interactive
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Netflix's Triviaverse will test your knowledge with rapid-fire questions
Netflix has released an interactive experience that you can fire up and play with the trivia-loving members of your family these holidays.
Amazon's kid-centric Glow video call device is now widely available in the US
Amazon has announced that the kid-focused Glow is widely available in the US, complete with books, visual arts activities, play options and more.
Netflix is releasing an interactive WWE horror movie on October 5th
The three members of The New Day will try to 'Escape the Undertaker.'
Spotify is testing polls to make podcasts more interactive
Spotify will let podcasters survey their listeners with a new poll tool.
'Disintegration' multiplayer shuts down after just six months
The developer behind Disintegration, the tactical shooter with transhuman characters, is ending the multiplayer mode that it launched early this year.
Facebook's interactive COVID-19 map displays symptoms by county
Facebook's new interactive map shows the spread of COVID-19 symptoms across the US.
MIT project turns spray paint into a functional user interface
Scientists from MIT have developed a way to create interactive surfaces using airbrushed inks -- or in other words, graffiti that actually does stuff. The SprayableTech system lets users create room-sized interactive graphics with sensors and displays that can be applied to everything from walls to furniture. Spray-painted art on walls can be used to turn lights on and off, for example, while designs airbrushed onto the arm of a couch can be used to control a TV. After designing the interactive artwork with a 3D editor, the system generates stencils for airbrushing the layout onto a surface. Then a series of inks are applied -- conductive copper ink, paint, dielectric, phosphor, copper bus and a clear conductor -- and then a microcontroller is attached, connecting the interface to a board that runs the code for sensing and output. The system hinges largely on the stencil design phase, to ensure the inks are placed in the right places and can connect to the microcontroller properly, so at this stage there's not much opportunity for spontaneous exploration -- you couldn't just spray a design on the wall and expect it to control your lights, for example. But the team is now working on creating modular stencils, potentially allowing users to try the system at home without needing to use a 3D editor or cut out stencils themselves. And looking ahead, the team has even bigger plans. Michael Wessely, lead author on the paper about SprayableTech, says, "We view this as a tool that will allow humans to interact with and use their environment in newfound ways. In the future, we aim to collaborate with graffiti artists and architects to explore the future potential for large-scale user interfaces in enabling the internet of things for smart cities and interactive homes."
Tinder’s ‘Swipe Night’ show lets users swipe to control the plot
Tinder is about to modernize the choose-your-own-adventure plot. Today, the company confirmed rumors that it's launching an original show, Swipe Night. In true Tinder style, you'll watch on your phone and decide how the story unfolds by swiping left or right at key points. Your decisions may improve your dating matches.
Interactive murder mystery game 'Erica' gets a surprise release
Flavourworks' interactive game/movie hybrid Erica flew under the radar for a long time while its developers spent years working on the underlying technology. But following the launch of the new trailer at Gamescom this week, the studio made the surprise announcement that the game is available now.
Tidal's interactive credits let you explore artists' other projects
In the days of CDs and records, exploring the credits for a piece of music simply meant reading the album sleeve. But with digital music, discovering the unsung heroes behind your favorite music -- the producers, the engineers and studio musicians -- is a bit trickier. Jay-Z's music streaming service Tidal wants to put an end to that, as the platform launches a new interactive credits feature.
Supermassive's 'Man of Medan' hits PS4, Xbox One and PC August 30th
Man of Medan, the first installment in Supermassive's Dark Pictures Anthology interactive horror series, will hit PS4, Xbox One and PC August 30th. It centers on a young group on a diving vacation that doesn't quite go as planned -- the quartet are kidnapped and trapped on a ghost ship. Much like Supermassive's previous game, Until Dawn, characters will live or die depending on the choices you make throughout.
Vudu's first original shows will include interactive titles (updated)
The rumors were true: Vudu will offer original shows, including a few with twists. Vudu confirmed at a presentation that it would introduce a variety of exclusive programming, including "interactive content" produced with the help of the startup Eko. While the streaming service didn't delve into specifics, it promised a mix of genres like comedy, drama and thrillers when the interactive material arrived later in the year.
Netflix's latest interactive series for kids is 'Battle Kitty'
Netflix's growing catalog of interactive shows now includes another aimed at the younger crowd. The service has unveiled Battle Kitty, an animated series where kids help its namesake warrior fight monsters on an island and become a champion. Its origins are as unusual as the format, too. It's based on Instagram posts from animator Matt Layzell (known for work on titles like Sanjay and Craig and Pinky Malinky), who'll be a showrunner for the first time.
Netflix's next interactive show is 'You vs. Wild' with Bear Grylls
Netflix is wasting no time capitalizing on the success of its choose-your-own-adventure experiment with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. The company announced today that it already has another user-controlled experience in the works that will put viewers in control of a Bear Grylls adventure. The eight episode series, called You vs. Wild, will be available to stream starting April 10th.
Black Mirror's interactive Netflix movie is streaming now
As the rumors suggested, Black Mirror's one-off holiday special is a different kind of show: an interactive drama where you choose how you mess things up. Launching today on Netflix, Black Mirror: Bandersnatch marks the first time the streaming company's used interactivity on a show that's not aimed at kids, like last year's Puss In Boots or Minecraft: Story mode.
‘Man of Medan’ could usher in a golden age of horror games
2015's PS4 exclusive Until Dawn is one of the most memorable titles of this generation. It took the bare bones choose-your-own-adventure storytelling of games like The Walking Dead and massively expanded the interactivity, immersion and production values to create a fantastically tropey horror game. Like all horror, it was best experienced in a group, and I've played it several times with various people, taking it in turns to wield the controller, debating every decision. Now, developer Supermassive has moved away from Sony to build a multi-platform successor to Until Dawn called The Dark Pictures Anthology.
'#WarGames' is the 'Rosemary's Baby' of interactive cinema
The line between film and video game is blurring. Much of this has to do with the shifting ways we consume media: Our screens are smaller, more personal and imbued with interactivity. They're meant to be tapped, swiped, clicked and pinched, and we expect the images under the glass to respond to every prod. We're pulling these screens closer and closer to our bodies, teaching them to respond to physiological output and unconscious gestures until eventually, they'll simply be a part of our anatomy. Everything will be interactive.
Interactive '#WarGames' series goes live on March 14th
#WarGames is a new interactive series from Eko and Her Story creator Sam Barlow, and it's set to hit Steam, Vudu.com, HelloEko.com and the Eko iOS app on March 14th. #WarGames is a fresh take on the 1983 film of the same name -- minus the hashtag, of course.
'Blade Runner 9732' recreates Deckard's apartment in VR
Fans of Blade Runner can now have an interactive snoop through spacecop Rick Deckard's LA apartment thanks to a lovingly-built, fan-made virtual tour. The game, Blade Runner 9732 (the number of Deckard's apartment, obviously) has been created by super fan Quentin Lengele, who's faithfully recreated as much of the set as possible for you to explore. Yes, the ESPER machine is there, and yes, you can sit on the balcony watching the rain-lashed city.
Press A to change your life: 'Otis' and the new American cinema
Reality is a lie. Everything we experience is filtered through thick veils of of personal baggage, self-interest and delusion, constantly skewing the world into the most comforting state possible. Universes of fragile concepts stand between what you think happened and what actually happened. Otis shines a detective's flashlight on this dissonance between reality and personal experience. It's an interactive crime drama that allows the audience to shift perspectives among three characters at will, telling a single story from disparate points of view. In the free online prototype, viewers press A, S or D on the keyboard to instantly swap perspectives among a babysitter, a father and a man intent on robbing their house. Otis doesn't pause when the perspective changes; the story carries on for all three characters. This means audience members will miss bits of every character's narrative. They won't see the full story. That's director Casey Stein's favorite part.
