Can Firing Augmented Reality Energy Balls Make HADO A Global Sport?

HADO, an augmented reality game originated by the Japanese company Meleap, is a prototype application that could push the boundaries of AR’s involvement in sport.

Using a motion sensor worn on the wrist, a head-mounted display (specifically for iPhone 6s) and AR markers, the game is played with virtual objects within the real world.

While you can play on your own, HADO’s most prominent type of gameplay is player versus player. In PvP, two teams of either two or three players will compete and use their hands to fire “energy balls” at one another and also activate shields to dodge attacks. The winning team scores the most points within a time period. It’s this type of play that Meleap hopes to market and take to the Olympic Games someday.

And it’s a sight to see.

“In a VR world, you basically put on the head-mounted display and you kill zombies,” said Jasper Tan, founder of HADO Singapore — one of many countries where the game has spread to from Japan. “But you are restricted by not having the ability to move even three steps away from where your position is, or where your original position is. You can’t move around, you’re probably tied down by cables in that environment or you are seated in a chair, in a roller coaster simulation, or whatsoever.”

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PvP was the featured style of battle during the HADO World Cup which took place in Tokyo last month had had a total prize pool of 3 million yen.

“This is the second World Cup,” Tan said. “Last year was just purely only in Japan but this year a few of the countries were ready. HADO Malaysia, HADO Indonesia and HADO Vietnam.”

Teams came from as far as Hawaii and Spain as well.

Outside of PvP, HADO offers two other family-oriented games in the Monster Battle and Shoot.

Said Tan of all the offerings, “It’s a team sport where you can have anyone come together and play and have fun while you actually move your body and exercise, right? I see this as kind of an alternative lifestyle sport all together.”

HADO is not available to the public just yet but can be played at roughly 43 different locations across Japan and other Asian countries.