Hacking the Hasbro MY3D

OK OK it’s not really “hacking”, but when I bought the Hasbro MY3D viewer, one of the things I had in mind was coming up with my own 3D stuff. The iPhone 5 has the famous “retina screen” so it’s ideal for doing something like this. One of the things I was curious about would be viewing stereophonic photographs (a.k.a. stereograms) on the MY3D using an iPhone. So… I spent some time this weekend figuring out the best way to do that.

Hasbro My3D gap between 2 images

An examination of how the Hasbro-supplied apps do the split screen for the 3D reveals that they don’t just split the screen down the middle. Instead, there is a somewhat wide ribbon of black that goes down the middle between the two different views.

Divider is off-center

Closer examination of the iPhone 4 and the My3D unit reveals that the divider for the screen is actually a little off-center when the iPhone is placed in the viewer and the viewer is closed. I haven’t had a chance to check if this is off-center when other iPhone and iPod Touch models are in the viewer. I wouldn’t be surprised to find it was either way.

So then I spent some time in trial-and-error to find what was the best way to make an image for stereo viewing with the My3D. Here’s how to do it: The resolution of an iPhone 4 is 960 x 640 pixels (the earlier models are half – so 480 x 320). It turns out that the best width for the images to get that gap in the middle is to make either side of the image 450 pixels wide. So that means the gap in the middle is 60 pixels wide (huge!). The maximum height is 640 pixels. So your max is 450 x 640 pixels (and of course that extrapolates to 225 x 320 on older models). This is, of course, talking about looking at the phone in landscape. So what you do in Photoshop, or Gimp, is make an image that’s 960 x 640 pixels, and fill it with black. Then take the right and left images of your stereogram, and make them 450 pixels wide. Then paste them into the main image. So you’ll end up with something that looks like what I’ve put together below.

Japanese Garden Stereoview for Hasbro My3D

So then all you have to do is put the photo on your iPhone, and then use the picture viewer of your choice to view it in the Hasbro My3D. I admit that it’s a lot of work, but I still think that it’s pretty cool!

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Hasbro MY3D – Cool 3D Waiting for Killer App

This isn’t exactly a robot thing, but robots do eventually figure into it, I promise! At the end of last week Hasbro announced a 3D viewer very much like a ViewMaster of old, but using an iPhone or iPod touch as the screen. It’s compatible with quite a list of Apple products, including the iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and the 2nd, 3rd & 4th generation iPod touches. Hasbro has also created some free apps for them. The apps are free for now, but at least some of them are going to turn into pay games in May. The other little twist is that the My3D is only going to be available at Target stores (and Target’s website) until May.

Hasbro My3D box and with iPhone 4

Sorry the photos are a little dark. I got one of these the first day they were available, because I think it’s a pretty cool idea. Here it is with my iPhone 4 in it.

View inside of the Hasbro My3D

Here’s what it looks like inside. There isn’t a whole lot going on here. It’s kind of like a pair of binoculars. There are two chambers with low-powered magnifying glasses at the viewing end, and your Apple device of choice at the other. Obviously, this is going to be way better with something that has a retina display.

The backs that are included with the My3D

The Hasbro My3D works with a bunch of different devices, so there are different backs for the different kinds. As you can see, they thought to make sure that the cameras aren’t blocked. I wonder if anybody is planning to make a 3D augmented reality game? The backs are very easy to exchange. Along with the cameras, they were careful to also allow access to the volume buttons, the mute switch, a headphone jack, and also the screen (via thumb holes on the bottom).

Thumb holes on the bottom.

Here’s a better shot of what it looks like when the back is closed up and it’s all in position for playing. So this is the bottom. You hold it in such a way as to let your thumbs hit buttons on the touch screen. I’ll admit that it’s a little awkward, but I think Hasbro got this as good as anybody could get it, considering what they’re doing.

How the 3D works on the Hasbro My3D

The 3D works because there are two images, one for each eye. So obviously, the images are taken off-center so that you end up seeing a 3D image when you look into the My3D. It’s pretty cool. The good news is that the 3D effect works really well. The bad news is that half of an iPhone screen is still just half of an iPhone screen, so the apps end up being kind of small.

The Games

All the games are available at the Apple App Store. Right now they’ve got MY3D Sector 17, MY3D 360 Degree Sharks, MY3D Bubble Bolt, MY3D Shatterstorm, MY3D Teleport LA, and the MY3D Tunnel Pilot App. The first time you use one of the games, it will ask you for the code on the inside of your viewer. You need the code to unlock the game for some reason. I guess this is probably to encourage people to buy the viewer if they want to play the games. The good news is that the games have a great variety. They have everything from ’80s style arcade games, to a first person shooter space ship game, to a game where you’re shark swimming around in the ocean. The bad news is that they’re all a little awkward to use, and one or two of them really aren’t that good.

I would have to say that my favorite is the shark game. In that game, you pick what kind of shark you want to be, and then swim around eating fish. It’s kind of a trippy game, because you swim around just like a shark. I feel like the 3D could be a little better, but it’s still a compelling game for me. I also like the two space games, Shatterstorm and Sector 17. Shatterstorm is a knock-off of an old arcade game whose name currently escapes me.

In addition to the games, they have the My3D Presents App. This strikes me as kind of a proof of concept or a things-to-come kind of item. It has previews of movies and TV shows that are coming in 3D (of course). Also, it has some photos of Transformer robots and also of wildlife. With any luck, Hasbro has figured out a way to get more content onto the app.

Conclusion: It seems like everything is going 3D these days, and now your iPhone can do it, too. While the technology is promising, the apps aren’t really up to snuff yet. The screen real estate ends up being kind of small, and the controls are a little awkward. I’m hoping that other developers will create some amazing apps for this device, because it is a really cool idea.

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Robot Toys in the News

Kotobukiya RAcaseal Eleanor

The Kotobukiya Phantasy Star Online RAcaseal Eleanor Ver.APSY that I noted here: RAcaseal Eleanor – is on pre-order at Hobby Search, here. This is one of those items that I thought looked better grey. I could see getting it and painting it maybe. The pink and white simply isn’t working for me.

Kotobukiy Combat-San in Fox Suit Hoihoi San in Rabbit Suit

There is a scene in the Hoihoi-san manga by Kunihiko Tanaka, Ichigeki Sacchu!! HoiHoi-san, where various robots from the manga appear in fox suits and rabbit suits. Of course, since the manga is a satire, the suits are overblown and funny looking. Here’s a picture from the Kotobukiya stand at the Winter Wonder Festival 2011, courtesy of Tomopop, showing versions of these. I wonder if they’re going to sell them?

Kotobukiya Combat-San Royal Guard Version

Kotobukiya Combat-San Royal Guard Version

Speaking of Ichigeki Sacchu!! HoiHoi-san, here are two new photos of the new Combat San “Royal Guard Suit” version, which I briefly covered here. This really looks just like the Tactical Suit version but with different coloration. I think this would be a good kit to do some modding or kit-bashing with, considering that it’s bare-bones.

Finally, in Hoihoi San news, there is a Bandai version of Hoihoi San coming. I think that’s kind of dumb because Kotobukiya is already covering the franchise pretty well. For that matter, of all the Kotobukiya models from the manga, I think Hoihoi is the least satisfying because she can’t do very much in that dress. She does appear to come with more gear in the Bandai kit. She’s got a big gatling gun, a pistol, a semi-automatic gun, samurai sword, a pair of flesh-colored feet, and her bunny ears. The feet have little charger contacts built into them, which is cool. They can be replaced with her normal white boots. It also looks like the set comes with a hammer? But wait! There are also three replacement faces. I’m guessing that there will also be extra hands. She’s already up (with more photos, of course) at Hobby Search for around $91 US, and is expected in May. Too expensive for me. For that you can get two of the Kotobukiya kits and the charging stand.

And wait! There is also an extra weapons set in the works to go with the Bandai Hoihoi San, as you can see in the second photo. It includes a heavy gun, an iron mace, drill arm, needle gun and some kind of rack stand. This is a separately sold item. With a little searching, I found it at 2,835 yen (about $34 US).

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