When I was a kid my parents always got me games which would help me learn, and now I am an astro-physicist! Not. So it didn’t make me super smart, but I do like to think it did me better than playing constant war games and racing games on my SEGA.
This is why I’m quite keen on Osmo – an app that merges the virtual world with the real world to explore the realm of ‘play’ using the iPad. Attaching the Osmo over your iPad’s front camera, it enables you to respond to real life situations – a bit like virtual 3D apps. If you’ve ever allowed a kid access to an iPad, you’ll know how much they love them! The large touch screen display, the mobility of it, and the millions of games they can access on the app store. The brilliance of Osmo is that it makes the real world part of the game play, which is probably why it’s so popular.
It’s very simple to use, with a clip which fits over your front facing camera with a mini mirror, a stand for the iPad, and a set of physical games (with wood playing pieces). the mirror makes the flat surface in front of the screen visible to utilise advanced image recognition to involve the player in the game.
Features:
- Easy to set up
- Download free apps from the App Store
- No cords or batteries required
- No internet connection needed (once apps are downloaded)
- 3 of the “most awesomist games in the world”
And the best part? Kids LOVE it.
Check out this oh-so-sweet video explained by kids on how it works:
Designed for the iPad 2, iPad 3, iPad 4, iPad Air, iPad Mini and iPad Retina shipping with 3 iOS games.
The Osmo will ship with 3 iOS games (which will be available free via the App Store after the launch in fall 2014).