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The director of 'Madagascar' takes on the Wild West of VR
As the writer/director of DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar, a blockbuster that spawned five sequels and one TV show, Eric Darnell could've easily hung up his hat and basked in his Hollywood legacy. But, instead, Darnell departed the studio he made famous last year to explore the "Wild West" of virtual reality with Baobab, an animation studio he co-founded alongside Maureen Fan, the former VP of games at Zynga. At this year's Tribeca Film Festival, the two debuted their first effort, Invasion!, a VR short featuring a lovable, alien-thwarting bunny rabbit and a prologue narrated by Ethan Hawke. "He's a big fan of VR, it turns out," says Darnell of Hawke's involvement.
A virtual reality game that's good for you and scientist-approved
It's fitting that the morning I first experienced Deep VR at the Tribeca Film Festival, billed by its creators as a meditative virtual-reality experience, I was already approaching peak anxiety levels. At 9:30 a.m., I was behind schedule (for reasons beyond my control) and huddled in a claustrophobic installation space made all the more overwhelming by various camera crews and the booming soundtrack of a heartbeat from the far corner. So when I first strapped the HTC Vive onto my head and a snug-fitting sensor around my diaphragm, I braced for the worst, assuming I'd be hit with a wicked bout of VR sickness. How wrong I was.
'Blockhood' is a beautiful game about eco-architecture
What happens when an architect makes a video game? Block'hood, a "neighborhood-building simulator" from one-man developer Plethora Project. It started life as a research project at the University of Southern California's School of Architecture, where its creator, Jose Sanchez, is an assistant professor but has slowly transformed into an educational game published by Devolver Digital, which produced games like Hotline Miami and Broforce. With a focus on expanding upward rather than outward, and a pared-down visual style, it's a different take on the building experience offered by SimCity or Cities: Skylines. It instead plays like a cross between Anno, SimEarth and reverse Jenga.
If video killed the radio star, VR slayed it
There's nothing in virtual reality quite as rapturous as exiting Tyler Hurd's "Old Friend" for the first time. The up-tempo, computer-animated experience, backed by up-and-coming VR studio Wevr, is a three-minute long, hyperactive, confetti-filled romp through a neon-hued world of happy clouds, little naked green men (who wouldn't look out of place on the set of The Muppets) and one very determined marching band leader. It's essentially a dance party set to the Future Islands track for which the VR piece is named, and it stars you, the viewer, as a squiggly armed raver. In a way, it does for VR what The Buggles' "Video Killed the Radio Star" did for MTV: It defines a whole new genre for a whole new medium. Think of it as the next phase in the evolution of the music video.
It's complicated: A film examines our relationship with social media
In a world of status updates, indie filmmaker Kerith Lemon categorizes her relationship with modern technology under the "It's complicated" banner. And with good reason. Lemon, whose short film "A Social Life" casts a harsh light on our addictive entanglement with social media, has dipped a toe in almost every online networking platform. That involvement was mainly a requirement of her job at the time. Back in the early aughts, Lemon worked as an integrated-marketing specialist at Viacom, where she handled brand messaging for the likes of MTV, Nickelodeon and CBS Radio. "I jumped on all of them because I needed to know everything," she says. "I'm not exaggerating when I say that I signed up for eHarmony for a pitch to see how it would work."
At Tribeca, this little VR match girl put Penrose on the map
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Match Girl, Allumette, the latest virtual reality short to come from Penrose Studios, isn't some Disney-fied experience for children. Though set in a whimsical, cloud-borne city and populated by charming and mute marionette-like denizens, the short -- named after the French word for "match" -- is actually a surprisingly mature allegory about love, loss and the sacrifices parents make for their children. It's but one piece of a greater interactive virtual world Penrose is creating.
The Amazon Tap is a so-so speaker with a so-so voice assistant
The Amazon Echo has been an unexpected hit for Amazon. Since it came out a year and a half ago, the always-listening Alexa has expanded its reach beyond ordering stuff and answering questions about the weather to controlling household items and cars. Now, not too surprisingly, Amazon is integrating this winning feature into new products. Case in point: the Tap, Amazon's $130 voice-controlled Bluetooth speaker. But unlike the Echo, you have to press a button: You can't just yell a keyword to get the device to listen to random questions or commands. The result is a mediocre voice assistant in the body of a mid-range speaker.
The HTC 10 feels like the company's best smartphone in years
Between having to settle for a pair of merely average flagships and seeing the company's profits tank, HTC fans have had a rough time in recent years. As it turns out, though, HTC might have the cure for those woes (and no, I'm not just talking about the Vive). Though the surprise was spoiled, the company pulled back the curtain on its new HTC 10 smartphone today, and you know what? It feels like the HTC phone I've wanted for years.
Where to buy LG's G5 in the UK
If LG flagships have played it relatively safe over the past few years, then the new G5 is downright dangerous. Like any top-of-the-range smartphone, its specs tick all the right boxes, but otherwise it's not exactly typical. First, there's the handset's dual-camera arrangement for super-wide-angle shots, and then, there are "Friends." That's LG's cute/creepy term for a range of quirky accessories that compliment the kind-of-modular G5, which has a removable, replaceable bottom bezel. If you're looking for something different, the G5 is far from generic, and it's now available to buy in the UK.
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Engadget UK giveaway: Win an iPhone SE courtesy of Mobilefun.co.uk
The iPhone 5s is starting to show a few grey hairs, but Apple's keeping the 4-inch form factor alive with the iPhone SE. Essentially an iPhone 6s massaged into a smaller, thicker frame, the iPhone SE went on sale last week -- though if you haven't taken the plunge already, maybe you won't have to. Thanks to our friends at Mobilefun.co.uk, we've got an iPhone SE (Space Gray, 16GB model) to send the way of one lucky reader this week. And being something of an accessory specialist, the retailer has also thrown in no less than five covers and cases to compliment the winner's new handset. As always, entries are handled by the Rafflecopter widget below, but please gives the rules a quick read first to ensure you're eligible to participate.
Shooting the Arabs: How video games perpetuate Muslim stereotypes
Islam has an image problem. And it's not just recent world events that have led to an undue level of scrutiny and prejudice. The media has been pigeonholing Muslims for years. You need only watch a few episodes of 24 or Homeland to see that Muslims, particularly those of Arab descent, are almost always painted as the enemy.
The Engadget staff on this week's Apple news
Covering a keynote from a big tech company makes for a busy day at Engadget, and yesterday's "Loop You In" event at Apple's Cupertino campus was no exception. Our fearless senior mobile editor Chris Velazco liveblogged the presentation, and then immediately got hands-on with the newly announced iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro. The rest of the team, meanwhile, was busy writing up all the news, which also included iOS and tvOS software updates, price cuts for the iPad Air 2 and Apple Watch, and some frank remarks from Tim Cook about the company's recent fight with the FBI. Now that the madness has subsided, it's time for us to take a step back and gather our thoughts. Here's what we actually think about it all.
The iPhone SE is a powerful little blast from the past
We've had years to get used to the the iPhone 6 family and its curvy lines, but some people still yearn for the crisper angles -- and smaller screens -- of iPhones past. For them, Apple's new iPhone SE comes across as a sort of low-cost love letter. After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, Apple took most of what was special about the iPhone 6s and stuck it into a close approximation of the handsome, chamfered body made famous by the iPhone 5. I just got the chance to put the SE through its paces, and one thing seems clear from the get-go: It's a fascinating blend of old and new that will probably sell like hotcakes.
We're live from Apple's 'Loop You In' event!
Nothing brightens up a dreary March day like the promise of some shiny new hardware, and Apple should have us covered there. Tune in at 1PM ET/10AM PT for some sweet liveblog action from Apple's "Loop You In" event in Cupertino, and be sure to stick around for some hands-on impressions as soon as the presentation winds down. Need a quick refresher? We expect to see a smaller iPhone and a more compact iPad Pro this morning, not to mention a series of software updates that span across Apple's hardware line-up. Our fingers are also crossed for some mention of a new Apple Watch and more juicy tidbits about Apple's ongoing fight with the FBI, but we'll just have to wait and see. Join us, won't you?
I lost a weekend playing 'Miitomo,' Nintendo's first smartphone game
So here it is: Miitomo is Nintendo's first smartphone app. It's a social interaction game that's ... kind of existed before. Tomodachi Life was a surreal 3DS title populated by your own avatar, as well as StreetPass users, friends and any other Miis you made. It's not a conventional game: You don't move around a world collecting things or defeating things. This time, though, Nintendo is opening up this weird, wonderful universe of conversations, customizable clothing and interactions to anyone with a smartphone. There's no Mario, mushrooms or ink-spitting guns (yet), but the app is already No. 2 in the App Store and it's rocketing up Google Play's charts as well. It launched last week in Japan, where I live, so this is how I spent the weekend. Welcome to the time (and battery) sucking word of Miitomo.
Engadget UK giveaway: win a smart heating system courtesy of Heat Genius
Of all the ways to educate your boiler, Heat Genius offers some of the most comprehensive smart heating systems around. From remote temperature and hot water control to radiator and underfloor heating zones, the options go far beyond the simple connected thermostat. And this week, it's thanks to Heat Genius we're giving away a complete smart heating system, including boiler controller, up to four radiator and four underfloor controllers, a hub to get the whole system online and, of course, installation. That's over £1000 of smart heating kit, depending on your configuration at home, so whether you're more interested in seeing out this winter or preparing for the next, you can enter our giveaway up to three times via the widget below. Give the rules a quick scan first, though, if you would. Winning: Congrats to Andy S. from Liphook, Hampshire.
The UK's first VR roller coaster is a lonely trip through space
The medium of virtual reality is changing how we experience games, movies, news, sport, porn, The Simpsons... and now, roller coasters. Already this year, several theme park operators in the US and UK have announced rides that will blend physical sensations with digital worlds. Germany's Europa-Park introduced just such a ride last year, and Britain's first VR roller coaster "Galactica" will be opening to the public on March 24th at Alton Towers. Ahead of its launch, I jumped on an opportunity to experience the space-themed voyage first-hand, and I can easily say it's utterly unlike any roller coaster I've ever ridden.
Ohlala CEO Pia Poppenreiter on what 'paid dating' really means
Ohlala, an app that facilitates "paid dates," caused a ripple of raised eyebrows when it launched in New York last month. Despite Ohlala's insistence that it is not about paying for sex, people had a hard time figuring out what it really was for. The company maintains that line, but a few mixed signals are making it hard for the message to stick. Go to the website and you'll be greeted with an image of a man and a women just about to kiss, before an explanation of how the service works. Further down, a small note exclaims, "Ohlala is not an escort service. Escorts are not welcome." I sat down with co-founder and CEO Pia Poppenreiter at SXSW to figure out what Ohlala is, and whether it deserves its salacious reputation.
Mr. Robot has an FBI consultant to make hacking look authentic
A line of people snakes through the halls until it winds down a flight of stairs; more than 1,000 fans are anxiously waiting for the doors to open inside the Austin Convention Center. They're here to see the creator and lead actors of Mr. Robot, the most compelling TV show about hackers in recent memory.
Where to buy Samsung's Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge in the UK
The Mobile World Congress expo in Barcelona is fast becoming a distant memory, but now is the season for flagship phones announced at the show to start making their way to consumers. Today, it's Samsung's turn. It's fair to say the new Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are only iterative improvements on last year's models; but with slicker styling, the return of expandable storage and flagship-grade performance, they're among the best Android smartphones money can buy. You may've even clocked a few in the wild already, since anyone that pre-ordered either device should've received theirs earlier this week. We understand that not everyone's that organised, though, so join us as we explore all the purchasing options on general release day.
