Connecting to Nintendolife's talking point as of late about NFC and AR needing more love, I ask myself and you, is AR still a thing? I mean, the AR cards were nice but I guess its really limited by implementation (so far only gimicky) and the 3DS camera which is really weak.

What I could imagine that it could probably be something like a gamemaster-game for things like tabletop Battletech or Warhammer where its handling the dice roll and attacks, maybe even with overlay graphical effects to be seen through the camera. Lasers and such...

I think that would rock...
but otherwise?
Any ideas? Suggestions? Thoughts?

It's a cool feature, but pretty limited in its uses it seems.
I had some good fun with AR Games when the 3DS launched and Spirit Camera seemed pretty neat (although I never purchased it myself) but I'm not sure if there's too much to be done with it.
One of the biggest issue I've found with AR is that you need to be in a pretty well lit room.
When scanning Kid Icarus AR Cards with the overhead light on (which is fairly bright), I also need to shine my phone's torch light at them too to get them to scan properly.
Still, I'd like to see a creative use or two out of the feature in the future, even if it's all fairly gimmicky.

I could imagine it being used for card games like magic the gathering, making the battles you're playing appear. But if there is an audience for things like that?
I liked the idea behind spirit camera but like you said, that you have to be in a well lit room kinda destroys the purpose to use it for a scary game...

I think that many companies simply aren't set up to develop AR games. With the 3DS using a card-based system, you need to shift significant resources away from the actual game (unless you're integrating it as a main feature - but that's different) to, in essence, develop a gimmicky addition to your game. Sure, Kid Icarus: Uprising card battles are kinda cool, but since Nintendo has been unwilling (in NA) to provide a reasonable outlet for their release, along with their inherently fixed-outcome nature, they're just that: kinda cool. It's hard to develop a sellable concept with AR under its current limitations, and even when one emerges (see: Spirit Camera: the Cursed Memoir), it's often plagued by many typical game faults (short length, not being fun, faults using the AR system, a horror game that needs a ton of light to play? On a handheld?), it's more novelty than something to be a system-selling feature.

I was really hoping that Nintendo would expand what's already there by adding more mini-games to AR Games, maybe as DLC or something. I genuinely enjoy those, especially AR Shot and Archery, even despite the lag.

The real problem is the terrible quality of the 3DS cameras.

I have never even used the AR feature at all.

From what I hear, the reason the tech isn't used much is because it's too limited for more timing based games. I once theorised that the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros 4 could use it for some mode (to make the fighters battle on your desk/in the 'real world' like the toys Master Hand is shown with in the first game's intro), but apparently there'd be too much of a time delay between button presses to make it possible. That's sort of why AR functionality is either static/automatic (most AR games, Kid Icarus Uprising) or kind of basic/flawed (Face Raiders and Spirit Camera the Cursed Memoir), because it doesn't work well enough for most types of games.

Could be interesting to see it in a WarioWare 3DS though. Wonder why Nintendo didn't make one yet?

No

hey, i'd rather pay for $5 dollars for a pack of cards 4-6 than $20 for 2-3 plastic models.

Yeah, the whole social pomoting cocnept behind the Kid Icarus: Uprising Idol AR cards has been rather frustrating, and then as of recent something dawned on me I've been pondering for quite some time now; Nintendo has publishers for their Pokémon TCG, and if they wanted to promote not only Kid Icarus: Uprising and the cards so badly (considering the AR nature somewhat allow them to be played as a TCG with minimal stats), what on earth is/was stopping them from producing the same experience here?? Pokémon didn't ever get/need this type of treament to become popular, despite them being 2 completely different style games. The Kid Icarus: Uprising cards apparently sell for back bucks on ebay, here in the US anyway, making them that much harder to obtain because of Nintendo's limited events promotions, and yet somehow Nintendo fails to see this, it just makes no sense! Despite their Series 2 cards out/coming or whatever, (guesing there won't be any Series 3, and i've still yet to see any field cards they once talked about) kinda feels as if they're giving up on the cards.

Anywya, on topic, Yeah I dunno....it does seem like the 3DS hardware does have limitations for AR viewing, even PS Vita seems to have a slight limit. As for Wi U, depending on Skylanders Giants (as in the figurine limitation) which I've never played, only time will tell what can come out of it.

It would be brilliant if Nintendo did a Nintendo Land like game,for 3DS that only includes AR games.
There could mini Pokemon battles,Mario Kart races,mini Mario levels,Fire Emblem battles,Advance Wars battles.

God, AR is a pain. From what I hear, it totally ruined Spirit Camera. Who wants to play a HORROR game in extremely bright surroundings?

they already made something similar to that. WarioWare: Snapped. it sucked.

not in this generation.
3ds' camera is way too weak and i heared the vita's camera isnt much better

I honestly don't think I am even going to open my AR cards, sorry.

I thought it was cool, but like others said, the cameras aren't that great which is the main problem. There's tons of stuff you can do with it for sure, but alot of people can't see that until it is actually and practically demonstrated.
It is definitely a thing IMO, just like your table.

Everyone else pretty much covered what I'd add into this conversation. But I will say if the camera quality was much better, AR would be more significant by far.

The new Pokemon X and Y versions could let you scan Pokemon TCG cards to get the Pokemon on the card!

the problem in this would be that people would spam their best card to get the same pokemon all the time unless they do some irritating feature such as the 24-hour delay to tranfer pokemon from Gameboy Advance to the 4th gen DS games, plus limiting one card per pokemon making matters even worse....