This is very cool! Somewhat similar, I recently bought a Nintendo Switch version of Ticket to Ride, which supports using a "companion app" on other devices to show each player their private hand.
However, one unfortunate bit is that the board (in my case, the TV connected to the Switch) is "read-only" and you don't interact with it, unlike real life. You pick which card to play on your phone, and then place it onto the board also on your phone. So basically, all the action is on your phone, and the central board is kind of an afterthought. It doesn't feel as much like interacting with a shared space as I was hoping.
I'm not really sure how to solve that. I thought of some weird stuff (like, maybe after you pick your card, your phone is just a touchpad controlling the card as it now moves around on the big screen) but nothing seemed practical.
An obvious answer is to play the physical game, but I also wonder if people are starting to adapt to virtual tabletop games? Virtual tangible? How intriguing!
In this specific case, I bought it during a long overseas trip and our physical games were back at home!
That said, while I love physical games, some digital aspects seemed potentially appealing: automatic scoring, rules enforcement to prevent mistakes, not taking up space, ability to try new ones out easily, etc.
I've been playing a city builder game in mixed reality called Spacefolk City recently, and having experienced moving around little interactive pieces in that context, I think they only reason this isn't common is because having mixed reality devices on hand isn't common. Feels totally natural, way better than a shared TV or something: better a board game, but honestly for MANY games they would be better in a mixed reality setup where the computer can do all the calculations and setup for you. Many great games just have too much setup time.
Sounds interesting, I'll have to look into that. I'll say that the shared TV was better in one respect: it was right-side-up for more than just one person!
Ticket to ride isn’t so bad, but a number of the more in depth board games have a LOT of setup. Digital versions can eliminate hours of tedium across multiple sessions. I have the physical copy of Gloomhaven that was only played once. I played the digital version with my son for tens of hours.
Adobe was trying to figure out how to position Flash in the aftermath of the iPhone. I will forever remember one of their concepts was using a variety of devices to share one experience, like your example of a board game that uses different devices for common and private elements.
20y later, it's disappointing that this is still a novelty. I think Nintendo had a tank game for the Switch, but I never got to try it because everyone needed his own copy and a Switch. Jackbox are the only ones I've seen ship something people actually play this way.
Adaptive design still hasn't been capitalized on as well as it ought to be. Everything is so optimized for metrics and commerce, and good design often gets lost in the fray.
However, one unfortunate bit is that the board (in my case, the TV connected to the Switch) is "read-only" and you don't interact with it, unlike real life. You pick which card to play on your phone, and then place it onto the board also on your phone. So basically, all the action is on your phone, and the central board is kind of an afterthought. It doesn't feel as much like interacting with a shared space as I was hoping.
I'm not really sure how to solve that. I thought of some weird stuff (like, maybe after you pick your card, your phone is just a touchpad controlling the card as it now moves around on the big screen) but nothing seemed practical.