When I watched Yu-Gi-Oh! as a kid I loved the idea of duel disks. To be able to summon monsters and see them in real life, have them battle, I wanted this to be real.
Unfortunately, the hologram technology just doesn’t exist. But I won’t allow that to get in my way.
Augmented Reality
I started experimenting with augmented reality, AR, in 2011. With AR, we can place 3D objects in the real world.
At the time this tech was very new, it required placing a marker, such as the KC logo in this video, and ensuring that it stayed within view. If the camera lost contact with the marker at any point, the 3D models would vanish until the marker came back into view.
There were no AR glasses at the time, so we could only see the models on video afterwards.
Microsoft Hololens
In January of 2015, Microsoft announced the Hololens, the first AR glasses that I came across that had everything I needed to make my duel disk. AR glasses are a pair of transparent screens that go in front of the eyes, that can show images. The glasses also come with a variety of sensors that allow them to know where the models are placed in a given space. That means no ugly markers necessary.
The Hololens also comes with its own microphone, speakers, and a computer. Nearly all the components needed for a working Duel Disk.
There were only a few problems. The Hololens came with plenty of limitations, just remember how bad smartphones were back in 2016 compared to today, and you can have an idea of what I am talking about. We also had the issue of needing thousands of animated Yu-Gi-Oh! 3D models, one for every single monster in existence, plus many more for spell and trap cards. To commission these would cost millions of dollars.
Today
10 years have passed since the release of the first Hololens. Since then Hololens 2 has come out, which is a huge leap forward compared to the first one. Additionally many other AR glasses, and VR glasses that allow us to see the real world, are now on the market.
While not perfect, the technology is improving quickly, and we can finally bring out Duel Disk project to life.
3D Models
Now I am sure you are wondering: but what about the millions of dollars needed to create all the 3D models? In the last 10 years, Yugioh fans have created 3D models for many popular cards. Most of these fan creations have licenses that allow us to use them in the Duel Disk project. I have had some models commissioned, and I plan to continue commissioning them.
We have partnered with a number of large Yugioh fan sites, and Yugitubers, to ensure that this project will receive the attention it needs. We are asking for your support. You can support us both by donating your time or your money. If you are a 3D artist, or have skills in other relevant areas, you can help us by designing the models. You can also support us by donating money which we can use to build the project.