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Interactive fiction for smart speakers is the BBC's latest experiment
Smart home speakers have quickly become the hot gadget people didn't know they wanted. They can answer your movie trivia questions, call a cab, turn your heating on and do your shopping for you. They're gaining new features every day, but are more than just a utility product. These speakers are a ripe platform for all kinds of screen-free entertainment, and I'm not just talking about streaming a Spotify playlist. Earplay is a popular Alexa skill that tells interactive stories, for example, and never one to be late to a fledgling medium, the BBC has taken note. In one of its many experiments outside the bread and butter of broadcast TV, the BBC is releasing its first immersive audio tale today: The Inspection Chamber.
BBC's latest app is a home for its VR experiments
The BBC is forever playing around with new forms of storytelling, but its many experimental projects can be hard to keep track of. A 360-degree video might be published on YouTube and Facebook, for example, while an animated VR tale might launch first on the Oculus Rift before being ported into a standalone mobile app. Bookmarking the BBC Taster website is one way to keep tabs on what's new, but now the broadcaster has launched an iOS and Android app to make its projects more visible and easily accessible on smartphones.
The BBC takes its first steps into 'true VR'
The BBC is in something of an enviable position. As part of its duty to "inform, educate and entertain," the broadcaster is effectively mandated to innovate -- to explore new technologies that can better serve the public. This is the job of BBC R&D, which is looking to virtual reality as a new way to tell stories, without the same commercial pressures other broadcasters face. There's a certain freedom in this, and it's allowing the BBC to go beyond 360-degree video and dip its toe into more immersive "true VR" experiences, with the first of these being published today.
