PreviewLabs

New Haven, Connecticut / Wetteren, Belgium: PreviewLabs, a game prototyping company, just released Buggy Blasters, a game prototype to be played in augmented reality using the Microsoft HoloLens – making it the first multiplayer game for HoloLens available on the Microsoft Store.

In the prototype, two players play a capture-the-flag style game while each controlling multiple buggies. These buggies can be controlled using a gamepad (the Xbox One S Controller), or ‘air tap’ controls, which means no controller is needed at all – people just need to tap their fingers in the air, directing the buggies to the indicated positions. The prototype can be played by two players each wearing a HoloLens in the same room, or from separate locations across the globe.

Before starting a match, both players define a rectangular area on the floor they want to use. By keeping the overlapping area of the two rectangles, a shared space is created fitting both players’ rooms.

In addition, there is a single player mode, which allows you to freely drive around, which in combination with the Xbox One Controller feels like driving a radio-controlled car. It also takes full advantage of the HoloLens’s spatial understanding feature, allowing interaction with the real environment, for instance driving the buggy off the couch or down the stairs, or bumping against the walls.

During the past six months, PreviewLabs experimented with the HoloLens creating several prototypes – including for remote support in machine maintenance scenarios. With Buggy Blasters, they took it the next level by creating the first multiplayer game concept available for the platform.

The prototype’s significance stretches beyond entertainment as it explores new ways for users to collaborate in augmented reality by creating a shared space while at different locations.

More details can be found in the following posts which recently appeared on the PreviewLabs blog:

• Buggy Blasters – The Making of a Multiplayer HoloLens Game Prototype
• Buggy Blasters – HoloLens Prototype Download and Manual

In addition, Exit Games, the company behind the popular multiplayer technology Photon, just released a guest post by PreviewLabs about the challenges of multiplayer development for HoloLens.

An archive containing the video files, screenshots, pictures, and logos is available for download here.

About PreviewLabs: PreviewLabs is a rapid prototyping studio specializing in game development technology with offices in the U.S. and Belgium. We work with clients all over the world, including game developers, start-ups, and medical and education research institutions. Our prototypes are used to evaluate, improve and pitch virtual reality, augmented reality, console, computer, and mobile game concepts. Learn more at https://previewlabs.com/