Home > HUAWEI > Google adds Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, Gundam mechs, and more to AR search

Google adds Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, Gundam mechs, and more to AR search

Celebrating Japanese anime, video games, and TV

By Sam Byford@345triangle

Share this story

Share All sharing options for: Google adds Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, Gundam mechs, and more to AR search

Google has added a bunch of popular Japanese characters to its AR feature in mobile search, which has previously featured animals, historical artifacts, and dinosaurs. The list of characters is taken from Japanese pop culture including anime, TV, and video games, with names like Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, mechs from Evangelion and Gundam, and more. The feature works on Google search on Android and the iOS Google app.

Google adds Pac-Man, Hello Kitty, Gundam mechs, and more to AR search

When you enter the characters’ names, you’ll see an option to “see in your space” below the main search result, and that’ll let you drop a 3D model into your camera view. The models can appear at various degrees of scale, with an option to render at life size, though I’m not sure quite how accurate those measurements are. I was under the impression that Hello Kitty was five apples tall, for example, but she towered over my desk when I tried it out.

The full list of characters is here:

Google says that Pac-Man is by far the most searched-for character out of the list, with more than twice as many searches as for Hello Kitty at #2. Apparently, the top country for Pac-Man searches is Peru.

Next Up InTech

Sign up for thenewsletterVerge Deals

Subscribe to get the best Verge-approved tech deals of the week.

Just one more thing!

Please confirm your subscription to Verge Deals via the verification email we just sent you.

Email(required)By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy.

Loading comments...

Prev: Squishmallows has a firm plan to become the next Hello Kitty

Next: Maharashtra Budget 2022: Ajit Pawar Presents Rs 10,000 Crore Budget; Know Key Highlights