Developer Abhishek Singh recreated level 1-1 of the classic Super Mario Bros. and played it in New York’s Central Park wearing Microsoft’s HoloLens glasses. Thanks to this, now in Super Mario Bros. for HoloLens, you can be Super Mario! (mixed reality).
Everything old is new again. Old is the classic NES that introduced many of us to video games. New is a recently redesigned level using the HoloLens glasses that allows players to become their favorite Italian plumber through the power of augmented reality. Developer Abhishek Singh recreated level 1-1 and played it in Central Park dressed as Mario. Over about a month, Singh used Unity, the popular game engine, to integrate each 8-bit block that makes up the level into a real environment.
Singh says he had to model every element of the game and sometimes rethink the experience and gameplay to work in a real 3D environment. Most of the time was spent adjusting the game to work in a large outdoor environment. It still has some quirks, but it’s definitely playable — the final level is reportedly more than 110 meters long. “In Mario, since all the action tends to start beyond in front of you, I didn't find the limited field of view an obstacle. However, I discovered that if people aren't familiar with the level, they might miss some things,” Singh explains about the HoloLens.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/PsC0zIhWNwwIf Microsoft wants a surefire way to sell its HoloLens augmented reality glasses, it should watch this video of Abhishek Singh and launch the hardware as the best way to get in shape playing the first level of Super Mario Bros. in real life. Singh is 28 years old and recently graduated from the Interactive Telecommunications Program, a graduate school at New York University, where he is currently completing a one-year residency. You can see more of his work at shek.it.
