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MGM is somehow making a live-action movie about the View-Master
If you have fond memories of playing with a View-Master as a kid, Mattel is hoping to cash in on your nostalgia. The toy maker is teaming up with media company MGM to produce a live-action film based on the classic stereoscope toy. Details on the film are sparse -- there doesn't appear to be writers, directors or actors attached to the project at this time -- but it sure seems like studios are running out of ideas if they're reaching for the View-Master as their source material.
Mattel will launch a redesigned VR View-Master this fall
Mattel refreshed the View-Master for virtual reality last year with a version based on Google Cardboard, and this weekend it showed off an updated design at the New York Toy Fair. The View-Master Viewer DLX has better optical lenses, focal adjustment and, most importantly, a headphone connector. Gizmodo got some hands-on time with the device during the show, and also noticed a redesigned smartphone bracket that's ready to deal with more phones no matter what size or shape they are. It will also apparently see a price bump from $30 to $40, but the changes seem worth an extra $10 -- hopefully we'll be able to give its VR / AR capabilities another look before it goes on sale later this year.
A visual history of Mattel's View-Master
With a little help from Google, Mattel took its iconic View-Master into the 21st century. That said, this isn't the first time the stereoscopic sightseer has welcomed change. In fact, since being born in 1939, there have been many iterations of the View-Master and its popular content reels. This includes models that weren't designed to be toys, like a model that was used during World War II as a training tool.
Kids will love the 21st century View-Master (but it made me dizzy)
I may not be the best candidate for a virtual reality demo. My glasses always get in the way, and even straight 3D tends to make me dizzy. None-the-less, I had to try the new View-Master. Well, the new View-Master app, at least. Sadly, the plastic viewer itself is still very early in the production cycle, so there wasn't a version ready to accept a phone and do a proper demo. But I was able to slot a Nexus into a Google Cardboard set up (stamped with a red View-Master logo) and get an idea of the experience Mattel is planning for October.
What are Mattel and Google doing with View-Master?
With a View-Master topped teaser (which you can see after the break), Google and Mattel invoked one of our favorite childhood memories -- and frequent inspiration for low-budget virtual reality shenanigans. The two are planning an "exclusive announcement and product debut" ahead of the New York Toy Fair next week, but other than the View-Master theme there's little to go on. Mattel's Fisher-Price division tried a View-Master comeback for the digital age in 2012, although all trace of it is gone now. We'll have to wait until next Friday to see for ourselves what they're planning, but we invite your wildest speculation until then. So what are you thinking -- a plastic pair of branded Mattel VR goggles based on the Cardboard project, or maybe a Hot Wheel based on something else Google has been working on? ... href='https://www.wedgies.com/question/54d50a247978490e00000193'>What will Mattel & Google announce next week?
Create and share your own 3D video with Poppy
Nostalgia reigns, as the "iPhone as 3D camera" Poppy pops up on Kickstarter. The Poppy, first reported on Engadget, turns your iPhone 5 into a camera that can capture, view and share photos and video in 3D. The box alone triggers memories of Woody Woodpecker, Mickey Mouse and a variety of cartoons on round cardboard mounts that held seven stereoscopic 3-D pairs of tiny color photographs on film, because it looks very much like your old View-Master toy. The Poppy modernizes the concept by adding a slot for your iPhone 5 to capture two stereographic images using mirrors. The Poppy's lenses unite two video streams into one 3D video experience. You can create your own masterpieces or view 3D content created by someone else, including YouTube videos. According to Engadget's Myriam Joire, who actually tested a prototype, "The front part of the casing rotates 180 degrees to line up the optics with the iPhone's camera, enabling capture mode. Poppy exposes the phone's volume buttons and includes thumb cutouts to access the screen while you're holding it. The device comes with a matching app that makes it easier to view and capture content using the handset's volume buttons." While it's not a pocket device, the "Poppy is the first product that lets the iPhone capture, view and share the world as it is actually experienced -- in 3D," according to co-creator, Ethan Lowry. For less than US$60, you can join the Kickstarter campaign and receive a Poppy of your very own. After the first day of pledges, Poppy has already raised almost 40 percent of its $40,000 goal. While interest in stereographic photography has waned over the years, there are still some very active stereo photography enthusiasts. The National Stereoscopic Association lists 60 organizations world-wide that meet regularly. Contrary to popular opinion, these folks don't just deal with old products. The members are a treasure trove of information on shooting 3D with current products also. The folks from the Stereo New England group alerted me to the Hasbro My3D when it first came out and gave me many tips for shooting in 3D and for cleaning my Dad's 3D slides. Perhaps I can persuade the Poppy developers to add a stereo slide viewing attachment to their new product...
Sanwa stereoscopic YouTube viewer turns your iPhone into a big-screen 3D TV
Japanese iPhone owners are being given the chance to bathe in the nostalgic glow of the old 3D View-Master -- only now, the pictures will actually move. The Sanwa device works in a similar manner to its ancient mechanical counterpart, but magnifies side-by-side yt3D YouTube movies on an iPhone instead of the classic circular slides. On top of negating the need for custom content like similar products we've seen, this should also yield a brighter and larger 3D viewing area than red-green glasses -- letting you get the most out of that retina display.
Fisher Price and Spatial View bring View-Master into the 21st century
It might not be quite as satisfying as pulling down that orange arm and watching as the one three-dimensional image is replaced with another slightly washed-out pic with rounded corners, but Fisher Price is ushering its beloved View-Master brand into the 21st century. Later this quarter the company will be launching ViewMasterDigital3D.com, a content shop that will sell packages of stereoscopic images for $1.99. While you will be able to view those photos on any 3D-capable device -- like say that new LG TV you just picked up -- there will also be branded iPhone and laptop accessories from Spatial View who partnered with Fisher Price on this project. Check out the complete PR after the break.
Hasbro's My3D to turn iPhones into glorified ViewMasters starting Sunday
It's about time the ViewMaster got an upgrade. What's that? It's not a ViewMaster? Well, you could have fooled us, but either way, the thing's finally going on sale exclusively at Target April 3rd, and everywhere else starting in June. As you might have already heard, Hasbro's intro into the crowded 3D arena, simply titled My3D, does take a card from the old ViewMaster deck, but instead of enlisting cardboard discs, this thing uses your iPhone or iPod touch to bring you 3D entertainment. If your kid's not already hooked on 3D, the $35 viewer could be a decent starter -- then again, for $35 you could take yourself out to a nice lunch, give the rug rat a cardboard box, and call it a day. Full PR after the break.
Hasbro's $30 My3D goggle accessory brings 3D to iPhone, iPod touch
Truth be told, it's exactly what the world needed. More 3D gimmickry... on the iPhone and iPod touch, no less. With over 125 million of those two devices in circulation, Hasbro's betting that a new accessory will have a greater-than-average chance at taking off next Spring, with the My3D goggles set to put the View back in ViewMaster. Purportedly, the toy firm is expected to fully reveal the device to investors later today, with it being "aimed at both children and adults" and offering a 3D viewing experience on games, virtual travel, augmented reality apps and entertainment content. The device itself resembles a set of binoculars, and just as the aforementioned ViewMaster, there's a slot where you place your iPod touch or iPhone. Users will have to browse the App Store for compatible My3D content, with some of it to be offered up gratis. We're guessing more than a few curious consumers will bite at just $30, but how hard would it have been to get this thing onto store shelves next month? A holiday opportunity missed, Hasbro. [Thanks, Bill]
DIYer concocts homegrown View-Master, relies on HTC Magic and Google Street View (video)
It's been far, far too long since we broke out the View-Master from the admittedly dusty toy chest, but now we're guessing it'll be at least a score before we get the urge again. Why, you ask? The View-Master 2009. These homegrown virtual reality goggles are surprisingly impressive despite their ragged look, and by utilizing some form of cardboard enclosure, an HTC Magic and Google Street View, the designer was able to mimic that "immersive" environment we've grown to know and never forget. Don't believe us? Have a look at the vid just past the break, and hang in there 'til the end if you're scouting a how-to guide.
DIY'er equips stereoscopic viewer with LCD displays
When you were just a youngin', did you ever wish that your ViewMaster could show video instead of just static pictures? Well, there seems to be at least one DIY'er out there who shares the dream. An enterprising gadgeteer named Pyrofer has modded an old TomyTronic stereoscopic game "system" (just a glorified Tiger LCD handheld, really) with 128 x 128 LCD screens, and is using the device to display a self-contained, Propeller-chip-based 3D game he's working on. The entire system fits inside the housing of the TomyTronic, and is powered by three AA batteries. Check the video after the break to kinda-sorta see the project in action.
