Happy Friday! Welcome to Issue 16 of Rerun, your weekly digest of digital storytelling, interactive media and the future of TV curated by Axonista.
This week we take a look at the battle for kids' TV and the audience of the future. Some surprising news on BBC's development of TV that can be mind-controlled! We also have roundups from the biggest event in gaming, E3, where Sony, Microsoft and Oculus were showing off their latest and greatest VR devices and experiences. Let's get straight to it!
Top Pick
Kidsâ TV becomes the final frontier in clash of the pay-TV empires
The return of The Clangers highlights a moment in TV where broadcaster heavyweights are reviving tried and tested children's tv content, in the fight to develop an expansive library of content to delight "young eyeballs", the audience of the future.
Features
A history of colour: The difficult transition from black and white cinematography
What seems like a complete no brainer now, adding color to black and white moving pictures was actually quite controversial at the time of its arrival. Content creators argued that color was a spectacle that detracted from the aesthetic and divided viewersâ attention away from focusing on the story. This story may sound familiar for pioneers of social TV and second screen companion apps today! Yet over time, color became the norm.
Future of TV
BBC testing mind control TV
We are the remotes weâre looking for.
More Jedi mind trick than Orwell's 1984, the new BBC âmind controlâ prototype is aimed at allowing audiences to control their televisions (and other computers) using only their brainwaves.
âImagine a world where instead of having to get up from your sofa or reach for your remote, you just think âput BBC1 onâ when you want to watch TVâ
While, according to BBC Head of Business Development Cyrus Saihan, it is âvery early daysâ for this technology, we think this is the kind of world we, at Rerun, want to live in!
Interactive Media
The best E3 in years has made gaming exciting again
When it seemed like console gaming was getting a bit stale, with sequels, sports and military shooters dominating, this year's E3 has revived optimism in the big publishers. While sequels are still the order of the day, both Sony and Microsoft have revived older and more varied franchises that were all fan favourites in the past. Titles like Final Fantasy VII are being remade and Mirror's Edge is getting a long awaited sequel. Then there's also the big focus on VR, with Oculus in Microsoft's corner and Morpheus in Sony's... This article by The Verge rounds up all the best news from this year's E3.
Virtual Reality
Hereâs every Morpheus VR game Sony demoed at E3
VR was out in full force at E3, and people finally got to spend some quality time with Sony's Morpheus on the Playstation 4. Sony had 17 demos in total, ranging from rollercoaster-esque speed racing in 'Trackmania Turbo', to multiplayer mech combat in 'Rigs', to space-shooting in Eve Valkyrie. One of our favourites is 'The Deep', which sees you immersed underwater in a shark cage!
Sonyâs VR Push Hinges on the Game We Thought Weâd Never Play
While there's no doubting the audiovisual immersiveness of VR, using a video game controller does tend to break it a bit. A VR-focused gaming company 'Impulse Gear' are setting out to change that by giving the player a replica laser rifle to play their game with. As you move and aim the rifle, the virtual one moves in exactly the same way. You can even bring it up to your face to activate a virtual scope!
We're now eagerly awaiting a VR version of Guitar Hero...
Briefs
- YouTube launching its own dedicated gaming app and website, YouTube Gaming
- Twitter will now autoplay native videos and GIFs
- PlayStation Vue announces a la carte service, coming to SF and LA
- Xbox One dashboard update includes a huge new design and Cortana
- Alibaba is launching TBO, a movie streaming business for China
- The biggest movie openings in history are dooming the world to an eternity of sequels
Minecraft with Microsoft Hololens looks awesome
Microsoft demoed an amazing AR version of the popular Minecraft video game during its E3 press conference, by shooting footage through the Hololens hardware connected to a camera and showing it to a live audience. Basically building and playing in a 3D Minecraft world that magically formed from within a coffee table. We can't wait until this is consumer ready!