The emergence of magical hologram creatures from seemingly ordinary books may finally bring to life the augmented reality (AR) experience that was once promised by AR glasses. While this technology seemed like a distant dream, there have been previous instances where such experiences were made available. Sony, for example, offered an AR Harry Potter book that worked in conjunction with the PlayStation camera, and Nintendo utilized the Nintendo 3DS camera and 3D display to create an AR adventure through unique cards and books. The recent release of new content from Jim Henson’s The Storyteller further explores the potential for physical accessories like books to have a presence in the future of mixed reality (MR) headsets.
Jim Henson’s “Storyteller” in Augmented Reality
One such example of this exploration is the AR version of Jim Henson’s “Storyteller.” Developed by Felix & Paul Studios, this captivating AR content offers a glimpse into a world hidden within the pages of a physical book. Unlike virtual reality (VR) experiences that transport users to different locations, this AR content projects a small world of stories within a book itself. The visuals are stunning, resembling a charming video game theatre. Accompanied by the narration of Neil Gaiman, the experience truly comes to life.
As I engaged with this AR content, I felt as though I was peering into the very book in my hands, witnessing the world inside it. Tilting the book or turning its pages revealed a myriad of surprises that extended beyond the book’s boundaries. Characters leaped out and stared at me through the window, while tilting the book during an ocean scene caused water to overflow. With every turn of a thick, table-like page, a new AR scene unfolded. Just when I thought I had reached the end, the book instructed me to turn it upside down and continue flipping the pages in the opposite direction, allowing the story to persist indefinitely. This innovative use of a book as an AR accessory presents exciting possibilities.
Expanding Augmented Reality Beyond Controllers
With the inevitable advancement of VR and AR headsets, the need for controllers is likely to diminish. Devices such as the upcoming Meta Quest 3 and Apple’s Vision Pro, equipped with enhanced depth tracking sensors, will make hand tracking a standard feature. Once this controller-less future of MR manifests, the potential for a wide range of haptic tools and MR-enabled accessories and objects will be unlocked.
Following keyboards and trackpads, which are the logical next step, companies are already exploring the concept of AR-enabled keyboards. This progression will pave the way for more innovative accessories, such as books or compact spaces capable of projecting AR content.
The use of markers in AR experiences often harkens back to traditional toys and cards that interact with smartphones, tablets, and AR-enabled headsets. However, the evolution of this technology is just around the corner.
The Magic of The Storyteller in the World of AR Glasses
The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens by Jim Henson ingeniously masks the limitations of current AR glasses through the clever use of book illusions. Headsets like the Magic Leap 2 have a restricted field of view, but in this case, the field of view aligns perfectly with the book’s edge, a custom prop tailored to this content. Each turn of a page, featuring a printed marking code, ushers in a new chapter that seemingly merges with the book’s framework (enhanced by the book’s dark black pages, which increase the transparency of the AR’s 3D objects).
The Storyteller content, powered by Magic Leap, was originally developed five years ago but faced delays due to the pandemic and Magic Leap’s strategic shift towards enterprise-focused initiatives. However, this content has resurfaced and premiered at the Venice Film Festival, with plans to transform it into an actual book for MR headsets in the near future. Paul Raphael, co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios, believes that modern VR/MR headsets with pass-through capabilities and AR functionality are ideal platforms for such experiences. Unlike niche AR glasses, VR/MR headsets already have a significant user base, making them a promising avenue for showcasing this groundbreaking content.
A Glimpse into the Future of AR
Raphael envisions a future where AR becomes ubiquitous, allowing people to experience it through everyday glasses. This would enable the transformation of any object or space into an AR platform. Speaking with the content’s author, Raphael shared his belief that this AR concept is just the beginning and that there are endless possibilities for using objects as storytelling mediums. The team behind this book has come a long way, but their ultimate goal is to bring a variety of AR object concepts to life.
While the commercialization of “Storyteller” content is yet to be realized, the ideas presented within the book offer a glimpse into what could become a reality. As AR technology continues to advance and integrate seamlessly into our daily lives, the possibilities for immersive storytelling and interactive experiences are boundless.
This article, originally published by Red Ventures overseas, was edited for Japan by Asahi Interactive.
When you open a seemingly ordinary book, magical hologram creatures come out. This seems like something augmented reality (AR) glasses were supposed to do years ago. There are also cases where something like this was actually provided. Years ago, Sony offered an AR Harry Potter book that worked with the PlayStation camera. Nintendo also used the Nintendo 3DS camera and 3D display to create an AR experience, offering unique cards and books using markers. New content from Jim Henson’s The Storyteller explores the idea that physical accessories like books could once again have a presence in the future mixed reality (MR) headsets he presents.
AR version of Jim Henson’s “Storyteller”. The content is attractive, but will it become an opportunity for books to become AR accessories?
Credit: Scott Stein/CNET
This AR content was developed by Felix & Paul Studios, a new venture for the immersive virtual reality (VR) entertainment company. The company offers a series of 360-degree camera photos from inside the International Space Station, which capture reality perfectly and project it onto a VR headset. However, for “storytellers” using AR, the mechanism is reversed. Rather than transporting the author to another location, Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens projects a small world of stories within a physical prop such as a book. The visuals are attractive, and it’s like a touching little video game theater. The narration by Neil Gaiman is not bad either.
With this AR content, I felt like I was looking into the book in my hand and seeing the world inside it. When you tilt the book or turn the pages, you can see a variety of things that go beyond the boundaries of the book. Sometimes characters jump out and stare at me from the window. In the ocean scene, if you tilt the book, water will overflow. Every time you turn a thick table-like page, a new AR scene begins. Also, when they thought they had reached the last page, they were instructed to turn the book upside down and turn the pages in the opposite direction. Following the instructions, I turned the page again and the story continued. With a book like this, it may be possible to continue the story indefinitely.
Tools that go beyond managers
Future VR and AR headsets will likely eliminate the need for controllers. Hand tracking will become more standard thanks to devices like the upcoming Quest 3 Meta (with a better depth tracking sensor) and Apple’s Vision Pro in 2024. It should be. Once the controller-less future of MR arrives and we can reach out and touch things that don’t actually exist, we’ll see a wide variety of MR-enabled accessories and objects, expanding the use of AR to a wide range of haptic tools .I will go.
Keyboards and trackpads are the obvious next step. Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta’s Quest also support keyboards and trackpads, and some companies are already considering AR-enabled keyboards. What comes after that will probably be another accessory. It could be a book, or something that could be a small space where you can project AR.
The markers remind many of traditional toys and cards that work with smartphones, tablets, and even AR-enabled headsets, but the evolution of this technology could be just around the corner.
The content and book illusions in The Storyteller: The Seven Ravens by Jim Henson work very effectively, cleverly using the layout of the book to hide the major limitations of current AR glasses. Headsets like the Magic Leap 2 have a limited field of view. In this case, the headset’s field of view lines up with the edge of the book, a custom prop for this content. Every time you turn a thick page with a marking code printed on it, a new chapter begins and seems to sink into the frame of the book (the pages of the book are dark black, increasing transparency 3D objects in AR) It also plays a role).
Storyteller content powered by Magic Leap was developed five years ago and was originally slated for release in 2020. However, the release was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic and Magic Leap’s pivot from creatively focused experiments to strategy new targeting enterprises. Now that the Storyteller content has been revived and premiered at the Venice Film Festival, Paul Raphael, co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios, has confirmed that the content will be turned into an actual book for headphones soon. stepping stone to creating products. We also believe it will be available in products for MR devices such as Apple’s Vision Pro and Meta Quest 3.
Raphael believes that modern VR/MR headsets with pass-through capabilities and the ability to perform AR are ideal for such an idea. One reason for this is that, unlike AR glasses, which are currently a very niche area, there are people who actually own VR / MR headsets.
“I think pass-through is the best option for this. It’s great in some ways, and not so great in others. The user is aware of their surroundings and what they hold in their hands, but they don’t pay It includes the book,” said Raphael. “Even if what you see isn’t as realistic as a picture, you’ll get a pretty close experience with the Vision Pro. You’ll probably get a pretty realistic experience with the Quest 3 too. These are the main ones.” features used in this content. I have no doubt it will become a great invention.”
Although the content of “Stori Storiwr” has not yet been commercialized, the book’s ideas can become reality. Mr Raphael told the author after trying out the content, “If AR becomes mainstream and you can experience AR even with the glasses you’re wearing, it will possible to turn everything into AR. It should be,” he said. “When we set out to design this content, we were actually thinking about storytelling with objects in general. This book was our first attempt, and we’ve come a long way, but there’s more. There are all kinds of AR object concepts out. there, and we want to make them happen.”
This article was originally published by Red Ventures overseas and edited for Japan by Asahi Interactive.
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