Super Mario Bros. Level Recreated Using HoloLens

The developer, dressed as Mario, runs through the AR level in New York's Central Park.

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Augmented reality is proving to be just as popular as virtual reality. Pokemon Go was the first AR title to achieve mainstream recognition, and now other are trying to emulate it. Of, course, there are others who want to have fun along the way as they develop a possible proof of concept.

Developer Abhishek Singh, 28, took about a month using Unity to recreate a Super Mario Bros. level for the Microsoft HoloLens. Dressed as Mario, he took it for a spin in New York's Central Park and it worked rather well. Granted he had to go around pipes and could jump up to other levels, but he was able to jump over holes in the ground and jump up to punch blocks to get coins. He could jump on Goombas for points, and he used a rather ingenious method of shrinking the environment when he jumps on a super mushroom, since he can't make himself grow.

“In Mario since all the action tends to start happening further out in front of you," Singh told UploadVR. "I didn’t find the limited field of view to be a hindrance. However I did find that if people aren’t familiar with the level they might miss a few things.”

The whole process seems to be more of a "let's see if I can do this" project as opposed to a proof of concept. Given that players would need huge open spaces to play - Singh said the final level was around 110 meters - it doesn't seem practical. But it still is a rather interesting look at the different things that can be explored in AR.

Watch the video below and note how passers-by seemed to ignore him as business as usual in New York City.

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