Players in Japan have been playing IBM’s Sword Art Online virtual world at IBM’s developerworks, slashing minotaurs with green health bars above their heads. From March 18 to 20, 208 players got a chance to try on a virtual reality rig that placed them inside the world Aincrad, SAOL’s floating castle. 99,800 players applied for the chance to fight monsters in real time, but only a select few got the chance. The demo is still really small at first, but if this gains enough traction we might actually be able to fight all the way to floor 100.
The rig sounds complicated, according to AnimeNewsNetwork : “Those who participate in the demonstration are able to scan their bodies, which are then rendered as 3D avatars for the demonstration. Users are then able to manipulate their in-game avatar using a variety of hardware, including an Oculus Rift (Developer Kit 2) for head-tracking and VR visuals , Leap Motion and Ovrvision for hand manipulation, a Microsoft Kinect 2 for body movement, and special footwear to detect foot movement.” It's called a "Nervegear Prototype" in reference to the immersion rig on the show.
Two 30-second clips have emerged that show players interacting with a battlefield on the 74 th floor and a bazaar. The graphics look pretty bad, the details and textures are faded and matted. There is a blue sprite that explains what’s happening in Japanese, which reminds a lot of another annoying blue fairy. The game is nothing more than a prototype and still in Alpha, so you can’t expect too much out of it. Still, being able to fight in a full body rig sounds amazing, especially when it won’t actually kill you- like it does in the show.
