Toys R Us at 3540 48th St. in Long Island City
Oct. 2, 2017 by Nathaly Pesantez
The Toys R Us straddling between Sunnyside and Long Island City is one of a handful of nationwide stores chosen to debut an augmented reality program that works through a smartphone or tablet application in store.
The Long Island City location at 3540 48th St. is one of 23 stores debuting the program today, and one of six in New York to be on the list.
“Play Chaser” is the name of the free app that promises to bring “stores to life”. The app works inside the store, where users can scan the “play chaser” signs on various Toys R Us shelves to play virtual basketball, care for a doll, and be greeted by a virtual Geoffrey the Giraffe. Some games also have leaderboards that show where players rank in their local store and in nationwide locations.
All Toys R Us stores across the U.S. will have the augmented reality feature enabled on Oct. 21.
The new augmented reality program comes in the midst of the toy retailer filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last month. The company said its nearly 1,600 locations will remain open through this process.
An augmented reality app simulation. Courtesy of Toys R Us.
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3 Comments
We went bankrupt because we spent all of our money in dev on an app that is capitalizing on a trend that has been trying to make it for 5+ years and won’t hit critical mass for at least another 2 yrs. Who’s their head of marketing? Call me when you wise up and fire them.
Today, every business thinks they need an app, even if they can’t figure out how it will help their business or customers. In the ’90s, they all rushed out and spent millions on lame web sites that no one could use.
“Toys R Us augmented reality feature app”
Kill me now and take me out of my misery.