Henry
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Google Assistant users can preview YouTube’s 'Impulse' for free
With its paid Premium streaming service, YouTube has a steep climb to even compete against entrenched services like Netflix. First it has to get our attention, so for one of its most-anticipated series, Impulse, it came up with an interesting promotion. Google Assistant owners can access the first episode by saying "talk to Impulse." The AI device will give a brief sum-up of the show and ask for a password (it's "Henry" and a few variants). Once you do that, you'll get a link to the first unlisted episode on YouTube.
Oculus Story Studios won its first Emmy for an interactive film
Virtual reality is an art form that's still in its early stages. Headsets, like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, were only released this year, and people still need to be convinced that VR can be a powerful new way to tell and experience movies, TV shows, and video games. In what could be a tipping point for the VR industry, Facebook-owned Oculus won its first Emmy for Outstanding Original Interactive Program for its animated VR short film, Henry.
'Henry' is Oculus' first, emotional step to making AI characters
If you've ever spent time in the company of young children watching colorful and cartoony TV shows geared to their innocence -- say something on Sprout or Nick Jr. -- then you'll know what it is to live in the world of Henry. The computer-animated virtual reality short about a lonely hedgehog is only the second to come from Oculus VR's newly founded Story Studio, an innovation lab of sorts for VR. But whereas most recent gaming- and entertainment-focused VR works have relied on cheap thrills, suspense and fear to dazzle viewers, Henry instead engages with empathy. "That was the big question for me: How are people going to connect with him?" says director Ramiro Lopez Dau of Henry's emotional bent. "So we came up with this character who has an obvious problem: He wants to hug people and he's super spiky. So that was the connection because everyone deserves a friend. And Henry doesn't have a flaw. He's just like that; he's a hedgehog. ... So it's more about, okay, there's some meaning here. You will find someone who will accept you for who you are, which is a very universal message. ... There's going to be a very strong point to feel empathy for this guy."
This is 'Henry,' Oculus Story Studio's second VR film
Oculus' big push into cinema began at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it introduced its VR filmmaking endeavor, Story Studio. Back then, the company debuted Lost and revealed a list of other shorts it had plans for -- though it didn't go into much detail about them. Today, however, we're getting to know Henry, the second film from the virtual reality studio. Directed by Ramiro Lopes Dau, who previously worked on animation for Pixar's Brave and Monster University, Henry tells the story of a cute hedgehog that has trouble making friends because of his appearance. Oculus Story Studio describes it as a heartwarming comedy.
No More Heroes: Desperate Struggle trailer introduces one more hero
This No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle trailer introduces Henry, who appears in the first game in a series of very exciting, eminently spoilable sequences. It appears to do for the former villain what Metal Gear Solid 4 did for Raiden -- make the fans love a once-despised character. Coincidentally (according to the tenuous comparison I've set up for the two), both characters are voiced by Quinton Flynn. He's just got a talent for characters that you'll probably like better the second time! The end of the trailer features Henry fighting a young girl with some kind of giant robot arms. Thanks for existing, game.
Swizz Style's Henry hammers out dust, purifies air
If you've already got one too many vacuums roaming around autonomously, but are still looking for a way to eliminate the dust, pollen, and other nasal-clogging particles that manage to invade your domicile each spring, Swizz Style is hoping its main man can help you out. Simply dubbed Henry, this artsy air purifier handles all the expected duties of your average oxygen cleaning apparatus, taking care of bacteria, odors, and dust while holding the noise down to a respectable level. Furthermore, you can snag this useful decoration in black or white to match your design scheme, and the automatic shut off prevents unnecessary power usage once things are all cleared up. Of course, Swizz Style isn't handing over the pricing information just yet, so we'd recommend contacting the outfit directly if you're absolutely convinced these things actually work.[Via CoolHunting]
