A Twitch streamer has developed a real, holographic, 3D version of Yu-Gi-Oh.
In a video, French streamer SuperZouloux explained that he thought the idea was a "fantasy," something cooked up while watching the Yu-Gi-Oh anime as a child. "I was putting my card on the table and shouting [...] and I wanted to see it come out, but it didn't work." In the anime, the creatures contained within each card appear, life-size, on a board in front of the characters. Now, SuperZouloux has managed to bring a scaled-down version of that idea to life.
The streamer's creation was partly inspired by another designer's approach, which required AR glasses to allow each monster to appear, but shaped further by a live show from French rapper Orelsan. That gig took place in March, and SuperZouloux spent the subsequent seven months learning everything they'd need to make the project happen, starting from scratch in Unreal Engine, assigning chips to more than 3,600 cards, and wiring up the mat.
They explain "I managed to create a Yu-Gi-Oh connected mat that recognizes all the cards that I put on the mat and is connected to several applications that are directly linked to [the stream]." That means that monsters can appear when cards are played, and respond to basic voice commands. They aren't quite the towering beasts that appear in the anime, but the 3D models are well-detailed, and at a few inches tall are easily recognizable.
SuperZouloux also discusses how much the setup will help with their stream. The mat automatically displays card imagery on-stream, and cuts to a new camera angle when each monster appears or attacks. All told, it'd be a pretty impressive achievement for a master inventor, but for someone starting their journey entirely from scratch, it's an incredible effort.
Want something a little more physical? Here's our list of the best card games out there.
