Augmented reality (AR) games, particularly those designed for headsets, have become increasingly prevalent with advancements in both hardware and software. However, the majority of AR games still rely on pre-scanned or static scenes, and interaction mechanisms are often limited to controllers or hand-tracking. Additionally, the presence of identical objects in AR games poses challenges for conventional object tracking techniques, which often struggle to differentiate between identical objects or necessitate the installation of fixed cameras for global object movement tracking. In response to these limitations, we present a novel approach to address the tracking of identical objects in an AR scene to enrich physical-virtual interaction. Our method leverages partial scene observations captured by an AR headset, utilizing the perspective and spatial data provided by this technology. Object identities within the scene are determined through the solution of a label assignment problem using integer programming. To enhance computational efficiency, we incorporate a Voronoi diagram-based pruning method into our approach. Our implementation of this approach in a farm-to-table AR game demonstrates its satisfactory performance and robustness. Furthermore, we showcase the versatility and practicality of our method through applications in AR storytelling and a simulated gaming robot. Our video demo is available at: https://youtu.be/rPGkLYuKvCQ.

Niantic has created some of the most popular augmented reality games like Ingress and Pokémon Go. But this week the company is launching a new title called NBA All-World that might be the best application of its location-based tech to date. For people who have played one of Niantic's previous titles, NBA All-World features a very familiar formula. After installing the free app (available on Android and iOS), you are given a starter player and from there you can use the in-game map to navigate to real-world locations in order to collect items, earn cash or battle other players. The big twist for NBA All-World is that, instead of visiting random points of interest to battle others, you'll need to visit real-world basketball courts to earn your spot on local leaderboards.

Augmented Reality is still developing as a technology, but is beginning to move into the mainstream. The big tech companies are scrambling to build sustainable AR ecosystems to gain early foothold in the potentially lucrative market, while specialist firms are focusing on areas like content development. In 2018, Alibaba, the Chinese ecommerce giant launched Taobao Buy, an app that aims to make online shopping more interactive. The app, accessible via Microsoft's HoloLens headsets, allows users to browse and interact for a select range of products from Alibaba's online store. Alibaba acquired Infinity AR and has also invested in Augmented Reality companies like WayRay and Magic Leap.

Augmented reality (AR) is featuring with smartphone makers and social media firms. These are frontline adopters and developers of facial recognition, using it for device security and personalised entertainment (like Snapchat Filters). Makers of smart glasses are also taking an interest in facial recognition. However, privacy issues remain a concern, especially in the consumer market. That said, some enterprise-grade smart glasses are using facial recognition technology for specific functions. Several leading social media platforms allow users to add AR features to their content.

Before we get into the nitty gritty, here's a crash course on augmented reality. Simply put, it sounds more futuristic than it appears. Point your iPhone at your dining table and voila, an animated dinosaur appears. It's easy to confuse augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) – AR is essentially an enhanced version of reality, whereas VR is a simulated environment completely different from your own. As both technologies progress, the aim is to make it easier to mix both of them, to move even further away from reality.

As iPhone 8's launch nears, developers have started making augmented reality games for Apple's upcoming device. Epic Games, the company behind games such as'Gears of War' and'Infinity Blade', Monday launched its Unreal Engine 4.17, which includes in its list of additions experimental support for Apple ARKit. Epic Games' chief technical officer, Kim Libreri, told Engadget, "We want to go beyond gameplay for AR, it's more about what's unreal and real. The engine is always gonna be a great gaming engine. What we're really seeing is the gamification of everything else [and] it's gonna be hugely disruptive."

Amidst the fervor created by the Pokémon Go app, Signia Venture Partners cofounder Sunny Dhillon shared an important perspective with his July 14 story, "Stop referring to Pokémon Go as augmented reality." Yes the popularity of this game gives us a glimpse into consumers' hunger for AR games, but the technology to interact with the real world is just not there yet. As Dhillon points out, true augmented reality "requires computer vision and dynamic mapping of the real world environment." In contrast, Pokémon Go characters rely solely on Google Maps' fixed latitude and longitude. If true augmented reality technologies were in use here, Dhillon explains, then inherent real-time depth mapping and object recognition would empower game characters to interact with the real-world, keeping them out of incongruous play areas.