Remember Ingress , the Google-developed project that entices you to get outside with the promise of some light gaming? On top of iOS and Android, it'll soon work on Android Wear, meaning you can join in the fun with your smartwatch rather than just your smartphone (though you'll still need that too, of course). To get you up to speed, you play either on the "enlightened" (establishment) side, or as a rebel on team "resistance." The idea is to attack, defend or reinforce "portals," which are local landmarks like village squares or statues. The game notifies you when friendly or enemy portals are in range, and whether or not they're under attack -- with a Google Now-style card guiding you to the precise location, as shown below.
Google told us that the idea is to show the potential of gaming on wearables, with an emphasis on the social and activity parts. The Android Wear aspect makes Ingress more exercise-friendly, letting you play it while you're out for a jog, for example. It's also a good way to meet up with like-minded players and even give back to the community while you're at it. Google's still fine-tuning the smartwatch version, but gave us a rough idea of how it would work via the screenshots above.
While you're out and about, Google has also improved Field Trip support for Android Wear too. Rather just notifications from your phone, the app will now give you information about landmarks and other points of interest directly on your smartwatch screen. Neither app is available yet, but both will arrive at some point next month.
Filed under: Gaming, Wearables, Google
from Engadget Full RSS Feed http://ift.tt/1LPR4Cg
