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The Best ARCore Apps And Experiments

The Best ARCore Apps And Experiments

With Google’s announcement at Mobile World Congress that ARCore is now out of preview with the release of version 1.0, Android users can now enjoy AR, catching up Apple and ARKit for iOS

As part of the announcement, Google made mention of a handful of partner projects including:

  • Sotheby’s International Realty allows users to visualise room interiors
  • Porsche’s Mission E Concept places the vehicle right in your driveway
  • OTTO AR enables users to, choose pieces from an exclusive set of furniture and place them, true to scale, in a room

 

Snapchat’s portals to immersive experiences, starting with FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium:

 

Ghostbusters World, based on the film franchise, is out soon:

 

Amazon has also lost no time bringing its AR View shopping tool from ARKit to ARCore:

 

But there are also a lot of interesting apps, projects and experiments from indie devs, students and games jams that point to a diverse future for ARCore - and AR in general. Here's a dozen of the best...


Click here to view the list »
  • Mobile AR Tourist Info

    We may be devoted gamers at heart, but it’s this kind of functional use case that will drive AR into the mass market. The app overlays trail signs, social media and dynamic tourist information content based on user GPS.

    Mobile AR Tourist Info is the work of Dresden-based René Schulte, Director of Global Innovation, Research & Incubation at Valorem.


  • AR Skills Training

    Google’s AR & VR Product Manager, Kelly Schaefer, showed us another practical application for AR - this time as a tuition tool. Here, the user learns how to make espresso, but the potential use cases are almost infinite, from instructing consumers how to build flat-pack furniture to onsite industrial engineering.


  • Paper Cubes

    AR is usually centred around adding digital elements to the real world, but the results can be just as interesting when adding real objects to the digital realm.

    Paper Cubes is an experiment in DIY AR. With just some paper, scissors, glue, and a phone, anyone can explore how to make the physical world augment the digital one. You can use the paper cubes to control a crowd of stick figures - make them jump, turn, stop, you can even make them smarter with the AI paper cube.

    Built by Anna Fusté Lleixà, Judith Amores Fernandez and David Ha with friends at Google Creative Lab using Unity and Vuforia.


  • Junkyard Rumble

    Seattle’s Andre Levi created this junkyard car battle for ARCore and it makes us imagine a world where we can play Mario Kart or Twisted Metal on our office desk.


  • Invisible Highway

    Another app that intriguingly combines both digital and real worlds is Invisible Highway, from some of the same team that produced Paper Cubes.

    It’s an experiment in controlling physical things in the real world by drawing in AR. Simply make a pathway along the floor on your phone and the robot car will follow that path on the actual floor in your room. A custom highway with scenery is generated along the path to make the robots a little more scenic on your phone screen.

    Built by Anna Fusté Lleixà, Judith Amores Fernandez and Jam3 with friends at Google Creative Lab using Unity, ARCore and AdaBox maker kit from Adafruit.


  • Agelore's Fantasy

    Ever wanted to turn your local shopping mall into a fantasy inspired wave shooter? Well, now you can. Agelore's Fantasy is notable for previously appearing on a range of VR formats. Developed by Varrow Interactive and published by Big Immersive, the game takes place all around the player, in a 360-degree setting.


  • Sahi Labs

    Sahi Labs is an AR-based science laboratory. You can interact with the apparatus, perform experiments and understand scientific concepts.


  • Bydo's Return: A Halloween AR Game

    AR and ‘otherwordly’ content seem like an obvious match to us, such as Sugar Creative Studio’s Bydo's Return. Users place a virtual vessel in a well lit room, then dim the lights to summon Bydo, a ghostly companion in Augmented Reality.


  • Free-Hand Drawing AR

    GDV Interactive’s app enables users to draw a figure, scan it and bring it to life with AR. The tech was used to create Butterfly AR Drawing, an interactive distraction for children at the radiology department of the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital in Utrecht.


  • Beer Pong AR

    In the words of developer Ezone, “Not just a measuring tape, portal or furniture app… it's an actual game in Augmented Reality!”


  • Polygardens

    City life can be a grey and soulless existence; wouldn’t it be a little cheerier if you could grow plants everywhere you go? That’s just what you could do with Richard Hoagland's Polygardens.


  • Meow! - AR Cat

    We have no doubts that virtual pets are going to be huge for AR with the potential to spark a craze like Tamagotchi and Nintendogs before it. Already available using ARKit for iOS, Meow! AR Cat was listed in the top three iOS Hot Games by the largest Chinese game community, TapTap.


Managing Editor

Steve is an award-winning editor and copywriter with nearly 25 years’ experience specialising in consumer technology and video games. He was part of a BAFTA nominated developer studio. In addition to editing TheVirtualReport.biz, Steve contributes to BeyondGames.biz, PocketGamer.biz, PCGamesInsider.biz and BlockchainGamer.biz, as well as creating marketing content for a range of SMEs and agencies.