Adidas launches games controller

4 Comments

Sports icon Adidas is to launch a trainer that doubles as a games controller - for a new online 3D world created by the firm.

To access the virtual world, gamers can visit the official Adidas site and place their trainer - which has a code embedded in its tongue - in front of their computer webcam.

They can then use the 'augmented reality sneaker' to move around the world. The shoe is due for release in February.

According to TechRadar, Adidas plans to introduce three augmented reality games developed by studio xForm into the virtual neighbourhood: a skateboarding release, a Star Wars-like game and a music title.

"The foundation of augmented reality lies in adding a layer to the real world," said Chris Barbour, head of digital marketing for Adidas Originals. "That's what we have done. We have taken a real world item and added a fantastic virtual world on top of that.

"We are not trying to mimic a real-world look, we have a more stylized, pop-up book creative approach. The neighborhood is displayed on a two dimensional computer screen, but you can use your shoe to control the angle and depth of view and zoom in and out, giving a 3-D sense of perspective."

Tim Ingham