Players of games like Yu-Gi-Oh and Magic: The Gathering know the singular pleasure of acquiring physical media for their collectible card games, while Hearthstone players enjoy the convenience of an all-digital archive for their spoils. Sony is looking to bridge the gap between the two with their latest venture, Project Field.
The new tech is centered around a smart pad that links with phones and tablets to augment the traditional card game experience. Players will be able to place physical cards on the pads, which are detected with a wireless signal that is sent to the paired mobile device via Bluetooth. The pad tracks card movement – such as “tapping” for mana or moving to a graveyard – and conveys that information to the screen between both players. Cards will be both writable and readable, so they can grow as the player achieves certain milestones, making them more dynamic than traditional paper cards.
Sony says it has multiple projects planned for Project Field, the first of which is a Yo-Kai Watch card game. The technology is currently exclusive to Japan, though it’s easy to imagine it coming stateside. We’ll keep you updated when we hear more about Project Field.
Source: Engadget