Atari and Anima turn classic arcade game characters into AR and AI Onlybots

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Gaming companies Atari and Anima have joined forces to bring iconic Atari characters into Anima’s Onlybots AI and augmented reality universe.

Onlybots are AI companions, experienced in augmented reality, and described by Anima as next-generation Tamagotchis.

“At Anima, we’ve built Onlybots as artificially intelligent companions and pets. They’re basically like virtual pets, like if you reimagined what the Tamagotchi was going to be for today,” said Anima cofounder Alex Herrity, in an interview with GamesBeat. “It would be something you could talk to. It could be something you would see in AR around you and be aware of what’s near you. And it would be like a digital collectible.”

Using AI, Onlybots are able to talk with their owners and, using AR, appear next to them through smartphone cameras. Now, popular Atari characters from games including Centipede, Adventure, Crystal Castles, and Pong will become Onlybots, complete with authentic backstories and personalities based on their histories.

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“We take an emerging technology like AR and AI and put it in a new type of gaming that actually resonates with people and connects them emotionally and that’s that’s really what we’re trying to do with Onlybots,” Herrity said. “This level of AR and integration into AI, which is still in early stages, is super exciting. It’s a new medium and we’re bringing that history to life.”

I saw a demo of this in action with characters such as Centipede.