Propelled by an abundance of cheap, high quality cameras and huge advances in computer vision algorithms, Augmented Reality (AR) is making a comeback.

In the last few months, AR applications for smart phones have been all the rage. For example see the Nearest Tube AR application for the iPhone. Moreover, researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology are trying to add AR to Second Life and some guy hacked together some nice AR business cards.

Now Esquire magazine’s December issue is AR enhanced. Using bar code patterns on special pages, software that can be downloaded freely and content that features Robert Downey Jr., the old school publication is entering the digital age with a bang. Check out the video below showcasing Esquire’s AR issue.

If you plan to buy a copy of the magazine and your computer has a web camera then download the free AR software from here. As a bonus, the AR functionality also features a beautiful lady telling jokes; who can resist that?