One Man Brings Portable 3D to Market

kode80 has announced the release of HoloToy 1.01, the first update to its remarkable 3D technology app for iPhone and iPod touch just 7 days after launching last week. This update introduces a remote controlled, user customizable robot that exists inside the virtual 3D space created by the HoloToy.

The hologram-like HoloToy technology is the work of one man, Ben Hopkins, inspired by a perspective trick that can be dated back to the 15th century. HoloToy works by distorting the 3D scenes displayed on screen in a way our brains would expect based on the current angle of the device, doing this in real time presents a believable 3D scene that appears to extend right into the device itself.

Recent Hollywood blockbuster's have shown that 3D is truly the next big thing in the entertainment industry; with TV manufacturers announcing their 3D capable sets at a price not dissimilar to those movie's budgets it is interesting to see alternative 3D solutions available to consumers right now through unaltered, off the shelf devices.


"When I began working on HoloToy I was skeptical as to whether the results would be believable but after I had the initial prototype up and running I knew this was something I wanted to explore more," said Ben Hopkins, founder of Fort Lauderdale, Florida based kode80. "HoloToy really is a blank canvas on which I can build anything from sculptures to games to interactive stories, it just so happens that the canvas is in 3D. The beauty of digital distribution is that I can create and push these explorations out to users on a weekly basis taking suggestions of what they'd like to see inside the HoloToy next."

HoloToy has been strongly received around the world with a lot of interest coming from the interactive industries. Ben said "the response to HoloToy has blown me away, I've had a lot of inquiries into the tech since it launched 7 days ago, it really seems to have sparked peoples imagination."

Pricing and Availability:
HoloToy 1.01 is only $0.99 (USD) and available worldwide exclusively through the App Store in the Entertainment category.


Read More