JR Raphael, PC World
Mar 9, 2009 2:59 pm
Baseball cards are getting a high-tech twist, thanks to new 3-D technology within the Web browsing world. The Topps Company has revealed a line of collector's cards that work with your Webcam to bring players to life -- and all the action unfolds right on top of your desk.
Augmented Reality
The cards, called Topps 3-D Live, are built with technology created by augmented reality company Total Immersion. All you have to do is download an ActiveX control from the Toppstown.com Web site. Once it's installed, you simply click on the appropriate player, hold your card up to any Webcam, and the player will appear to pop up in 3-D on your monitor's image.
"It's not a hologram that's projected on the card itself," explains Greg Davis, Total Immersion's general manager. "What you see is the digital overlay on the video stream itself, in real-time."
The card becomes fully interactive, too: Spin it around, and the player spins; tilt it, and the player in your monitor tilts, too. You can even use your keyboard to have him pitch, catch, or hit balls -- and it all happens instantaneously as you send the commands.
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