While virtual reality is getting a lot of attention from developers and gaming enthusiasts, that doesn't mean that augmented reality is suddenly uncool, as an AR game maker demonstrated this week with a slick YouTube video of a side project he's been working on for Microsoft's HoloLens.
The project is essentially a HoloLens port of the critically acclaimed Valve game Portal, released in 2007 for PCs and consoles. The project's creator, Kenny W, uploaded a video sample of his work on Sunday, and it's one of the most unique uses of HoloLens technology we've seen to date.
The concept is strikingly simple. Since HoloLens lets you see the real world and the virtual world at the same time, Kenny W was able to stick portals on real-world surfaces and throw objects through them. The demos range from a wall-to-floor connection to throwing a block down the stairs and conjuring up a portal to accept it where it lands.
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Creating a new set of portals is as simple as pinching your two fingers together. One aspect of the original game that's missing from the demo, though, is the ability to enter a portal yourself. That wouldn't be possible on the HoloLens, since you're still very much in the physical world when you wear it.
Kenny told The Next Web that he created the demo entirely using the Unity 3D gaming engine, which Microsoft has been working hard to get HoloLens developers familiar with.
You won't be able to experience a HoloLens version of Portal yourself unless you have programming skills and a few thousand dollars lying around to purchase a headset. If you have an Oculus Rift, however, you can experience Portal in virtual reality, which Kokatu likened to "almost a religious experience."