Secretive startup Magic Leap, which is developing "proprietary human computing interface technology" that it calls Cinematic Reality, released video of an augmented reality shooter today that the company says it's "playing around the office right now."
The video was released on YouTube today after Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz canceled an appearance at a TED talk in Vancouver earlier this week, saying it planned to show the demo at its talk. The clip features someone using desktop apps like YouTube and Gmail — Google invested $542 million in Magic Leap last year — and playing an AR shooter against a wave of robots. Those robots burst forth from holes in the environment and appear to use real-world walls for cover. The user is shown interacting with AR menus with natural gestures and dropping virtual objects into the real-world.
Magic Leap's demo includes mention of special effects house Weta Workshop and uses its Dr. Grordbort brand of steampunk ray guns — they've been previously featured in games like Team Fortress 2. It also looks like a slick mock-up that's almost too impressive, reminiscent of Google's original Google Glass concept video.
Regardless of how close this video is to reality, the AR firm seems pretty serious about pursuing video games for its mysterious device. Last year, Magic Leap hired game developer Graeme Devine as vice president of games. The Magic Leap games team is tasked with exploring "Cinematic Reality as a new and unique medium to develop mind-blowing entertainment experiences."