Hands-On Sony’s Augmented Reality Vita Game Reality Fighters

By Spencer . June 21, 2011 . 2:29pm

Right next to Ruin, Sony had a station set up for Reality Fighters. This PlayStation Vita title is one of Sony’s augmented reality games. I started the demo by taking a photo, which the game scanned and used as a base for a character. You can dress your character with clothes and accessories, but I was more curious about the fighting system. Before I could start a match, the developers dropped a QR code-like AR marker. The Vita read it and on the handheld’s screen two contenders were fighting on a tabletop.

 

While Reality Fighters is in 3D, the game is actually in 2D. Both characters are locked to a path of motion. Moving Vita around instantly changes the camera angle. Curious, I swung the Vita away from the marker and the match continued with both warriors hovering in the air.

 

Eager to play, I started pummeling the other player with kicks. Another designer pointed out that Reality Fighters has atypical "fighting styles" like ballet, but I didn’t get to try those. What I did play was more akin to Nintendo’s Photo Fight than say Street Fighter. It’s simple to pick up and the AI opponent wasn’t a challenge. The novelty, of course, is seeing yourself in the game, perhaps as a Shaolin master. As a demo, Reality Fighters was a neat experiment. Sony plans to release it as one of PlayStation Vita’s launch window titles.