When it comes to tablets, the market in general seems to be one which is continually declining, with both sales and general consumer interest waning. However, there is one particular tablet which might be able to stem the tide a little due to its emphasis on interacting with a 3D world. That is, when it becomes more consumer-ready. This is of course, Project Tango. This has been a tablet which has been slow in evolving into a product which can be more widely used by the general consumer public, although, due to the innovation and content that it looks to support, this is somewhat to be expected. However, a few months ago, Google did open up the availability of the Project Tango Development Kit from the Play Store to anyone. Although, not intended for ‘normal’ usage, these developer kits offer a means for developers to get to grips with the technology and start to process of increasing the content that is available for the platform.
Speaking of which, this is exactly what has been the case as over the last few months. Google has been hosting a contest for developers to port their wares over to the Tango platform. That contest did recently come to a close and today Google has formally announced the winners of all the various categories. The main winner for “Best overall” was awarded to WeR Cubed Tango, by HeroicArcade. This was a sort of 3D puzzle type game which made use of the motion tracking software. In terms of “Entertainment/Games”, the winner was awarded to Ghostly Mansion by Rabbx Inc. This is a game in which you act as a ghost have to interact with the environment around you you try and solve the mystery of your death. Following which, the winner of the “Utility” category was awarded to Phi3D by DotProduct LLC. This was an app which allows you to essentially capture 3D models in real-time from your mobile device. Last but not least, the winner of the “VR and AR” category was awarded to InnAR Wars by FLARB. This is a game where players have to battle against each other over an asteroid field scattered with uninhabited planetoids.
As well as being a means of increasing and showcasing the potential which Project Tango can be used for and achieve, the contest was meant to be a way in which the platform could inspire future developers to work on newer content too. As a result, as well as announcing the winners of the contest, Google has also confirmed that they will be soon offering coupon codes where you can buy a Project Tango Development Kit for half price. However, the codes are a limited time thing and will only be offered to 400 people. To be in with a chance of being one of those people, Google advise you to stay tuned to their Project Tango Developers Google+ account for more details.
