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Augmented Reality and Sports

October 26, 2018 • Tech Tips

If you haven’t heard about HADO, you’re truly missing out.

Created by Meleap, a Japanese start-up company, HADO is an augmented reality (AR) game where you can play by yourself or with a team using motion sensors worn on the wrist, a head-mounted display, and AR markers. Unlike virtual reality, where you’re transported to an entirely different world, the games in HADO are played using virtual objects which appear in the real world. Commonly call a Techno sport or AR sport, HADO provides its users the opportunity to play various game types including HADO Kart and HADO Monster Battle. However, the most popular game type is Player vs. Player.

Player vs. Player relies on competition between teams. Two teams, made up of two or three players, compete by firing augmented energy balls at each other. The head-mounted display players wear let them see the energy balls while motion sensors track the players’ movement, allowing them to dodge and activate shields. The winner of the game is determined by the amount of points scored within a certain time period.

The Rise of Augmented Reality and E-Sports

With HADO’s growing popularity, Meleap has managed to create a worldwide tournament. Teams from around the world, including Japan, the United States, and Spain, battled it out in 2017 for the World Cup title. This year, with preliminaries having started in September, teams will gather in Tokyo to compete for the chance to win three million yen.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that as video game technology expands, more consumers are looking toward major sporting events, such as the Olympics to add e-sports and Techno Sports. In 2017, the International Olympic Committee acknowledged the rise of e-sports but have yet to introduce any into the official Games. However, with the 2020 Summer Olympics being hosted in Japan, we’re sure to see a rise of e-sport events.

Unfortunately, HADO isn’t available for the public quite yet. There are specific venues located in Singapore, the United States, Spain, China, Japan, and several others where you can experience the AR sport. If you’re ever visiting one of those countries and are looking for something to do, be sure to contact HADO HQ for the chance to try out the popular sport. In the meantime, we’ll be keeping our eye out for any update as to when we’ll see HADO in Canada!


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