Augmented Reality game Arcade Reality coming to iPhone

The release of OS 3.1 for the iPhone has meant the restrictions on developing Augmented Reality (AR to its friends) titles by Apple have been lifted. Only now does the iPhone possess the necessary built-in video camera, digital compass and APIs capable of expressing AR.

As a result a host of developers have recently released AR applications and games available for download on the App Store, with many more in the pipeline.

One such title is Arcade Reality. Originally released for the Palm Treo by Toyspring, Chillingo has now announced it plans to bring the alien shooting experience to iPhone.

The original game includes seven types of aliens, several power-ups and a number of modes. Arcade Reality, the main event, features first-person perspective shooting scored for precision, and includes special 'bonus levels'.

Infinite Shooter, meanwhile, is a simple and straightforward FPS shooter - you just blast anything that moves.

Another highlight is Asteroids Mode, a 3D version of the classic game. Still viewed in top-down fashion, you must blast the alien ships that descend onto the playfield from 'above'.

If you're new to AR, it can be described as the view of a real-world environment where elements have been blended with, or augmented by, computer graphics. For the majority of people the only experience they will have of AR will have been through advertising on television, and even then they may not be aware of it.

Despite this lack of knowledge, the same technology that allows companies to brand sports fields has been tipped by many to become the future of mobile gaming.

So far the majority of AR applications released, such as Bionic Eye and Nearest Tube, serve a similar purpose in providing a real-world view (through the iPhone 3GS's camera) and overlaying information and/or location data on top.

Despite this trend in applications, AR games are set to arrive in the near future with every range of genre available. The possibilities for AR are limitless; imagine defending the sofa from hundreds of AR fieldrunners invading from the kitchen or guiding AR planes around your office to safely land on your keyboard.

A release date for Arcade Reality has yet to be announced but if you just can’t wait to feast your eyes on the potential delights of the technology head down to the App Store, where Freeverse has just released (admittedly simple) AR game, Fairy Trails.