disgusted if Life turns out to be The Game of the Future. Points for brushing my teeth? Screw that. Unless I get a Gold Chocobo that can walk anywhere, then I’m all for Toothbrush Points.

[via G4TV]

Similar to the character creation screen typically found in RPGs, customers can select from a wide range of cosmetics (using a touchscreen interface), and the terminal projects makeup onto the customers face instantly, a shower of virtual glitter twinkling as the customer swaps colors or… umm other aspects that vary in cosmetics. Styles or something. Customers can also choose default characters templates recommendations based on their facial features.

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One of my imaginary sources also said that Shiseido is working on a similar device for men, letting them try on different styles of facial hair (none of which are actually decent) and beer bellies of varying shapes and sizes.

[via popgadget]

What happens next? Well, check out the video below – when a camera views the barcode, it’s transformed into a flying dragon.

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The augmented reality tattoo was developed by the Buenos Aries based ThinkAnApp studio. They developed specialized software to recognize the AR barcode on a curved surface like an arm.

[via Designboom]

As you can see, the codes provide a good view of the building. Teradadesign and Qosmo propose that in the future, the codes would allow people to view the tweets of the shoppers inside the building, as well as view shop information and even download coupons to their mobile phones. 3D ads or graphics are an option as well. I’d like to think that we’ll have some sort of implant or wearable tech that will allow us to “read” QR codes. It would be cool to see augmented reality graffiti, or “read” books with 3D content.

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Can you imagine your city plastered with QR codes instead of big and colorful billboards?

[via Buzz Beast via Notcot]

Matsuda’s stunning video clip was created as part of his Masters’ program at the Bartlett School of Architecture, and envisions a future in which augmented reality has embedded itself into our everyday lives, transforming the way we interact with our living and working spaces. A wondrous world of heads-up displays show contextual information for everything from dishwasher status, to tea kettle temperature updates, to an inventory of the items in your fridge. Oh yeah, and lots and lots of ads.

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I, for one do not want my kitchen walls covered with banner ads – even if they are targeted to my midnight cravings for Krispy Kremes and Grape Tang (unless Kozmo was still in business and could deliver those items in 30 minutes or less.)

Ah, the future’s so bright, you’ve gotta hope the AdBlock Plus guys are working on an augmented reality version of their app.

[via bldgblog via The Awesomer]

Months later, the students released a video with a proof-of-concept of the D&D-Surface mashup, which they named SurfaceScapes, including a look at how combat plays out.

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Virtual d20 ftw.

[via Wired via Penny Arcade]

DishPointer’s next-generation software uses augmented reality technology to overlay the exact position of the satellites on the live video from your iPhone. The application takes full advantage of the iPhone 3GS built-in compass, GPS, and accelerometer to show you the locations of the satellites in the sky. Check out the video below to see a preview of the application in action:

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You’ll have no excuse for those pesky tree branches or leaves getting in the way of your mega 5-LNB high-def dish with this app in hand. And if you’re a satellite dish installer, you’ll definitely want this in your bag of tricks when it’s released.

DishPointer hasn’t revealed when the new augmented reality app will hit, but says it should coincide with the release of iPhone OS 3.1 (rumored to be in September). For now, you can check out DishPointer’s other satellite pointing apps here.

The game draws on the phone’s camera and a special game map to create a 3D city filled with zombies that need killing and survivors that need saving. Move the phone, and the view changes. Sounds like ARhrrrr has some pretty amazing potential.

Unfortunately the idea is a little ahead of smart phone tech, though the folks behind the demo, Georgia Tech’s Augmented Environments Lab (AEL) and SCAD-Atlanta’s Interactive Design & Game Development department, say they’d love to see it in production when that changes… and they’re not alone!

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[AEL via Super Punch]

Using AR tracking technology, as you hold the ad up to your computer’s webcam, you’ll see a 3-D model of a MINI Cabrio convertible that moves as you turn the sheet of paper around.

All you need is a copy of the ad, a webcam, and a web browser (sorry, Internet Explorer/ActiveX only) to view the 3-D AR effect. It won’t hurt if you can read German too.

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The ad campaign was created by Munich, Germany agencies Buzzin Monkey and die agentour GmbH.

The ad appeared recently in three German automotive magazines: Auto, Motor und Sport, Werben & Verkaufen and Autobild, but if you want to see how it works right now you can print out a PDF of the ad and head on over to the MINI augmented reality web site to check it out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.

[via MediaPost via ARTweets]

Bandai’s new Tuttuki Bako handheld interactive plaything requires you to twiddle your finger around inside the orifice to play with a variety of virtual characters on an LCD screen on the front of the device. Think augmented reality Tamagotchi, and you’ve pretty much got the point.

There are six play modes ranging from pushing around a tiny little person, to ticking someone’s nose, to petting a pint-size panda bear. All very weird indeed.

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Now that you’re all hot and bothered from that video clip, I bet you’re just dying put your finger in one of these. Just gather up your ¥3610 (appx. $37 USD), get your Katakana to English dictionary out and head on over to the Rakuten Strapya shop.

Created by EmmanuelMFr of France’s Total Immersion, the illusions in the video really are reminiscent of those in the game. Using his company’s D’FUSION software, he was able to swap the images on each virtual screen surface in real time, including full 3-dimensional transformations.

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I had to watch the video several times before I really understood what was going on, but once you do, you’ll be scratching your head asking how the heck exactly they did that.

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Developed by computer graphics researchers Volker Scholz and Marcus Magnor, the texture replacement technology uses a complex algorithm which encodes the coordinates of textures in a sampled video sequence, then replaces them with a new texture map, complete with shadows and all the fabric folds.

Designed for use in movie and video post-production, it’s only a matter of time before we start to see directors changing out costume designs long after the film is in the can.

The Mscape concept allows you to use the portable gaming device as a “lens” to the world around you, superimposing interactive elements into the scene in real time. For instance, you might be looking down a city street, then hold the device up to see a virtual dragon attacking you on the screen, you’d then duck out of the way and the game would respond to your physical actions. It’s a lot easier to understand if you watch this video clip provided by HP.

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The Mscape would use a combination of motion sensing, GPS and other technologies to understand its context in the real world. Certainly this isn’t the first “augmented reality” system I’ve seen, but it’s the first portable gaming device to embrace the concept. The general idea is kind of cool — if not a little impractical — the first time someone gets run over by a bus while they’re playing with one of these in the street, the lawyers will kill it.

HP hasn’t revealed if and when the technology will be brought to market.

[Sci-Fi Tech via Destructoid]

We’ve seen earlier research prototypes of this technology under the moniker PlayAnywhere, but now Microsoft is commercializing it. The initial Surface system looks like a table with 30-inch flat panel monitor embedded beneath the tabletop.

Like Apple’s iPhone, Surface supports multi-touch, meaning it can detect touch in multiple locations on the display, providing the ability to “grab” and manipulate objects on the screen. The system can also accept simultaneous input from multiple users, making it perfect for gaming and other entertainment uses. In addition, it can interact with objects placed on the surface for everything from augmented reality applications to detecting when a media player is placed on the surface so it can begin transferring digital content via a wireless connection.

Surface runs on the Windows Vista platform, but has specialized software which provides the touch and gesture interface. With the initial units costing around $10k each, Microsoft sees the initial applications for surface being in bars, restaurants, casinos, hotels and other locations where users might interact with menus, maps, games or other information without need for a mouse, keyboard or other control device. They expect to ship the first devices later this year.

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[via VideoSift]

Technical Overview from Microsoft Research (PDF)