In the Yu-Gi-Oh anime, duelists battled one another with an array of cards that sprang to virtual life thanks to a never-fully-explained type of techonlogy. It was a cool idea that made battling cards infinitely more entertaining, and no doubt, more than a few fans have dreamed of seeing something similar become possible in the real world.
Those fans don't have to wait any longer, because Microsoft's HoloLens technology is making those dreams come true. Software developer General Heed is currently in the pre-alpha stage of bringing the Yu-Gi-Oh card game to life using Microsoft's augmented reality headset, and so far, the results are impressive. The HoloLens creates a holographic playing field in which the card hands of players are displayed. Once a given card is put into action, the various monsters spring to life above their respective cards, just like on the show.
"Ever since I was little, I was quite fascinated about the prospect of being able to play Yugioh (sic) in real life with actual holograms," writes General Heed (who goes by Generalkidd on YouTube). "Well, thanks to Microsoft's HoloLens, that is now finally possible. This is just a very early version of this game and there's a lot of work that still needs to be done. If anyone wants to help out with either the programming or 3D modeling side, let me know. In the meantime, enjoy!"
Currently, the various monsters shown in the trailer below stand largely static, but the prospect of having the creatures become animated and capable of attacking other creatures controlled by another player sounds incredible. General Heed says the current plan is to include all the cards from the original Yu-Gi-Oh Yugi and Kaiba starter decks. It's probably a smart move to narrow down the focus, as Yu-Gi-Oh currently has thousands of cards. Those two starter decks contain some of the most iconic cards in the franchise's history, like Dark Magician and Blue Eyes White Dragon, so it seems like a solid place to start. General Heed says eventually, more cards can be added, and that, currently, the company is looking into integrating Yu-Gi-Oh for HoloLens with the current YGOPro game. Sounds promising!
Of course, this project looks to be unofficial, so it's possible the Yu-Gi-Oh rights owners could attempt to shut down General Heed's extremely cool work. Here's hoping that doesn't come to pass.
