Collaborative Augmented Reality for Chess Game in Handheld Devices

Augmented Reality (AR) merges virtual and real entities into single environment and thus, create a higher immersion and presence of virtual object in real environment. A collaborative interface allows AR entities to be shared across multiple devices. Handheld devices readily support network connectivity with high processing power can be used to enable collaborative Handheld Augmented Reality (HAR) interface for AR game. AR game is combining the complex rule in computerized game with real interaction and high immersion in physical game. This paper proposes an implementation of collaborative HAR interface in handheld devices for chess game. A design of chess game is developed, then enabled for AR display with image marker tracking by using Vuforia AR Software Development Kit. The implementation of Photon Unity Networking as the collaborative interface bridges the connection between multiple handheld devices to synchronize the AR chess game with multiuser interaction technique. The result from evaluation indicates that the chess game is readily acceptable by the users and is enhancing the gameplay experience of ordinary chess game. This paper depicts the significance in enabling a collaborative HAR interface in games to boost the gameplay experience while preserving the physical presence of the game.