由Andy Rubin所領導的CastAR為其第一輪融資募集到1500萬美金
成立於加州的新興公司CastAR，前身為起於西雅圖Valve名為Technical Illusions的究計畫，最近募集到1500萬美金的第一輪融資，將會由Playground Global Ventures領軍。CastAR隸屬於Technical Illusions，其原本只是個由Valve 技術員Jeri Ellsworth 以及 Rick Johnson所進行的研究計畫。
Playground Global Ventures是高科技創投公司，創辦人為Andy Rubin，他是Andriod平台的開發者之一，於2014年10月離開Google。根據Business Insider雜誌報導，Rubin今年四月時為Playground Global Venture募集到2億4千2百萬美金。
Andy Rubin, the co-founder of Android, had led CastAR’s 15 million Series A Round!
Andriod開發者之一Andy Rubin為CastAR第一輪融資募集到1500萬美金
轉述CastAR的話，CastAR擴增實境眼鏡可以讓使用者看到3D虛擬物體，並與其互動。從示範影片中看到的任何東西都不是概念性的而已，現在的科技可以讓你親身體驗！
“There’s a company called CastAR which I think has the best opportunity for the next big thing.” Atari founder Nolan Bushnell
Atari創辦人Nolan Bushnell說:我認為CastAR有機會做大事!
“But Rubin’s investment brings a very important ally into CastAR’s camp, as Rubin has a lot of money as well as a ton of connections in the tech world.” ( via Game Beat )
但是Rubin的投資對CastAR陣營相當重要，他不但有很多錢，也在科技業有很多資源。”
“Everyone talks about games being ‘high-resolution’ or ‘eye-popping, what happened to the word ‘fun’? It’s a central tenet for us. We’re just having fun, and we think our customers will, too.” CastAR CEO Henkel Wallace ( via Re/Code )
CastAR執行長Henkel Wallace說:”大家都在討論遊戲的高畫素或是令人吃驚的內容，這些跟＂趣味＂有甚麼關聯？我們的核心概念就是趣味！單純的覺得好玩這樣而已，我想我們的客戶也是依樣想法。＂
“With seasoned veterans from gaming company Valve Software, the startup has built a working model of the glasses, a reflective play surface and six games, including a marble run and light saber challenge. Players don the clear glasses, which weigh about as much as a large apple and have dual projectors and dual cameras built into the frames.” ( viaWallStreet Journal )
“有了從遊戲公司Valve Software退休的戰將加入，這間新興公司打造了一副眼鏡，反射的遊戲介面與六款遊戲，包括彈珠遊戲與輕巧的馬刀挑戰。玩家戴上重量跟大蘋果一樣的眼鏡，內建雙投影機以及雙照相鏡頭。＂
“Our vision is that Christmas day Grandma has bought these for the kids, they tear open the paper, they open the box, they’re eight and ten years old, they put down the game board and within a minute they’re playing. That’s where we want to get to.” CastAR CEO Henkel Wallace ( via Game Industry Biz )
Henkel Wallace表示:”我們的目標是在聖誕節時，奶奶買到這款玩具給8歲10歲的孫子們，當他們打開包裝，不到1分鐘就玩了起來。這是我們想要看到的。”
“One thing you look for investors is what kind of network they have. It’s really a different kind of firm. They’re very focused on hardware businesses, and they have a model where they’re kind of an incubator. We just closed this deal and we’re already finding them useful.” ( via Venture Beat )
Henkel Wallace:“尋找投資者的時候，重要的是要看他們擁有甚麼資源。也許公司很不同，他們非常注重硬體業務，他們也有自己的模型，就像個孵化者。我們才剛達成交易，就已經覺得非常值得！＂
“Among all the confusion about what separates AR from VR, what’s lost is fun,” said Henkel-Wallace. “People want a simple, accessible, fun solution that they can just pick up and play with their friends, without dealing with a bulky, uncomfortable headset, much less being tethered to a big computer. Our goal is to see CastAR on store shelves across North America, aligned with some recognizable brands in tabletop and interactive gaming. Playground’s support will help us get there.” ( viaPrnewswire )
＂大家搞不清楚擴增實境跟虛擬實境的差別，失去了樂趣。人們只想要簡單、方便、有趣的遊戲，跟朋友馬上就可以玩起來的，而不是要處理一個龐大又不舒服的頭戴式顯示器，更別說被綁在一個大型計算機裡面。我們的目標是要讓CastAR在全北美上架，跟一些知名品牌的互動遊戲並列。Playground的支持會幫助我們達成目標。”
“A $1,000 gaming PC to go with your lenses isn’t a consumer product,” Henkel-Wallace said. ( via Venture Beat )
“一台千元美金的電腦遊戲搭配你的鏡頭，不算是消費產品。＂
“Based on feedback and what we’ve learned from our own research, we plan to ship next generation hardware to all our backers and any interested developers starting early next year,” CastAR CEO David Henkel-Wallace tells Gamasutra via email. “The funds we have raised will be used to make sure the hardware is great, to improve software support for Unity and Unreal projects, and to support developers more closely.” ( viaGameSutra )
”根據目前的進展，我們預計在明年初開始出貨新一代的硬體給我們的支持者以及有興趣的開發者。＂
CastAR智能眼鏡有兩個內建式投影機，一眼個一個，還有快門以及追蹤感應器。使用者款眼鏡必須加上一個特別的反射板來投影3D全息影像。
CastAR 的擴增實境，或者稱為混合虛擬的科技令人聯想到Microsoft的Hololens，但事實上CastAR的眼鏡比它還更早發布!現在這款眼鏡在Kickstarter募集活動相當成功! CastAR 擴增實境智能眼鏡在2013年10月10日就開始在Kickstarter上集資，目前已經有3,863支持者投資超過百萬美金，是目前最成功的擴增實境/虛擬實境相關的集資活動之一!
If you missed CastAR Kickstarter, you can still pre-order now!
預計在今年第四季開始出貨給支持者。CastAR計畫在明年初開始銷售到市場上。如果你是開發者，可以聯絡CastAR就有機會得到開發者套組。
The CastAR Wand Controller!
如果你錯過了Kickstarter的集資活動，現在可以用400美元預購，這個套裝組合包括CastAR智能眼鏡、遙控器，還有1×1公尺的反光板。
Content Source: CastAR, Re/Code, Venture Beat, Game Sutra, Business Insider 英文文章: Virtual Reality Reporter
