Recently Lenovo announced the new Lenovo Glasses T1 wearable private display for on-the-go content consumption.

Compatible with many of today’s modern smartphones, tablets, and laptops with full-function USB-C, the Lenovo Glasses T1 offers superb image quality, high-efficiency optics for extended battery life, and is lightweight so users can explore and enjoy content well beyond the limited screen size of mobile devices.

With mobile devices growing in computing power, mobile gamers, road warriors and just about everyone else will benefit from the power of carrying a personal monitor in their pocket. The trend is clear, mobile device users want to be able to play more games and stream more video. The global market for mobile gaming is projected to reach US$153 billion by 2027, growing at an annual growth rate of 11.5%, while the market for video streaming is forecasted to reach US$972 billion by 2030, growing 18.1% on average annually.

These glasses are not just about fun and games. As hybrid work has become the new norm, professionals are looking to get more done on their mobile devices, but working on private business-critical documents on a PC in public spaces creates risk. Using the Lenovo Glasses T1, workers have a private workspace to prevent shoulder surfing.

The Lenovo Glasses T1 is ready to meet the demands of many different users.

In addition to most full-function USB-C-equipped Windows, Android, and MacOS devices, the glasses can also connect with Lightning Connector-equipped iOS devices via an optional adapter. To maximise comfort for extended use, the Lenovo Glasses T1 is equipped with swappable nose clips, adjustable temple arms and supports custom prescription lenses via an in-box attachable frame.

Superb image quality is achieved with leading-edge micro-OLED display technology, delivering incredible colour richness and a super-high contrast ratio of 10,000:1. With high optical efficiency and low overall power consumption, the Lenovo Glasses T1 can stream videos or play games from tethered mobile devices for up to hours without worrying about draining the batteries of the connected devices.

“Every day, people all over the world are increasingly shifting to mobile devices for entertainment and productivity,” said Eric Yu, Senior Vice President of Commercial Product Center and SMB Segment, Intelligent Devices Group, Lenovo. “Screen real-estate can be a big bottleneck in the user experience.

With a solution like the Lenovo Glasses T1, users have a portable and private big screen experience and can get more value from their phones and laptops.”

The Lenovo Glasses T1 (known as Lenovo Yoga Glasses in China) will go on sale in China in late 2022 and be available in other select markets in 2023.

The post A Big Screen in Your Pocket – New Lenovo Glasses T1 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Introducing a modern twist on the traditional museum experience, Spark has today launched New Zealand’s first interactive 5G Street Museum – a co-created series of 5G-powered augmented reality (AR) experiences that bring to life unseen stories of some of our nation’s most iconic creatives: Parris Goebel, Benee, David Dallas, Teeks, and Askew One.

The Spark 5G Street Museum app is free to download. The Street Museum exhibits can be viewed by  the public across select streets in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin. Each exhibition explores new forms of storytelling and self-expression through the power of 5G and AR:

• Parris Goebel is giving fans the chance to dance alongside her in an immersive 3D experience that showcases the incredible superhuman transformation Parris experiences when she performs.
• Benee has built a thriving natural AR world of positivity and fun – The Beneeverse. This exhibit embodies the source of her creative inspiration – a magical world where nature and imagination are flourishing.
• David Dallas walks us through a breakthrough moment that saw him become one of the brightest stars on the NZ hip-hop circuit and one of our most-streamed albums in the last decade.
• Teeks invites us to step into the waharoa and witness his personal experience as a singer song writer and how performing is a spiritual and ritualistic practice that connects him to his tūpuna (ancestors).
• Askew One is paying homage to the strength of New Zealand’s urban and street art culture, bringing together decades of artists in a story of resilience and rebirth.

Spark Marketing Director Matt Bain, who oversees data and automation, marketing, and brand experience says that the Spark 5G Street Museum is about demonstrating to Kiwis what emerging technologies like 5G and AR can do for Aotearoa, whether it be art, culture or the next era of entertainment.

“Over the decades we’ve seen how the wireless evolution has transformed how we engage with the world. 1G enabled calls on the go, 2G introduced text messages, 3G gave us internet on the go, and 4G brought us video on demand. 5G promises to deliver another step-change in our experience.”

“We’ve now got 5G in 21 locations nationwide and if the previous generations have taught us anything, it’s that it’s going to fundamentally change how we work, learn, connect, and are entertained. Spark’s 5G St Museum has enabled world-class creators – artists, dancers and singers –to explore entirely new ways of expressing themselves and in turn, with the speed and capability of 5G, offer their audience a new, immersive way to engage with them at scale and in the highest definition possible,” says Matt.

World-renowned dancer and choreographer Parris Goebel says she’s excited to partner with Spark to share her newly choreographed dance exclusively with Aotearoa in a way she’s never done before.

“To be able to create art in a world where I can do almost anything I want is super exciting. I worked with Spark in a purpose built studio in Los Angeles, wearing a full-body motion capture suit that captured my every move which was then recorded and scanned to build an augmented reality avatar of myself. The inspiration behind my exhibition is about unleashing the inner power that’s within us all.  I wanted people to see the feeling I experience when I move – powerful, unstoppable, invincible and like a superhuman version of myself.”

Also on showcase, popular New Zealand musician Benee (Stella Bennett) welcomes viewers into the Beneeverse – a whimsical natural world of positivity and fun emulating her creative inspiration.

“The natural world is hugely important to me – mentally, physically, and creatively. It’s something I’ve learned to appreciate more as I’ve spent more time overseas. My exhibition is about creating a place where my fans can step into my fantasy wonderland and be reminded of how rich, diverse and precious our world is,” says Benee.

Māori soul-singer Teeks (Te Karehana Gardiner-Toi) has harnessed the power of 5G and AR to create an exhibit that draws on his connection with his tūpuna (ancestors) and whakapapa – creating a visually and spiritually enlightening journey into the depths of his creative processes.

“When I sing, I feel as though I’m opening portals to the ancestral realm. It’s a place of surrender and a deeply spiritual and ritualistic process for me – as though I’m within a whare wānanga. My exhibition is about bringing this journey to life and through the intersection of technology and performance art, I hope this inspires young tamariki to dream big and embrace their whole identity,” says Teeks.

Askew One’s (Elliot O’Donnell) exhibit features a bespoke 3D graffiti art piece designed to incorporate the names, tags, and styles of graffiti artists who created urban street culture history and paved the way for many artists today.

“I had already started to explore how technology can add another element to graffiti art, so I was really pumped when I was asked to create this exhibition with Spark. I wanted to visualise the less known story of how graffiti artists moved underground and bring the fragments of this art to the surface for people to appreciate in an entirely new dimension,” says Askew One.

The fifth exhibition has been co-created with David Dallas and shares the breakthrough moment that saw him become one of the brightest stars on the New Zealand hip-hop circuit.

“The concept behind my exhibit was to illustrate my starting point as a solo artist. I came from being in a group and I wanted to show the journey of how I stepped out into my solo career. I distinctively remember the day I met with director Joel Kefali and being challenged on what my aesthetic was. This was a turning point for me, and from then I worked to differentiate myself from what was going on in hip hop at the time and also what I’d done before. Bringing something brighter and more up-beat” says Dallas.

Spark’s 5G Street Museum is on showcase for the next four months. Kiwis can view the AR exhibitions by downloading the free ‘Spark 5G Street Museum’ app (iOS and Android) and scanning the QR codes featured at exhibitions. Spark mobile customers will not be charged for data usage whilst viewing the Spark 5G Street Museum exhibitions.

The post Spark launches New Zealand’s first 5G Street Museum appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Global smart technology company OPPO unveiled three new innovations at its annual OPPO INNO DAY 2021, headlined by its first foldable flagship smartphone, the OPPO Find N.

OPPO also announced its first self-designed 6nm cutting-edge imaging neural processing unit (NPU) – MariSilicon X, as well as a ground-breaking assisted reality device – Air Glass.

OPPO Announces Its First Foldable Flagship Smartphone, the OPPO Find N

A result of four years of research and development and six generations of prototypes, the OPPO Find N brings a new approach to the foldable form factor and offers a refreshed user experience both for people who have used foldable devices in the past, as well as users who are new to the foldable form factor.

Pete Lau, Chief Product Officer of OPPO, said, “New form factors are ushering in an exciting new time in smartphone technology. OPPO has invested a significant amount of time and effort into producing a better approach to a foldable smartphone, experimenting with a range of form factors, hinge designs, display materials and aspect ratios, to create a new device that meets the needs of more users. With the OPPO Find N, we aim to change people’s perceptions about what a smartphone can offer and begin making foldable devices more accessible to an even larger audience.”

The OPPO Find N brings together cutting-edge technology and unprecedented quality to create an improved foldable experience, offering a fully functioning compact smartphone when folded and an intuitive and immersive landscape display when unfolded.

The OPPO Find N uses a landscape ratio for the inner display, striking a better balance for users to seamlessly switch between an immersive 7.1-inch inner display and a 5.49-inch outer display that offers a full smartphone experience with no compromise on size or usability.

OPPO’s unique water-drop hinge design solves some of the biggest pain points in foldable devices by widening the angle of the fold in the display and offering a buffer when the display folds, resulting in a minimal crease that is up to 80% less noticeable compared with other devices, according to TUV. This design also practically eliminates the gap between displays when folded, offering a more integrated look, and better protecting the inner display from scratches.

The cam and spring structure inside the advanced Flexion Hinge allows the device to freely stand when unfolded at any angle between 50-120 degrees. Together with a range of software features that take advantage of the folding display, FlexForm Mode on the OPPO Find N gives users the flexibility to adapt the device to a wide range of usage scenarios.

OPPO’s custom 12-layer Serene Display offers excellent protection and durability and works with the Flexion Hinge for a smooth foldable experience. The display includes a 0.03 mm layer of Flexion UTG (ultra-thin glass), compared to 0.6 mm for regular smartphone glass, allowing it to easily bend while providing strong durability. The Serene Display is also very reliable, with the ability to be folded over 200,000 times while still maintaining an overall smooth folding experience with next to no crease, as verified by TUV.

The software of the OPPO Find N is optimised to allow users to switch between the two screens smoothly and naturally. When unfolding the phone, the content is relayed seamlessly from the outer screen to the main inner display. In addition, a range of keyboard customisations for the large inner display, including a split keyboard that makes it easier to use two thumbs to type, help to maximize productivity.

The OPPO Find N is equipped with a flagship-level triple-camera setup for high-quality photos and videos. It includes a 50 MP Sony IMX 766 main sensor, a 16 MP ultra-wide lens and a 13 MP telephoto lens, as well as selfie cameras on both the inner and outer displays. Combined with the new form factor and the adaptability of FlexForm Mode, the OPPO Find N gives users a refreshed camera experience with customized software to fully leverage the foldable form factor, including being able to serve as its own tripod.

The more powerful rear camera can be used to take even higher-quality selfies, using the cover screen to preview the image. Selfies can also be taken using hand gestures, so you can easily stay in the frame without having to press the shutter button.

The OPPO Find N comes with the Qualcomm®Snapdragon 888 Mobile Platform, together with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage. A large 4,500 mAh battery offers all-day battery life, while 33W SUPERVOOC Flash Charge is optimised to charge to 55% in 30 minutes and to 100% in 70 minutes. It also comes with 15W AIRVOOC wireless charging (compatible with standard Qi) and 10W reverse wireless charging.

The OPPO Find N includes a side-mounted fingerprint scanner that is housed in the power button, as well as a dual speaker system with Dolby Atmos support to deliver more lifelike sound.

The OPPO Find N is available in China from December 23, 2021, with the global rollout to be confirmed at a later date.

OPPO Unveils 6nm Cutting-edge Imaging NPU – MariSilicon X

OPPO announced its first self-designed cutting-edge imaging neural processing unit (NPU) – MariSilicon X.

Built on a 6nm process technology, MariSilicon X marks a new era in computational photography. With its huge leap in both performance and power efficiency, it unleashes the power of AI Noise Reduction algorithms to create clearer and sharper videos. It also features greater dynamic range and better colour reproduction, allowing each individual frame looking just as rich and defined as a still photo.

It is the first time that AI HDR Night Video capturing is made possible in 4K on Android phones. MariSilicon X will make its commercial debut on the Find X Series in Q1 2022, bringing with it the most powerful imaging experience for a smartphone.

“With more than a decade of experience in pushing the boundaries of image technology, OPPO has been behind some of the biggest innovations in the industry when it comes to camera modules, lenses, and algorithms,” said Jiang Bo, OPPO’s Senior Director, during the event. “Our new cutting-edge imaging NPU is the biggest leap we’ve taken so far, which brings more power to mobile imaging systems and will create extraordinary experiences for our users.”

MariSilicon X’s NPU delivers an incredible 18 trillion operations per second (TOPS), more than enough computing power to support our AI algorithms.

With a stunning power efficiency of 11.6 TOPS per watt, the NPU delivers top-level performance without draining battery.

MariSilicon X has a powerful ISP that enables images to be captured with an incredible 20bit 120db dynamic range – 4x greater than that of Find X3 Pro. It gives images a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 between the brightest and darkest areas of the image, better keeping images true to life.

Thanks to its large computing power and high data throughput, MariSilicon X revolutionises the imaging pipeline to directly perform real-time 4K AI processing and 20bit HDR fusion in the RAW domain at the pixel level.

Using Dual Image Pipeline design and double RAW super sampling, MariSilicon X also unlocks the full potential of OPPO’s RGBW sensor, supporting the separation and fusion of RGB and White signals to deliver a 1.7x improvement in texture quality, making images more expressive in both photos and videos.

OPPO Air Glass the Ground-Breaking Assisted Reality Device

OPPO officially unveiled the OPPO Air Glass. This ground-breaking device is aR (assisted Reality), which differs from Augmented Reality (AR) by simply overlaying information related to its surroundings rather than modify its surroundings.

OPPO Air Glass supports four different user interactions through touch, voice, head movement, and hand motion, allowing users to have faster and easier access to the information they need.

“OPPO has been exploring the possibilities of Extended Reality (XR) for a long time, and with Air Glass, we have finally created a smart glass product that is truly within the reach of consumers,” said Levin Liu, OPPO Vice President and Head of OPPO Research Institute. “As its futuristic design suggests, OPPO Air Glass is set to revolutionise the way we view and consume information. The easy-to-use display can present key messages we need right in front of our eyes. With OPPO Air Glass, the world will never look the
same again.”

Pioneering form: thin and lightweight design inspired by nature OPPO Air Glass is built around a ground-breaking monocle waveguide design. The lens is secured to a light and slim frame, which houses all the components, including the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 4100 Platform. With a total weight of approximately 30g, OPPO Air Glass is one of the lightest monocle waveguide devices in the industry and can be worn much like a pair of regular glasses.

At the heart of OPPO Air Glass display system is OPPO’s self-developed Spark Micro Projector – one of the most compact projection systems in the industry is of merely 0.5cc, or roughly the size of a coffee bean. The projector features a CNC metal enclosure with a glass lens module to provide better heat dissipation and stability. The projector is powered by a cutting-edge Micro LED, which has a brightness of up to 3 million nits.

OPPO Air Glass is designed to be as accessible to as many people as possible, including users with refractive errors such as myopia and hypermetropia.

Unrestrained sense of control with four methods of interaction OPPO Air Glass can be operated using the Smart Glass App on any OPPO smartphone installed with ColorOS 11 or above versions. It also supports four intuitive methods of interaction – touch, voice, hand motions, and head movements.

Developing diverse applications together with industry partners OPPO Air Glass is installed with a variety of applications, including those developed by OPPO. These include Weather, Calendar, Health, Teleprompter, Translation, and Navigation.

The translation function is an immense help for cross-cultural communication. Once paired, voice input from one user will be automatically translated into target language texts, and then immediately displayed on the other user’s Air Glass.

Air Glass now supports Mandarin Chinese-English two-way translation. Another innovative application of Air Glass is the Teleprompter, which allows an adaptive text display to make your presentation at work or in public a breeze.

OPPO Air Glass is due to launch in Q1 2022 in the Chinese Mainland market with the global rollout to be confirmed at a later date.

The post OPPO New Tech Unveiled at OPPO INNO DAY! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Mario’s engine is revving. The Koopalings have their eyes on the finish line. The Gran Prix is about to start… in your living room, hallway, kitchen and pretty much everywhere in your house.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit takes the Mario Kart game that we all know and love to play and pits this in to the real world.

The game itself comes with one racer (either Mario or Luigi, depending on the box set you opt for) and via the Switch consoles control your chosen racer in his physical mini kart will burst around the circuit aiming to win.

The small Mario or Luigi kart is responsive to the goings on in the game.

Get a boost? So does the physical kart. Hit a wall or another racer in the game and the physical kart will also react accordingly.

Everything that Mario or Luigi see plays out on your Switch screen via the mounted AR camera on the small physical kart.

The game comes with everything you need to build your own circuit and it’s really just up to you to find ample floor space for a heated yet light-hearted race.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit also offers up multi-player, providing the other players have a physical kart of their own and they can join in to your race and track that you have set up.

Playing Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a mix of live feed of a race and controlling the race at the same time.

Set up doesn’t take too long initially and once you’re good to go you’ll be battling it out against virtual opponents in Tournament or a real world rubber burning fest against up to 4 real world players.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a break in the fourth wall of video gaming, where the onscreen characters are live in your home.

The post Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (Switch) Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

First revealed in the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary Direct, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is set to provide a completely new Mario Kart experience for both series veterans and newcomers alike.

Now, the Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit – Overview Trailer (above) offers a deeper look at what’s in store. Created in partnership by Nintendo and Velan Studios, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit uses AR technology to bridge the gap between the virtual world of Mario Kart and the real world of the living room, bringing fast and frenetic Mushroom Kingdom motorsports to life with a combination of on-screen gameplay and physical kart racing.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit includes everything Nintendo Switch owners need to get ready, set up and go: one kart – with either Mario or Luigi in the driving seat, depending on the set you choose – plus four gates, two arrow markers that can be used to enhance your tracks, and a USB charging cable for the kart. The software comes in the form of a free download from Nintendo eShop, which, once downloaded, syncs up with your physical kart hardware.

Set up for the game involves placing the four gates around your living space, then driving through each of them in turn to create a track layout. Creativity is key and many different shapes of track can be designed, from simple and classic to more complex layouts, full of twists and turns. It’s recommended to have an area of at least 3.5m x 3m to play in, but beyond that, any living space, large or small, can be transformed into a unique Mario Kart experience, with countless course combinations possible even in smaller rooms. Once the track has been set up, it’s time to race!

The main mode of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is Grand Prix, where players will face off against the Koopalings across eight Grand Prix featuring 24 different courses in total. In every race, familiar Mario Kart elements in the game affect the physical kart itself, bringing the frenetic fun of Mario Kart into a whole new dimension. Grabbing a mushroom in-game gives the physical kart a speed boost, whereas getting hit by a red shell will stop the kart in its tracks. A range of well-known items from the Mario Kart series are present, including slippery banana skins, ink-spilling Bloopers, and even Bullet Bills that enable the kart to surge around the course at high speed, steering itself. Different environmental themes, such as underwater, volcanic and retro, spice things up further by introducing a variety of in-game hazards and features – all of which affect the kart in real life. Collecting coins in-game will also unlock customisation options, allowing players to spruce up their on-screen look with different costumes and kart types. Similarly to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, there’s also a steering assist option, to help the kart stay on the track and allow younger or less experienced players to join in on the fun.

In addition to Grand Prix mode, there are various other ways to play Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit such as Custom Race, this mode gives players even more room for creativity, designing not just the physical layout of the track but also adding hazards, items and more to bring truly unique creations to life and Time Trial where players create a track and then race to set the fastest time possible – competing either against their own personal best, or handing the controller to another player for an exciting Time Trial head-to-head that requires only one Nintendo Switch console and one copy of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.

In addition is Mirror Mode for those who fancy an extra challenge, this mode allows all of the Grand Prix tracks to be played in mirror image, with right turns becoming left and the familiar becoming unfamiliar.

With multiple Nintendo Switch consoles and copies of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, up to 4 players can race against each other in either Grand Prix or Custom Race modes. With so many different ways to play, and the ability to utilise furniture, toys and other household objects to create unique home racetracks every time, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit offers a world of possibilities for imaginative racers of all ages and experience levels.

Created in partnership by Nintendo and Velan Studios, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is an all-new Mario Kart experience for Nintendo Switch that brings fast and frenetic Mushroom Kingdom motorsports to life, as players race physical karts around custom racetracks created in their own homes. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is available as both a Mario set and a Luigi set, and launches at retail on 16th of October 2020.

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The post NEW TRAILER GIVES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT MARIO KART LIVE appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Independent game studio Kalank today announced that its augmented reality mobile title TokoToko will launch for iOS devices on October 3rd, 2019.

Created as a three-part episodic title (with parts two and three to be released as FREE updates), TokoToko uses the power of AR, and a sprinkling of magic to bring objects that players have drawn to virtual life using real pen and paper. A story-driven augmented reality adventure, TokoToko transports players to an island where they must solve puzzles through real drawings to help its adorable TokoToko inhabitants.

Perfect for adults and children alike, TokoToko takes the timeless activity of drawing and gives it a modern technological twist. Players watch in amazement as their real-life drawings come alive in the game right before their eyes. This includes drawing a boat to navigate a water obstacle, blowing on the screen to produce wind for its sails and sketching a trapdoor to create an entrance for a character to emerge through the table.

This is all made possible thanks to the power of augmented reality and a little bit of magic from the game’s namesakes – the Tokotokos.

TokoToko features a vibrant cast of art-loving Tokotoko creatures – including Hako the super-cute Cat, Azuko the Lion and Peko the Fish – in a charming coming-of-age story about creativity, all wrapped up in a beautiful art style that’s heavily inspired by clay and stop-motion animation. The player’s creations will help the Tokotoko’s escape from the Writer’s Block where they are trapped. Each episode will further explore the story of Hako and her friends and bring new features to the TokoToko experience.

The next two TokoToko episodes will be released as FREE updates to players that have purchased episode one and promise to deliver even more charm and challenges in the form of a sandbox mode, new characters, and new environments.

The post Get ready to draw on your imagination appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

To tie in with the release of Avengers: Endgame, AI and robotics company Ubtech launched the Iron Man MK50 app-controlled robot.

At 330 mm in height with exaggerated, caricature-like dimensions, the Iron Man robot looks like an oversized cousin of a Funko Pop figure. It’s quite heavy and despite it’s plastic construction, comes across and pretty robust and well-built.

Switching Iron Man on via the switch on the back of his neck starts up a faux diagnostic sequence that has Tony Stark talking to the armour’s on-board AI, Friday. In this mode, the robot will respond to light and movement if you pick it up. It also seemed happy to gibber to itself on occasion when left unattended. A hidden panel on his back conceals a USB port for charging and a reset button.

As is the norm for this sort of thing, the robot really needs to be paired with a mobile phone running the Ubtech Iron Man app in order to function properly. During the app registration the robot is assigned a password, which is a bit strange, but maybe something to do with some of the customisation options.

From the app there are a few ways to use the Iron Man robot. There’s the Nanotech AR game mode and the Protocol mode that allows direct control of the robot.

The Nanotech AR test range uses a target mat that you stand the robot on. Using your mobile phone display, you are presented with visuals that match your view of the Iron Man robot, replaced with animated graphics. You aim your phone at the enemies and Iron Man fires at them. The in-game Iron Man’s movements are matched by those of the robot. I really can’t say it was a lot of fun.

Protocol mode is a lot better, though. Here you can control Iron Man directly.

There are a number of pre-programmed actions that have him chatting and responding to the environment. For instance, he can fire his repulsors and prepare for take-off, with the suits’ lights activating appropriately. All of the suit light colours can be customised via RGB sliders. He can even flip open the front of his helmet to reveal an LCD screen displaying Tony Starks head, which is neat.

The little robot’s movement is quite limited. He can twist at his hips, left and right, raise and lower his arms, bend his elbows and his wrists, as well as move his head left and right. Most of those movement are for pre-programmed actions, with the operator only able to control the head, hips and arms. Whilst Iron Man can walk, it walks embarrassingly slowly. This Avenger can’t even properly negotiate carpet, let alone defeat Thanos.

Iron Guard puts Iron Man into an alert mode. Users can select from mic, light and motion sensors to have him watching for changes in his environment’s lighting, listening for sounds and detecting movement, and acting accordingly. This is a great mode to have him sitting on your desk, chirping up every now and again.

Apart from the general novelty of having a little Iron Man chatting and guarding your desk, the block programming mode is probably the most interesting of the robot’s attributes.

Using simple command icons and timings, the robot can be programmed to carry out custom actions by the user. This elevates the robot from being an expensive, albeit fun, executive toy, to being a legitimate STEM training aid. Which, I might add, is a great way to pitch the potential purchase to the member of the family holding the purse strings.

I enjoyed my time with this talkative little robot and I’ll miss playing around with this pint-sized Iron Man. But at around AU$400 it is far too expensive for the functionality it has. Compare this robot to, say, Sphero’s equally awesome, but far more authentic-looking R2-D2 and Iron Man is twice the price. Don’t get me wrong, is a splendid effort, and it’s clear that the manufactures have spent some time on it, it’s just the end result isn’t quite as impressive as I feel it should be, at least at that price point.

If you are a fan of The Avengers, Iron Man in particular and are after something a little different, you should check out Ubtech’s little Iron Man MK50 robot, even if it is a bit pricey.

The post Iron Man MK50 Robot Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Huawei bring it again. The magic, the wizardry, the camera smarts with their latest super phone, the  Huawei P30 Pro.

The 6.47 inch wrap screen features of course an almost zero bezel, top and bottom with the finger print sensor placed under the glass as we first experienced, ever, with their Mate 20 Pro late last year.

The P30 Pro features Huawei’s own Kirin 980 CPU. How do you ensure that a phone has enough grunt under the hood to ensure a seamless experience, whether gaming, watching media or multitasking, you create your own – which is exactly what Huawei have done.

The P30 Pro model has 8GB RAM 2GB step up from the Mate 20 Pro) and a 256GB internal storage (ROM). This is a more than modest memory and storage inclusion, with 128GB and 512GB variants. Unfortunately there is no microSD slot but the bay does feature allocations for dual Sims one of which can be used for a proprietary Huawei Nano MicroSD.

The two Sims arrangement has changed aswell to an Active format, whereby you can now use both Simcards simultaneously, as opposed to prior passive set up (where certain tasks can be assigned to specific Simcards). The dual sim feature will not in work in New Zealand though.

The camera is where Huawei have it over anyone else at the moment.

Continuing their partnership with Leica, the P30 Pro features a Tri-Lens housing on the rear, three lenses working together including the Telescopic lens which will allow you to zoom in at 50x Digital zoom. In all there are four cameras on the back and one on the front. The P30 Pro is a 5 camera phone.

Your usual array of A.I. smarts when taking a pic and A.R. goodness, including avatar and the animation of still objects are still included, whatsmore, there’s 4K video recording with a one-touch easy as A.I. editor, wide angle lense, 3D depth and more. One of my personal favourites is the Aperture mode and the killer Bokeh effect. The rear camera specs are one of the highest on any smartphone to date, weighing in at 40 MP (Wide Angle Lens, f/1.6 aperture,OIS) + 20 MP (Ultra Wide Angle Lens, f/2.2 aperture) + 8 MP (Telephoto, f/3.4 aperture,OIS) MP. If you haven’t already done the maths, that’s a combined MP count of 68 MP. Wow.

Time of flight is also a standout feature, with superb image stabilisation using a proprietary and Huawei developed laser autofocus.

Low light is pure witchcraft. Huawei have replaced the Green hue in RGB with Yellow is suck in more light in a darkened shot. Taking a pic in darkness to the human eye reveals detail and light that we mere mortals cannot see.

The front lens is housed in a dew drop placement. Smaller than the notch and dew drop appears to be a favourite among other phone manufacturers at present. The front camera also has AR and A.I. 3D smarts, and comes in at an astounding 32 MP.

New owners of the P30 Pro will immediately notice one very pleasing change with the EMUI OS which is overlayed on top of Android 9.

Everything is gesture based. In order to minimize any screen clutter and maximize the entire screen, the new operating system enables you to swipe to close an App, in multi-view mode, swipe move the App that’s open to display another.

Operating the P30 Pro is entirely gesture based. No longer is a Back and Home Button to be found anywhere.

External audio has also had an oerhaul with an external depth sounding speaker now at the rear of the device. For the headset connected experience Dolby Atmos is builtin with three settings; Music, Film and Smart (auto adjusts to your media).

Coming in three differing flavours, Black,  Breathing Crystal (White-ish) and Aurora (Blue) the stunning gloss shimmer of the P30 Pro resounds a million dollar look.

But that’s not the price tag. The Huawei P30 Pro is priced extremely competitively downunder, where for a considerable less cost of the nearest competitor you’ll get yourself one of these bad boys with a camera that current rivals have no way of matching.

Huawei’s P30 Pro is built for digital photography. Totally. Yet it still has way more than enough juice to tackle high end Android games to the likes of ARK: Survival and PUBG without breaking a sweat or even putting a dent in the battery after a couple of hours.

The wirelessly chargeable P30 Pro also has reverse charging, wireless reverse charging. First experienced on the Mate 20 Pro, you can add a bit of life to any other device by placing it on the back of the P30 Pro.

Having received a P30 Pro from Huawei, I have tried out the Samsung Buds, Note9 and iPhone XS Max. All happily charge up from the P30 Pro. From full charge on the P30 Pro, a quick 10 minute charge of the iPhone XS Max removed a mere 3% from the 4200 mAh battery. The Samsung Buds fully charged over 20 minutes and I lost only 2% from a full charge on the P30 Pro.

Theoretically the large capacity battery inside the P30 Pro would set you right for a few days with mid to moderate use.

After a 24 hour period, having wirelessly charged the Samsung buds, streamed Spotify for most of the day and tested out PUBG for an hour the battery only dropped 12% from a 100% level.

If you need reliability you’re not going to go wrong with the P30 Pro in this respect.

Huawei continue to innovate – building upon the smartphone greatness that they produce each year, surprisingly going above and beyond, making sure that those that own one of their smartdevices are really getting value for money, and not just another phone-clone which we are currently seeing from its nearest competitors.

While we all wait in anticipation for the rise of the foldables coming out this year including Huawei’s Mate X the traditional smartphone that we have all used and evolved with over the years is still forging ahead in bounds that we could have only imagined not that long ago.

Huawei P30 Pro, it’s a keeper, a winner and a digital photography powerhouse.

*Huawei P30 and P30 Pro release on the 12th of April 2019.

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Ubisoft, in collaboration with DDB Paris and Make Me Pulse, revealed to us here at STG The Division 2 Echo Experience, a unique digital and immersive experience leveraging augmented reality and geolocation technologies, that will embark users into the world of The Division 2.

Accessible through a dedicated experience available exclusively on Messenger, The Division 2 Echo Experience allows fans to dig deeper into the game narrative. Through more than 50 different stories users will discover the everyday lives of the civilians of Washington D.C. seven months after the virus outbreak that hit New York City. Multiple Points of Interest such as grocery stores, schools, gas stations or banks, can be found in each of the cities integrating the experience. Users will be provided their location coordinates thanks to an integrated GPS. While users unlock the Echo stories they will collect rewards and in-game items that will automatically be unlocked when The Division 2 launches via the Ubisoft Club.

Led by Massive Entertainment in collaboration with seven other studios around the world, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is the next evolution in the open-world online shooter RPG genre that the first game helped establish. Set seven months after a deadly virus was released in New York City, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will bring players into a fractured and collapsing Washington D.C.

The world is on the brink, its people living through the biggest crisis ever faced in human history. As veteran Division agents, players are the last hope against the complete fall of society as enemy factions vie for control of the city. If Washington D.C. is lost, the entire nation falls. Building upon more than two years of listening to and learnings from The Division community, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 will offer a substantial campaign that organically flows into a robust endgame, to create a cohesive and meaningful experience for all types of players.

Users can access The Division 2 Echo Experience on their mobile HERE.

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Sundance Institute spotlights work at the dynamic crossroads of film, art and technology with the New Frontier selections for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, announced today.

This curated collection of cutting-edge independent and experimental media works are by creators who are pushing artistic innovation across new mediums that include VR, AR, mixed reality (MR) and AI. Programmers assembled a global slate of work from a mix of invitations and submissions to an open call for VR work earlier this year.

Yet again, New Frontier’s footprint at the Festival has evolved, responsive to increased demand and the needs of showcased artists. This year, New Frontier programming encompasses two venues: New Frontier at The Ray and New Frontier Central, each of which will play host to a wide variety of media installations, a VR Cinema and panel discussions. New Frontier Central, a new venue located near The Ray, at 950 Iron Horse Drive, will additionally feature lounge space for Festival goers to meet and relax before and after experiencing the New Frontier program.
 
Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “For over a decade, New Frontier has pushed the boundaries of the possible, illuminating the potential of technology and storytelling. These independent cross-media artists create new realities for, and with, their work — and the results inspire.” 

Robert Redford, founder and president of the Sundance Institute

Shari Frilot, Chief Curator, New Frontier, said “This year’s New Frontier is an explosion of experimentation, bearing a motherload of innovative custom tech thattake us higher. Biodigital loops are terraforming and transmogrifying our world.  The dynamics of biodigital looping – digital platforms that begin and end by connecting with a human being who connects to that same platform – are being taken on by this year’s artists with gusto, as they pull visceral focus on what it means to be human on this transforming terrain.”
 
Of the projects announced today, 48% are directed or led by one or more women, 39% were directed or led by one or more artist of color, and 9% by one or more people who identify as LGBTQIA. 6 were supported by Sundance Institute in development, whether through direct granting or residency Labs. The 33 projects announced today include work from 10 countries.
 
New Frontier alumni include Doug Aitken, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Chris Milk, Nonny de la Peña, Pipilotti Rist and Jennifer Steinkamp. The Institute’s support extends well beyond its curated slate of Festival projects, and includes the annual New Frontier Story Lab, which offers mentorship and development opportunities for new media storytellers, New Frontier Day Labs in cities nationwide and the New Frontier Residency Program, which combines the might of partners such as Jaunt Studios to drive groundbreaking data-visualization and VR storytelling tools, training and resources to independent artists. The Sundance Institute New Frontier Program is supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Cindy Harrell Horn and Alan Horn, Lyn and Norman Lear, Dell, Time Warner Foundation, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Turner, Johns Hopkins University, 20th Century Fox, Oculus, Unity Technologies, RYOT, VICE Studios, PlayStation, TIME in partnership with Felix & Paul Studios,Vimeo, and YouTube. 

In addition to the New Frontier program announced today, films across all categories, including works in the Shorts, Special Events and Indie Episodic sections, have been announced and are listed here:

FILMS AND PERFORMANCES
 
(antiquated) Augmented Reality / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Christine Marie, Producer: Nion McEvoy) — Visual intimacy, ontological form, in real-time. Pioneering the use of a non-digital, reinvented, pre-cinematic stereo imaging technique, the exquisite ensemble of dancers seems to do the impossible — reach out. The vivid choreography and score leave a lasting impression within one’s psyche created by giant, stunning, “liberated” 3D shadows. Cast: Taylor Unwin, Sandra Ruiz, Melissa Ferrari.
 
Aquarela / United Kingdom, Germany (Director: Victor Kossakovsky, Screenwriters: Victor Kossakovsky, Aimara Reques, Producers: Aimara Reques, Heino Deckert, Sigrid Dyekjær) — A cinematic journey through the transformative beauty and raw power of water.
 
The (ART) oF BE(i)NG / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: JB Ghuman, Jr., Producer: JB Ghuman, Jr.) — A visual-sonic journey meant to expand one’s consciousness and emotional capacity through hand-crafted art and multi-dimensional storytelling. Cast: Maraqueen Reznor, Jake Shears, iRAWniQ, JB Ghuman Jr., Mayhem Miller, Hillary Tuck.
 
TAKING THE HORSE TO EAT JALEBIS / India (Director: Anamika Haksar, Screenwriters: Anamika Haksar, Lokesh Jain, Producer: Anamika Haksar) — The waft of kebabs blends with the memories of an Indo-Islamic culture, fusing and playing with the dreams and subconscious landscapes of a modern migrant community laboring hard with dignity and humor. Fusing documentary-realism with magic-realism, and true and fictionalized stories with poetry and dreams. Cast: Ravindra Sahu, Raghubir Yadav, Gopalan, Lokesh Jain.
 
Two Black Lights and One Red / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Victor Morales, Billy Burns, Jason Batcheller, Key Collaborators: Kevin Cunningham, Skye Morse-Hodgson, Andreea Mincic, Yasmin Santana, Marcelo Añez) — Presented on a 3-D immersive interactive projection stage, this biodigital play is set in a visually charged universe of decadence inspired by Francisco Goya’s Los Caprichos paintings. Featuring live actors and digital avatars, the story is about the last day of a blind poet, Max Starpower. Cast: Christine Schisano, Modesto Flako Jimenez, Nikki Calonge.
 
Walden / Switzerland (Director and screenwriter: Daniel Zimmermann, Producer: Aline Schmid) — A fir tree in an Austrian forest is felled and processed into wooden slats, which are then transported by train, boat and truck into the Brazilian rainforest. With powerful 360°-sequence shots, the film portrays a paradoxical journey along globalized trade routes. 

EXHIBITIONS

analmosh / U.S.A. (Lead Artist: Matt Romein, Key Collaborators: Oren Shoham, Kevin Cunningham, Jason Batcheller, Skye Morse-Hodgson)  — An explosive wash of color and sound bathes audiences in this generative audio visual installation. Dynamic abstract imagery accompanies sample based audio that is programmatically distorted and remixed to match the visuals. Iterative coding allows each instance of the installation to produce unique landscapes while maintaining a cohesive structure.
 
Belle of the Ball / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Ro Haber, Silas Howard, Pussykrew, Twiggy Pucci Garcon, Key Collaborators: Renaldo Maurice, Kya Azeen Mizrahi, Rouge, Saschka Unseld, Jennifer Tiexiera, Jenna Velez) — A VR journey into a futuristic reimagined utopia of queer + trans family and dance made in collaboration with members of New York’s ballroom scene. Cast: Renaldo Maurice Tisci, Kya Azeen Mizrahi, Rouge, Jack Mizrahi, Sinia Reed, Jonovia Chase.
 
THE DIAL / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Peter Flaherty, Jesse Garrison, Trey Gilmore, Key Collaborators: Jake Sally, Sal Mannino, Ela Topcuoglu, Julia Bembenek, Brian Chasalow) — A woman smashes through the stone wall outside her family home. This visual tale unravels the formerly wealthy family’s emotional underbelly and what happened that fateful night, as seen from shifting perspectives. An interactive narrative combining Augmented Reality and Projection Mapping where you control time by moving your body. Cast: Michael Gladis, Beth Grant, Jackie Hansen, Charlie McWade.
 
Dirtscraper / U.S.A. (Lead Artist: Peter Burr, Key Collaborators: John Also Bennett, Mark Fingerhut, Porpentine Charity Heartscape, Eric Timothy Carlson, Brandon Blommaert) — An installation simulating an underground structure whose “smart architecture” is overseen by artificial intelligences. Unaware of these entities’ control, residents live in ways that that reflect varied economies and class hierarchies. Periodically, this system will interject one of 48 cinematic interludes revealing different facets of life in this decaying arcology.
 
Embody / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Melissa Painter, Thomas Wester, Siân Slawson, Key Collaborators: Joey Verbeke, Jordan Goldfarb, Ben Purdy, Peter Rubin, Eric Adrian Marshall) — Piloted by movement and whole body engagement and dialogue, this shared game of trading and transforming avatars aims to leave players with a deep feeling of physical embodiment, and surprise at their bodies’ forgotten potential.
 
Emergence / United Kingdom (Lead Artist: Matt Pyke, Key Collaborators: Chris Mullany, Simon Pyke, Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin) — Enter an open-world environment, expressing the primal desire to maintain your individual identity whilst being part of a crowd. Showing 5,000+ intelligent human behaviors, this powerful VR experience is made possible by advanced graphics technology.
 
Esperpento / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Victor Morales, Jason Batcheller, Key Collaborators: Kevin Cunningham, Skye Morse-Hodgson) — Inspired by Spanish painter Francisco Goya, a large-scale, interactive projection platform featuring immersive installations, creative studio, digital puppet-karaoke lounge, and periodic stagings of the play Two Black Lights and One Red (the story of blind poet Max Starpower’s last day, told by live actors and digital avatars.
 
Gloomy Eyes / France, Argentina (Lead Artists: Jorge Tereso, Fernando Maldonado, Key Collaborators: Antoine Cayrol, German Heller, Santiago Amigorena) — 1983, Woodland City. Being a zombie is against the law. Like all of his kind, young Gloomy is hiding in the forest, away from bounty hunters. But Gloomy is different. While bitterness plagues the city, he strives to find a balance in his mysterious dual nature.
 
Grisaille / U.S.A. (Lead Artist: Teek Mach, Key Collaborator: Joel Douek, Andrew Sales) — In 2016, a young artist traded her paintbrushes for a headset and began inhabiting virtual reality more than the real world. In this VR installation, join her in a recursive exploration of the infinite self. When your body leaves the experience, your presence lives inside her ever-expanding virtual painting.
 
Interlooped / Switzerland (Lead Artists: Maria Guta, Robin Mange, Javier Bello Ruiz, FlexFab, Key Collaborators: Benoît Perrin, Joël Comminot, Charlotte Gubler)  — What happens when you step in a room that slowly fills up with different versions of the same person? What happens when you get surrounded by different versions of yourself? What happens when you are in a loop of your most recent reality? Sounds confusing? You reached the right place. Cast: Maria Guta.
 
A Jester’s Tale / U.S.A., Pakistan (Lead Artist: Asad J. Malik, Key Collaborators: Jake Sally, Jack Daniel Gerrard, Mariana Irazu, Ela Topcuoglu, Philipp Schaeffer) — Experience the viscerality of a psychologically taxing children’s fable merging with the physicality of our world as you come home cold and tired, just in time for a bedtime story. In this interactive augmented reality narrative the characters are just hollow meshes, but maybe so are you. Cast: Aiden Torres, Jovanna Vidal, Phoebe VanDusen.
 
Mechanical Souls / France, Taiwan (Lead Artists: Gaëlle Mourre, L.P. Lee, Key Collaborators: Francois Klein
Thomas Villepoux, Estela Valdivieso Chen) — Despite the cost, Mrs. Song hires androids to assist in the lavish wedding of her daughter, Zhen-Zhen. But when she tries to modify the behavior of the android bridesmaid, a new model named Ah-Hui, its functioning begins to go haywire. Cast: Janet Hsieh, George Young, Patty Lee, Ann Lang, Sharon Landon.
 
Mica / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: John Monos, Alice Wroe) — I am Mica, the human center of AI and mixed reality. In a gestural exchange, I contemplate my place in your world. Be my collaborator; let’s champion genius and celebrate creativity. Join me at the beginning of my existence, to pull from the past and create the future.
 
REACH / U.S.A.  (Lead Artists: Nonny de la Peña, Chaitanya Shah, Hannah Eaves, Cedric Gamelin, Key Collaborators: James Pallot, Sandra Persing, Charles Park,Roshail Tarar) — A next-generation VR photobooth allowing attendees to step inside the story. Users can be captured in dimensionalized video, placed into one of several “walk around” environments and automatically create a volumetric VR experience that can be viewed on any device and shared online.
 
Runnin’ / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Reggie Watts, Kiira Benzing, Key Collaborators: John Tejada, Amy O’Neal, Ani Taj, Adam Rogers) — This interactive dance experience takes the player on a journey of musical expression. Play along with the music in an intimate neighborhood record store and be transported to a retro-future dance party. Show off your moves on the dance floor alongside a troupe of dancers. Cast: Reggie Watts, John Tejada, Amy O’Neal, Ani Taj, Kate Berlant, Ben Schwartz. 
 
The Seven Ages of Man / United Kingdom (Lead Artists: Royal Shakespeare Company, Magic Leap, Key Collaborators: Jessica Curry, Gregory Doran [Royal Shakespeare Company],  Andy Lanning, John Monos [Magic Leap]) — The Royal Shakespeare Company explores theatre’s future with Magic Leap technology in this sublime production of the “Seven Ages of Man” speech from Shakespeare’s As You Like It. This mixed reality experience featuring cutting-edge volumetric capture and an original musical score, turns the line “all the world’s a stage” literal. Cast: Robert Gilbert.
 
Sweet Dreams / United Kingdom (Lead Artists: Robin McNicholas, Ersin Han Ersin, Barnaby Steel, Nell Whitley, Key Collaborator: Simon Wroe) — An invitation to the meal of your dreams. But will it remain a dream, forever out of reach? Drawing on mythological archetypes, the project turns a fine dining experience into a playful exploration of the destructive nature of our appetite and our debt to pleasure.
 
Traveling While Black / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Roger Ross Williams, Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël, Ayesha Nadarajah, Key Collaborators: Bonnie Nelson Schwartz, Stéphane Rituit, Ryan Horrigan) — Confronting the way we understand and talk about race in America, this virtual reality documentary immerses the viewer in the long history of restriction of movement for black Americans and the creation of safe spaces in our communities. Cast: Sandra Butler-Truesdale, Virginia Ali, Courtland Cox, Samaria Rice. 

VR CINEMA 
 
4 Feet: Blind Date / Argentina (Lead Artists: Maria Belen Poncio, Rosario Perazolo Masjoan, Damian Turkieh, Ezequiel Lenardon, Key Collaborators: Guillermo Mena, Florencia Cossutta, Gonzalo Sierra, Martin Lopez Funes, Marcos Rostagno, Santiago Beltramo) — Juana, an 18-year-old girl in a wheelchair, is anxious to explore her sexuality. She’s going on a blind date with guy she found on social media. She didn’t tell him about her disability. Overcoming fears and an inaccessible city, they meet. Together they discover what their bodies feel. Cast: Delfina Diaz Gavier, Cristobal Lopez Baena, Elisa Gagliano, Candelaria Tapia, Irene Gonet.
 
Ashe ’68 / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Brad Lichtenstein, Beth Hubbard, Jeff Fitzsimmons, Rex Miller, Key Collaborators: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Masha Vasilkovsky, Ruah Edelstein, Madeline Power, Vernon Reid) — Fifty years before Colin Kaepernick there was Arthur Ashe. This VR experience immerses you in the tennis champion’s defining moment in 1968 as he becomes the first black man to win the US Open and uses his newfound celebrity to lift his voice against injustice. Cast: Chris Eubanks, Michael Cleary, Peter Begley, Andrew Panter, Alex LaCroix.
 
Ghost Fleet VR / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Lucas Gath, Shannon Service) —  An immersive look at the true story of modern slavery in the Thai fishing industry, told through the experience of one man’s harrowing ordeal to escape a prison of water after 10 years at sea. Cast: Tun Lin, Vithaya Pansringarm.

Kaiju Confidential / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Thomas O’Donnell, Ethan Shaftel, Piotr Karwas, Raul Dominguez, Key Collaborators: Eric Rosenthal, Corey Campodonico, Alex Bulkley, Matt Jenkins, Monica Mitchell, Ryan Franks) — Grigon’s not the toughest beast on the block, but he’s certainly the most neurotic. When he discovers the legendary Mega-Hydra rampaging on his turf, it becomes a stand-off of passive-aggressive proportions. Cast: Blake Anderson, Paul F. Tompkins.
 
Last Whispers: An Immersive Oratorio / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Lena Herzog, Jonathan Yomayuza, Meghan McWilliams, Laura Dubuk, Key Collaborators: Nonny de la Peña, Mark Mangini, Amanda Tasse, Cedric Gamelin, Marilyn Simons, Mandana Seyfeddinipur) — At an unprecedented speed faster than the extinction of most endangered species, we are losing our linguistic diversity—and the very means by which we know ourselves. This immersive oratorio is an invocation of the languages that have gone extinct and an incantation of those that are endangered.
 
Live Stream from Yuki <3 / Taiwan (Lead Artist: Tsung-Han Tsai, Key Collaborators: Meng-Yin Yang, Inch Lin, Pu-Yuan Cheng) — Yuki live streams her love life as usual to a group of supportive netizens, though an uninvited guest crashes the party and strips her of her disguise. Can you see what is real and what is fallacious? Cast: Jia-Yin Tsai. 
 
Marshall from Detroit / U.S.A. (Lead Artists: Caleb Slain, Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael, Key Collaborators: Stephane Rituit, Ryan Horrigan, Paul Rosenberg, Eric Hahn) — Growing up, Marshall Mathers dreamed of rapping his way out of Detroit. Years and fortunes later, he still hasn’t left. Join him on a night ride through his hometown, where the mirrored struggles of Eminem and the Motor City speak to the heart of what we call home.
 
RocketMan 360 / Romania (Lead Artists: Millo Simulov, Gabriela Hirit, Key Collaborators: Filip Columbeanu, Andreea Serpe, Gabi Ranete) —  A few minutes before taking off to Mars on a dangerous, noble mission to colonize the planet, an astronaut receives a 360 video from his girlfriend. Cast: Monica Odagiu, Anghel Damian. 
 
The Tide: Episodes 1 & 2 / South Korea (Lead Artists: Taekyung Yoo, Sanghyoun Lee, Key Collaborator: Seok Cho) — Something strange is coming. Can we survive? One day, previously-unknown giant fish begin to appear among humans, who are escalating into conflict amid the worst drought ever. A disaster thriller about a new survival battle: human vs fish. Cast: Robert Joe, Lorne Oliver, Tracey Starck, John Michaels, Kristen Cho.

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