"There's
not much that's more magic than seeing something that's not really
there, from the perspective of a kid," said Sean McGowan, a toy industry
analyst at Needham & Company.
Using the technology to market and sale toys
Using the technology to market and sale toys
Lego uses the "Digital Box" kiosks to entice
children into buying the Lego sets. Wal-Mart recently released its
Web-Slinger app that enables children to see Spider-Man battle the
Lizard in 3-D on a mobile device.
A few toys incorporating augmented reality technology also began appearing on toy store shelves last year.
WowWee, a company specializing in high-tech toys, rolled out a foam plane that mounts in front of the mobile device's camera. On the screen, the player can see the plane superimposed on various aerial combat scenarios. The player controls the plane by moving the device.
German puzzle maker Ravensburger has added augmented reality apps that can make 3-D animals jump out from a puzzle of an African safari scene when a camera is aimed at it. And a number of laser tag toys allow smartphones to be mounted on plastic guns. Pointing the gun at a bookshelf or sofa, for example, might prompt virtual alien attackers to appear on the smartphone screen.
But analysts said few of the games had the "wow" factor that would convince them that the latest trend has staying power.
"Why do I need a piece of plastic to push the buttons when I could hold my phone or tablet out and do it myself?" McGowan said. "You need to convince people that something really extraordinary is going on to get people to part with their money."
For companies willing to try, challenges await.
http://203.69.69.81/studio/20130604adae06c05d760d9cf7690e4dd5bba8a9f28.wma
A few toys incorporating augmented reality technology also began appearing on toy store shelves last year.
WowWee, a company specializing in high-tech toys, rolled out a foam plane that mounts in front of the mobile device's camera. On the screen, the player can see the plane superimposed on various aerial combat scenarios. The player controls the plane by moving the device.
German puzzle maker Ravensburger has added augmented reality apps that can make 3-D animals jump out from a puzzle of an African safari scene when a camera is aimed at it. And a number of laser tag toys allow smartphones to be mounted on plastic guns. Pointing the gun at a bookshelf or sofa, for example, might prompt virtual alien attackers to appear on the smartphone screen.
But analysts said few of the games had the "wow" factor that would convince them that the latest trend has staying power.
"Why do I need a piece of plastic to push the buttons when I could hold my phone or tablet out and do it myself?" McGowan said. "You need to convince people that something really extraordinary is going on to get people to part with their money."
For companies willing to try, challenges await.
No comments:
Post a Comment