Hey chummer! Psst. Over here. Yeah, that's it. So, you're new to the sprawl and wondering why everyone at the mall looks half zoned out or laughing at nothing like a half-crazed tusker. I got your back. I had a cousin who grew up with the tribals, real back-to-lander types. He would duck every time I said, "see that ARO?" Took him a while to get used to it, but now he's a wiz at the AR.
First you're gunna need a commlink. Nothing too fancy, just enough to make the wannabe's drool. That is unless you fancy yourself a hacker. But you don't look like a hacker to me, no no, more like you belong on the docs. Haulin' cargo's bout the same as haulin' hay, right omae.
Not an insult! Not an insult! There you go, you can put me down now. Everything's real wiz here, we're all frosty.
Okay, so you got your commlink and now hold it up. See on the display there, the video camera on the other side is feeding to your display, like a little camcorder back in the day or one of those, what'd they call'em...smartphones, yeah, that's it. So the camera feed is being modified by wifi signals that your commlink is picking up from nearby RFID tags and that information is being displayed on the screen. Point the commlink camera at that Ad sign over there, that's right, the one for Super Slim's Soycaf, there, you see it on the screen, that's an Augmented Reality Object, ARO, that's right "arrow." Now use the little track ball to move the curser over it, that's right, just like the intertubes of old, click on it. There, see a menu of soycaf drinks and you could choose one, order it, and by the time you get in the mall it'll be ready and waiting and the money already out of your account. Turn the volume on on your commlink...see, nice little Super Slim's jingle to go along with the menu.
Now technically that's all you need, but even with some sporty headphone's you'll still look like some poor schlob from the outskirts of nowhere, all holding up your commlink like some tourist with a 1980's camera stumbling all over everyone.
So what you absolutely have to have is some glasses, they even have them with built in earbud headphones. You wireless-link the glasses to your commlink and wammo! Right there in your field of vision you're seeing the arrows...but you still need to use the roller ball or pad on your commlink to select any of them...but that's why they made the gloves. Gloves? Well, I'll tell you. Gloves, or finger-rings, or what ever style suits you. Now, with those linked to your commlink your gestures in the air will allow you to select the arrows, scroll through the menus, hell, even bring up your own arrows, like a keypad to call whom ever you want.
What's that? Oh, yeah, no, if someone else is ordering off the Soycaf menu you won't see what they choose, everyone gets their own personal menu. Just like no one'll see you browsing the Whispers' Lingerie catalog just outside the store. But take the Rock'em Rumbler's Arcade, you can go in there and get into the AR ring and have a boxing match with another person. Your AR Tyson will be visible to the other player, and anyone else who wants to watch, for a fee of course, and you'll be able to see your opponent's AR boxer and you'll both see the punches as each of you thrown 'em and dodge 'em as you stand just outside the actual boxing ring they got set up in there. If you're real good, you'll still be able to bring up your key pad to make a call and tell yer friends how yer kickin' this guys ass.
Oh, but you'll need a mic if you don't want to talk into your commlink, but they make those in the glasses if you want. You can get 'em separately if you want contacts instead of glasses, but you're a glasses man, aint'cha.
So there you go, a commlink, a fancy pair of sunglasses with built in earbuds and microphone and a handy pair of AR gloves and your set to go. Only 200¥, great. There you go. Enjoy. Your ready to fully immerse yourself in AR. Well, kinda, but you're good.
What's that? Oh. Nothing. Well, see, you're not getting the "real" experience. Well, yeah, like I said, glasses, gloves, commlink and you're set, but there's much more! You see, take that soycaf ad for example. Bet you didn't know that right along with that jingle there's the smell of the soycaf and the warm feel of a fresh cup against your hands, even a slight taste of the hot liquid on your lips and tongue, but you won't get that with the glasses and gloves, no sir.
I was just getting to that! To get the full experience you'll need some a sim module and some trodes. Sim mod just attaches to your commlink and translates the extra info, er data, to and from your brain. Doesn't look like you've got a datajack, if you had one of them it'd be easy, just plug in your commlink, with sim mod, to your datajack. But with out that you've got to use trodes. Hell, they even make 'em so they fit right under that baseball cap of yours. So the trodes, they send signals right to yer brain, pow, and they sense the electrical signals off yer brain too! Takes a bit to get the hang of 'em, but every pair comes with a Mind Over Matter: Your New Trodes tutorial lesson. So once you get the hang of it, you'll be seeing, feeling, smelling, tasting, and hearing every byte worth of information they pack into them RFIDs buggers. Just don't hang to long around them lingerie stores in them tight jeans, or you're gunna get laughed at by the clerks. Nothing worse than cute girls giggling at'cha.
Just another 300¥. Yup, now you're totally set. Off you go and you're ready to roll. What's that. No. Well, I don't take no returns. I know, you don't need the glasses and gloves no more, but hey...HEY! Wait a minute! No returns I said, get your hands off me! Hey Skud! SKUD! Get over here! This guy thinks he can return purchases through force!
*Edited cummer to chummer, le sigh.
