Bringing the Smurfs off-screen with HoloLens
For decades, the entertainment industry has sought out new ways to give their audiences a more immersive experience. Smell-O-Vision and Odorama cards gave viewers a chance to smell the pizza in Polyester. Even Walt Disney wanted to spray cinemas with jasmine and incense during 1940 screenings of Fantasia. And then if that wasn’t enough, along came the chair-shaking, jet-spraying adventures inside a 4D cinema. From Avatar to Pirates of the Caribbean, audiences were subjected to the same sights, sounds, smells and substances as the characters on screen.
How close is too close?
People want an immersive experience when it comes to films. Simply showing the feature on screen isn’t enough anymore. Audiences want to live the story. Not just watch it.
And could there be a better way to do this than merging your world with that of your favourite characters? Not content with just taking over the silver screen with Smurfs: The Lost Village, Sony launched a blue invasion in homes around the world. Using Microsoft’s HoloLens, Sony combined our reality with that of the Smurfs, their lost village and Gargamel.
The mixed reality experience let kids (and big kids) join in with the Smurfs’ adventures, but instead of playing on-screen, they get to enjoy the action around the house. From catapulting Smurfs over the family pet, to conquering levels climbing over the coffee table, players are getting a glimpse into what the future of gaming is.
Watch a clip of the game in action
If HoloLens can bring the adventures of Papa Smurf to life, then imagine what it can do for business. It’s letting designers, companies and customers bring their visions to life in incredible ways, through mixed reality. Businesses have the chance to put their big ideas into the real world, letting customers explore projects and products in the world around them.
Taking to the skies
Creative agency REWIND let people experience the pure adrenaline rush of Red Bull’s Air Race. Using HoloLens, people could virtually join pilots in the cockpit, and relive every death-defying stunt, hurtling through and around obstacles just 15 metres from the ground, at speeds of up to 255 km per hour. And the best bit? They could do it from the safety of their living room, sat in their slippers.
See how REWIND and HoloLens made extreme flying even more competitive
If you’re ready for the next step, explore mixed reality here
