Upcoming adoption of 5G and Edge Computing means a huge leap in possibilities of digitalization. But how to get consumers excited about what's coming up?

Showcasing technologies that improve latency and bandwidth is a huge challenge for telecom and infrastructure providers.

To build a product that shows new possibilities and gains people's attention, we thought: what would we get when we combine the centuries old Tic Tac Toe game concept with Mixed Reality and visualize it in 3D?

Well Known Game Mechanics Brought to Augmented Reality

‘XO’ is a real-time multiplayer Mixed Reality game that takes the principles of Tic Tac Toe to the next level.

The game starts by using a smart phone or AR-glasses to place a virtual anchor object in the same physical space as where both players are. In turns each player then, starting from the anchor object, places their X’s or O’s until they have 5 in a row to win the game. Each player can create 5-in-a-row vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

Engaging Gameplay

Each game can in theory be played without end, but with each new X or O, the game-play becomes more complex. Players can decide where to place their X or O by physically interacting with the virtual game. This is made possible by anchoring the game in physical space.

The more the player interacts physically by placing their objects on the other side or downwards to the ground or upwards to the sky, the bigger the chance they have of winning the game.

The competitive aspect of the game also plays an important role here. Unlike traditional video games, 'XO' involves competition in physical space, which makes it perfect for conference booths at promotional events.

Multiple Formats

To bring the full potential out of the game, we also moved forward and created a variant of the game for Augmented Reality glasses.

By replacing touch with gestures, we created a product that helps first-time users understand how AR glasses work and get comfortable with using them, just like Angry Birds taught us how to use swipe on smartphones.

Our contributions

• UX Research
• Design
• Augmented Reality Software Development
• Backend Development
• DevOps for Edge Computing