Liverpool tech firm vTime has launched a first-of-its-type Augmented Reality (AR) social messaging app - giving users the opportunity to send a "3D moment".
The Baltic Triangle-based firm is a global leader in virtual communications and immersive multi-user experiences, and has today unveiled its new product called vTag - the first cross-world 3D avatar messaging app.
It's now available in the UK on iOS, and uses cutting-edge AR technology to enable users to create, share and discover 3D avatar moments that "live in the real world".
It works by users creating and styling bespoke avatars, then bringing their creations to life by using their voice, expressions, and body movements in a vTag – a sharable 3D moment.
These 'vTags' can then be sent directly to be viewed in full 3D through the AR camera, or pinned to real-world locations on the 3D map for friends to discover when nearby.
vTag can also be used on its other social platforms through its video record functionality, and vTime said it's the the first and only app to combine highly customisable, face-tracked, body-tracked, full-body avatars with AR geo-messaging.
How vTag works:
vTime MD, Clemens Wangerin, said: “vTag is the next step on vTime’s journey to connect people around the globe using alternate realities. Where vTime XR made it possible to hang out with friends from wherever you are, vTag brings your hyper-personal virtual moments into the real world and uses geo-tagging technology to offer a first exciting glimpse at a personalised AR cloud.
"While phone calls, video and text messages allow you to stay connected, vTag makes it possible to send more than a message - you’re sending a 3D moment.
"By allowing our users to use their voice, style, expressions and body movements, we’ve created a new form of highly personalised self-expression that can be used to stay connected, create content, and engage with the people who matter.”
While 2D avatar apps and animated emojis have grown in popularity over the past few years, with many major players such as 'Pokemon GO!' launching its own take on the medium, vTime said their use cases for consumers are often limited due to "creative constraints".
vTime says its new product offer "unlimited creativity", allowing people to personalise and animate every facet of your full-body avatar, taking AR self-expression to the "next level", offering a new way to connect with others through geo-tagged messages.
It's being targeted at Gen Z, and has been designed to appeal to the "fluid generation for whom self-image and self-expression are at the heart of their digital lives".
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vTime said that by tapping into the ever-changing cultural landscape, vTag has been developed to allow the app to react quickly to meme culture, fashion and fast-moving social trends.
The free app features an in-app currency through which users can purchase frequently changing premium customisation options, backgrounds and animations used to personalise their vTags.
vTime plans to expand the app’s availability into new territories and platforms as the year progresses, as well as pushing the AR realism as hardware and software develops.
It is currently working with a number of "top tier" companies, and will expand the app with featured content from brands and artists looking for a new way to engage with their communities.
