The Settlers of Catan comes in "holographic 3D" for Tilt Five AR glasses
The popular board game Catan (formerly "Settlers of Catan") is coming as a digital board game for the AR gaming headset Tilt Five.
As part of the Gamescon gaming trade show, Tilt Five announces a digital AR version of Catan. In contrast to the normal board game, the digital variant offers, among other things, animations and a single-player mode against AI opponents. Besides the classic offline duels against other players, Catan Tilt Five also supports an online mode.
Catan AR: Launch in spring 2023
Details on digital expansions are not yet known. Tilt Five promises that you’ll be able to “interact with the Catan island in new ways using the Tilt Five Wand and watch the island’s wildlife and environment spring to life in holographic 3D.”
"We are excited that the Tilt Five system will provide players with a higher level of immersion where they can explore the diverse environments and stories that Catan is known for," said Arnd Beenen, Chief Operating Officer of Catan.
Digital board game nights get expensive
The Tilt Five AR headset is specifically designed for AR gaming and digital board games in particular. The headset projects digital 3D graphics onto a retro-reflective game board that is rolled out on the table. Multiple glasses wearers can look at the game board together and see the same game world. Games are controlled with buttons and gestures via the included wand controller.
Catan for Tilt Five is expected to be released in spring 2023. The glasses themselves will be available in the coming months. Kickstarter backers are already being supplied. A single pair of Tilt Five glasses costs $360 regularly, while a bundle of three costs around $960. So local multiplayer evenings will be costly.
Tilt Five will demonstrate its AR games at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, August 24-26, 2022.
The company was founded in 2017 by former Valve employee and inventor Jeri Ellsworth. The backstory of her start-up goes back to 2013 when she convinced Valve CEO Gabe Newell to transfer the AR technology developed at Valve to the start-up CastAR.
CastAR went out of business in 2017, so Tilt Five is Ellsworth's second attempt at AR entertainment. Tilt Five successfully funded itself via a Kickstarter campaign in 2019.
Note: Links to online stores in articles can be so-called affiliate links. If you buy through this link, MIXED receives a commission from the provider. For you the price does not change.
