Snapchat Copies Facebook Feature For Once With ‘A Look Back at 2017’

Snapchat today turned the tables on Facebook for once by mimicking one of the social media giant’s favorite features – your year in review, based on photos and videos posted in the last 12 months.

The feature can be accessed using the memories icon at the bottom of Snapchat’s home screen interface. Selecting “A Look Back at 2017” automatically generates a Story around your timeline of pictures, but the arrangement can be tweaked by selecting “Edit Story” and tapping the X on individual snaps to remove them from the collage. The Story can then be saved and shared with friends.

Image via The Verge
As The Verge notes, the “Look Back” feature may not appear if there isn’t enough media from the last 12 months to create a story, so only avid Snapchat users are likely to see it.

Facebook continued its seemingly relentless trend of copying Snapchat features last month, when it began testing a new feature that plays on the latter’s chat streak challenge, which encourages users to “keep your streak going” when messaging friends.

Prior to that, Facebook created a carbon copy of Snapchat’s day-long, vanishing post idea in Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Instagram, which gained 100 million users following the update last year. The company also previously aped Snapchat’s face filters and rewinded video features for Instagram, which also proved a hit.

Today’s feature debut follows news yesterday that Snapchat is testing a feature which will let users share stories outside of the mobile app, in an effort to boost sign-ups to the app.

Tags: Facebook, Snapchat
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Google Photos is choosing your happiest pics for a ‘Smiles of 2017’ video

As the curtain comes down on another year, you might be taking a moment to swipe through your photos from 2017, enjoying (hopefully) happy reminders of the friends you met, the places you went, and the things you did.

Looking back on the year has prompted Google to offer users of its Photos app a Smiles of 2017 video, which uses AI to pull together all your images featuring, you guessed it, smiles. Or at least, what its algorithm perceives to be a smile.

The slideshow video last around 50 seconds and features music from Google’s own library. Of course, if you like it you can save and share it, too.

First spotted by Android Police, the auto-generated Smiles of 2017 videos have so far been appearing in Photos for a limited number of users — it might depend on how many images you have with toothy grins!

Anyone receiving the Smiles of 2017 video from Google should get a notification. But in case you want to check for yourself, just tap on the “Assistant” tab in Photos at the bottom left of your smartphone display to see if it’s available. If it’s not, give it another look before the year’s out.

Google has rolled out auto-generated videos for Photos before. First introduced in 2016, the so-called “creative concepts” have included Summer of Smiles and Special Day that also use algorithms to select the appropriate images.

If you can’t wait for a Smiles of 2017 video to appear in your Photos app and you’re keen on creating your own, then it’s simple to do. Just hit the “Assistant” tab, select “Movie” from the listed choices that appear, and then tap on as many as 50 of your favorite images. Once you’re done, tap “create” at the top right and let Google do the rest.

Hit the “play” button and enjoy the memories, though if you don’t like Google’s selection of music, you can choose something from your own library by hitting the music note icon bottom center. Likewise, if you want to remove any images, add news ones, or change the order in which they appear, tap the film strip icon bottom right and carry out the edits there.

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Facebook apologizes for its moderation ‘mistakes’

With over 2 billion users and counting, policing Facebook is an increasingly difficult task. The unenviable job rests on the shoulders of a 7,500-strong team of content moderators (alongside the site’s algorithms), who scour through tons of unsightly posts, ranging from violent terrorist material to images of child abuse. Unsurprisingly, they don’t always get it right (in part due to Facebook’s ambiguous guidelines). And so, yet another report of hateful material slipping through the site’s cracks has emerged, this time from ProPublica.

The non-profit sent Facebook a sample of 49 items containing hate speech, and a few with legitimate expression (from its pool of 900 crowdsourced posts) and the social network admitted its reviewers made mistakes in 22 of the cases. In six cases, Facebook blamed users for not flagging the posts correctly, and in two additional incidents it said it didn’t have enough info to respond. The company defended 19 of its decisions. The posts included sexist, racist, and anti-muslim rhetoric.

“We’re sorry for the mistakes we have made,” said Facebook VP Justin Osofsky in a statement. “We must do better.” The exec revealed that the social network will up its safety and security team to 20,000 people next year in an effort to better implement its community standards. He added that Facebook deletes around 66,000 posts reported as hate speech each week.

On top of its fight against misinformation, Facebook has also been adding new tools to combat sensitive material. In April, it introduced a reporting mechanism for revenge porn, and earlier this month it launched features to help you block or ignore harassers.

Source: ProPublica

YouTube’s poor AI training led to rise of child exploitation videos

YouTube uses algorithms and human moderators, but it still couldn’t prevent the rise in disturbing, child-exploitative videos on the platform. Why? Well, it’s likely due to various reasons — one of them, according to a BuzzFeed report, is the confusing set of guidelines the company gives its contract workers for rating content. The publication interviewed search quality raters who help train the platform’s search AI to surface the best possible results for queries by rating videos. It found that the workers are usually instructed to give videos high ratings based mostly on production values.

As one rater said:

“Even if a video is disturbing or violent, we can flag it but still have to say it’s high quality [if the task calls for it].”

That means raters have to mark videos as “high quality” even if they have disturbing content, which can give those links a boost in search results. The problem? Child-exploitative videos found on the platform usually have good production values: they typically require some effort to create and are professionally edited.

After the media put the spotlight on the existence of disturbing videos aimed at children, YouTube started asking raters to decide if a video is suitable for 9-to-12-year-old viewers even when unsupervised. They were told to mark videos as “OK” if they think a child can watch it or “NOT OK” if it contains sexually explicit content, violence, crude language, drug use or actions that encourage bad behavior, such as pranks.

However, the rater BuzzFeed interviewed found the examples YouTube gave confusing, at best. Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood music video, for instance, is NOT OK, based on the examples the platform gave. But videos containing moderate animal violence are apparently OK.

Bart Selman, a Cornell University professor of artificial intelligence, told BuzzFeed:

“It’s an example of what I call ‘value misalignment.’ It’s a value misalignment in terms of what is best for the revenue of the company versus what is best for the broader social good of society. Controversial and extreme content — either video, text, or news — spreads better and therefore leads to more views, more use of the platform, and increased revenue.”

YouTube will have to conjure up a more concrete set of guidelines and make rating less confusing for its human workers if it wants to clean up its platform. Otherwise, enlisting 10,000 employees for help in reviewing videos won’t make a significant impact at all. We reached out for YouTube’s response to BuzzFeed’s report and will update this post once we hear back.

Source: BuzzFeed

Google retires Pixel C tablet and wants you to buy the Pixelbook instead

Google’s Pixel C tablet failed to make an impact in a market dominated by Apple’s iPad, which goes some way to explaining why the company has quietly retired it.

That’s right, folks, the 10.2-inch Android tablet released by Google toward the end of 2015 is no more. It was removed from the company’s online store without any official announcement on Thursday, and leaves it without any standalone tablet for the first time since 2012 when it launched the Nexus 7.

When asked why it was bringing the curtain down on the $600, Android-powered Pixel C, Google said it was normal to stop production of a device after several years, but promised to continue supporting it with updates.

“As is common when a device has been out for a few years, we’re now retiring Pixel C and it is no longer available for sale,” the company said in a statement, adding, “However, we are committed to updating and supporting it, including the recent update to Android 8.0 so customers can continue to get the best out of their device.”

Pixel C reviews in the tech press were largely favorable when the tablet launched, though they didn’t come entirely without criticisms. Digital Trends, for one, noted how the powerful device, with its quad-core Nvidia Tegra X1 processor running the show, seemed too advanced for the Android OS that ran it, pointing out that, for example, you could only operate one app at a time while Apple’s iOS for iPad and Microsoft’s Windows 8 for tablet mode were already offering split-screen multitasking. The feature was, however, added to the Pixel C with a subsequent update.

We also criticized the physical snap-on keyboard that shipped with the device for being poorly designed, and expensive at $150.

Google’s statement this week also snuck in a plug for what it suggested could be a replacement for the Pixel C, its recently launched Pixelbook, which it claims “combines the best parts of a laptop and a tablet for those looking for a versatile device.”

The $1,000 2-in-1 has been described as Google’s best Chromebook to date. Our review also praised it for being “simple, fast, and versatile,” but pointed out that it also has “rough edges, bugs, and quirks.” Want to find out more? Then check out the full review.

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Can’t see all of a sudden? Our quick guide on defogging your car windows

We’ve all been there. You’re driving along, probably through some sort of inclement of weather and then — bam — out of nowhere, your windows begin to fog up from variances in temperatures and humidity levels and you can no longer see.

While foggy car windows are not the end of the world, it creates an unsafe situation and can completely inhibit your exterior visibility while driving. There are several reasons as to why car windows and windshields might fog up and again, it’s all dependent on the weather conditions.

For instance, if you’re driving through a cold, wintry climate, windows fogging up from the inside might occur quite frequently as the cold ambient temperatures create the perfect breeding grounds for condensation while occupants keep warm on the inside. The result heats up the moisture inside the passenger cell along with the air. When that heated moisture hits the cold glass, condensation, or “fogging” occurs.

Alternatively, if you’re driving through humid, summery conditions, passengers might have the air conditioning engaged to keep the interior cool. This ultimately also cools the vehicle’s windows from the inside, causing them to fog up on the outside. But thankfully, this can easily be remedied through the use of windshield wipers or by simply rolling the windows down, and then back up.

If your windows fog up from the inside, don’t panic! Here are a few basic and easy steps that can help you defog your windows safely and while on the go.

At first instinct, it might seem like a good idea to simply wipe the condensation off your car windows as a temporary fix. While you can do that as a temporary measure just to be able to see again, particularly in front of you on the windshield, we actually don’t recommend you do that.

Wiping a foggy window with your bare hands can actually worsen the situation by smearing whatever oils and contaminants caught on your hand — such as skin oils and other dirt.  When the condensation returns, it will be harder to see than prior to wiping it with your hand.

So what do we recommend you do instead?

Turn on your air conditioning

Whether it be in the dead of winter when it’s cold outside or in the heat of the summer, your car’s air conditioner does more than just cool the interior air. Not only does it act as a method of cooling the passenger cabin, but it doubles as a dehumidifier. On most newer cars, interior HVAC systems with an “automatic” function typically keeps the AC compressor on by default for the most optimal interior comfort.

That said, just enable the window “defroster” mode, as depicted by the icon below.

If you don’t have automatic climate control, make sure the AC compressor is engaged by pressing the button or flicking the switch on your center console with “AC” labeled on it until it’s indicated as on. The “defroster” mode sets the blower fan to its max setting, vents actuate to channel the airflow to the outlets on the dashboard, aimed toward your windshield. In most cars with automatic climate control, the AC compressor automatically kicks in in this defroster mode. In cars with manual climate control, you often have to double check that the AC compressor is on.

As long as your car’s HVAC system and AC compressor are functioning, your windows should defog themselves in no time and on the go, with the help of the climate control system. No need to pull over and give all your windows a quick wipe-down.

What to do if your car’s AC is malfunctioning

Have an older car or drive one with a disabled AC compressor? No worries. We totally understand since AC system repairs can get costly real fast. You can still use the HVAC system and heating to clear your windows in the winter. But if you’re driving on a hot and humid day in the summer, this option sadly won’t work, especially if there’s no cool, dry air available from a malfunctioning AC compressor, which also prevents the evaporator from functioning.

That said, we recommend keeping a roll of paper towels, napkins, or a set of clean rags inside your car and within easy reach. That way, you can avoid using your dirty, oily hands on your windscreen and windows when wiping off condensation.

If you do need to exert some physical and manual labor to clear up your windows, it’s best to pull over on the side of the road to avoid any accidents.

And the best way to keep your windows from fogging up…?

Aside from just keeping the AC compressor running whenever using your car’s HVAC system to keep the interior air dry, always keep your windows extra clean. You can use a generic window cleaner, such as Windex. But if not wiped away properly, Windex can leave behind residue, which also causes smearing and streaks when windows fog up, making it even more difficult to clean and see through.

That said, we suggest using dedicated car window cleaner, such as Rain-X or Invisible Glass window cleaner. They’re specially formulated to prevent streaks and windows from fogging from leaving minimal residue. Those can easily be picked up at any of your local auto parts or department stores.

If you want to take an extra step, you can also treat your windows with a product like Rain-X glass cleaner and water repellent. This leaves behind a clear, thin film on your glass, preventing condensation from forming.

And that’s it! Fogging windows is a very frequent occurrence and thus hopefully, these quick tips should help you defog your windows in a safe manner with some extra advice on how to prevent it from happening while on the road.

For better edification, here’s an informative video by YouTuber Mark Rober, who explains some of the best methods to defogging your windows using science.

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The best mechanical keyboards you can buy

No matter how hard they try, keyboards today aren’t the iconic, mechanical IBM Model M of the ’80s. Older keyboards used to rely on buckling spring mechanisms and mechanical switches under every key, many modern keyboards have taken a more affordable route to reduce keypress distance and optimize keystrokes. Somewhere along the way we lost the satisfying click and a few other things that were once the hallmark of the standard computer keyboard.

Mechanical keyboards are also known to feature more durable designs and components far easier to maintain than their rubberized, membrane-equipped counterparts. Even typos, the undeniable enemy of any affluent keyboardist, are reduced using mechanical keyboards thanks to the tactile feedback they offer, especially with new switch designs.

Below are five of the best mechanical keyboards, so you can resurrect the thrilling keyboard sensations of decades past.

The best

Logitech G Pro Gaming Keyboard ($130)

Although it might be marketed to gamers, the Logitech G Pro is a fantastic keyboard whether you’re fragging enemies or feverishly typing away. In fact, it received a near perfect score when we tested it in mid-2017.

Logitech has ditched the age-old Cherry MX switches for its own, lower-profile, fast-response Romer-G switches, and the result is a compact, high-performance mechanical keyboard that is hard to beat. The switches are rated to last for up to 70-million key presses and these keyboards go through rigorous testing to make sure.

With 26-key-rollover, there is no chance of multiple key-presses going unrecognized, even if you happen to mush your palm into the board for some reason, and the back-end customization software is top notch. Whether you’re customizing the RGB LED backlighting or remapping the keys so that they do exactly what you want, the tools are intuitive and powerful. You can even create bespoke profiles for individual games so the Pro G responds exactly as you want as soon as the game starts.

Thanks to the combination of fast -and surprisingly quiet — switches, a compact and light package for LAN gaming, RGB backlighting, and a price tag that’s not exorbitant, the Logitech G Pro Gaming Keyboard is our favorite mechanical board in quite some time.

Buy one now at:

Amazon Logitech Store

The rest

Razer BlackWidow X Chroma ($150)

Razer might make all sorts of great hardware these days (like the Razer Blade) but never forget that its true pedigree is in creating some of the best peripherals in the world and that includes top-notch mechanical keyboards. Our recent favorite of its lineup is the BlackWidow X Chroma, a mechanical keyboard that prides itself on its RGB LED backlighting, multiple switch options and improved aesthetics over its predecessors.

The new look isn’t all about bragging rights though. The BlackWidow X Chroma’s new metallic facade is anything but, using “military grade” metal work to provide a sturdy frame for your typing and gaming experience. The layout does away with previous BlackWidow dedicated macro keys, but you can remap everything to anything you want using the Razer Synapse backend software, with full access to the Chroma suite so you can customize lighting to your heart’s content.

We admit the BlackWidow is likely overkill for the everyday typist, but for anyone who wants a top-notch typing and gaming experience, you can’t go wrong with this board. We have our qualms over a lack of detachable USB cable and not everyone will like the non-standard bottom key row, but it’s still an absolutely fantastic keyboard that is well worthy of being on this list.

Buy one now at:

Amazon Razer Store

Das Keyboard 4 Professional ($170)

American-made but German-engineered, the Das Keyboard 4 Professional is one of many in the Das lineup. It features a standard 104-key layout, but it’s added some multimedia keys in the top right for play/pause and track skips. They sit along an attractive dial that offers fine-tuning of your system volume with just a single hand — great for adjustments mid-game. It flaunts full n-key rollover, so you can press as many keys as you like without interruption — no need for retro PS/2 adaptors anymore.

Additionally, the 4 Professional’s gold-plated Cherry MX key switches are rated to endure more than 50 million keystrokes, which is now a mechanical keyboard standard. The key caps even feature a new Das Keyboard font for a more refined look and easier reading.

The ergonomics and aesthetics remain intact regardless of which keyswitches you choose, but the tactile feedback and active response rate are entirely up to you. We prefer the Cherry MX Blue keyswitches given that satisfying audible click, but check out the brown or red keyswitches if you’re looking for something a bit quieter with less action.

On the underside, you’ll find a unique footbar solution that raises the keyboard by an optimal four degrees for angled typing and it can even be detached and used as a precise ruler if needed.

Buy one now at: 

Amazon

Corsair K95 RGB Platinum ($200)

Corsair might be most well-known to some as a memory manufacturer, but in recent years it has taken the peripheral world by storm by producing some of the world’s best mechanical keyboards, for gamers and typists alike. Its K95 Platinum is the peak of that click-clacking mountain with some of the best features of any keyboard out there.

Available with a selection of Cherry MX switches — Brown or Speed (silver) —  and a choice of a black or gunmetal grey paintjob, the K95 includes RGB backlighting with deep customization options and a set of dedicated, textured macro keys. The frame is made from anodized, brushed aluminum and comes with a detachable wrist rest for comfort and ease of transport.

Arguably the best part of the whole package though, is that it’s all backed up by the Corsair Utility Engine. The backend software is hands-down the best available at the moment, offering deeper customization than most for backlighting and key remapping, as well as an easy to understand interface. The K95’s on board storage means you can keep your profiles with you wherever you go, which makes this a great choice for regular LAN goers who don’t want to bring their whole PC along with them.

The only downside to the Corsair K95 RGB Platinum is the price, but that $200 will be well spent.

Buy one now at:

Amazon Corsair Store

Updated on 12/28/2017 by Jon Martindale with Logitech G Pro and Corsair K95 Platinum.

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Apple wireless charging patent describes ability to prioritize devices

Two patent applications published today by the US Patent and Trademark Office give us a peek into what kind of mobile device charging options Apple may be giving us in the future. As VentureBeat reports, the two applications were both filed in June though neither have been approved yet.

Patently Apple notes that the two patents describe wireless charging methods, the ability to charge multiple devices at once, an option to choose which devices are charged first and under what circumstances, and the possibility of tucking wireless charging equipment inside other structures, such as furniture or vehicles.

The latest iPhone models — the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X — are all equipped with wireless charging capabilities and Apple teased its multi-device wireless charging AirPower system in September. Apple has been looking into developing wireless charging technology for quite some time and this year, along with bringing Qi compatibility to the newest iPhones, it also acquired wireless charging company PowerbyProxi. Earlier this week, Energous announced that its wireless WattUp Mid Field charging system, which doesn’t require contact and can charge devices up to three feet away, was just approved by the FCC. And though it certainly doesn’t mean Apple’s latest patent applications are in any way connected to WattUp technology, Apple has been suspected of working with Energous since 2014.

Though we shouldn’t put too much stock in patent applications, the future of contact-free wireless charging is looking pretty bright and it really seems like this sort of technology is right around the corner.

Via: Patently Apple

No batteries. No wires. No friction. These bike lights are powered by physics

When it comes to lights, cyclists typically have one of two options: Either a battery-powered light which needs replacing every so often or a dynamo-powered light which uses the spinning of your bike’s wheels to generate power, but which cause friction that can slow you down. A new Kickstarter campaign seems to offer a perfect third solution, however: Smart brake lights that work courtesy of a completely contactless dynamo-powered battery. The promise? Endless light without resistance — via so-called eddy currents, loops of electrical current induced within conductors thanks to a changing magnetic field.

To fit them, simply exchange your regular brake pads with the new brake lights. No batteries or cables required!

“When faced with Magnic Light for the first time, many believe that this is either a fake or a perpetual motion generator,” inventor Dirk Strothmann told Digital Trends. “Both aren’t true, but the underlying eddy current technology is so fascinating because the magnetic fields only appear when there is motion — in our case the rotating rim. By hiding a rotating magnet wheel inside a black box, the perpetual motion illusion is perfect. But in our case, this is more than a magic trick because this concept has several advantages over standard dynamos: an air gap between wheel and generator means no problems with dirt, rain or snow, and an encapsulated unit without external cables is better protected and feels like a battery light that is never empty.”

In addition to excellent illumination, Strothmann has also created smart versions of the brake lights which offer a turn signal that’s triggered via a quick double pump of the brake handle, alongside smartphone-controlled navigation signals and sensor-free speed tracking.

Strothmann is no stranger to Kickstarter. He has two successful Kickstarter campaigns he has delivered in the past, which means that people willing to stump up some pre-order cash aren’t doing so on an unproven entity. If you would like to get hold of some of his new lights, you can currently place an order on Kickstarter, where he is selling a set of both the smart new rear lights and also front lights for 99 euros (around $118). Other price options are also available — including a basic set of front and rear lights for a frankly ridiculous $1.20 (!!) for the first 1,000 people to sign up. Shipping is set to take place in November 2018.

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How ‘Coco VR’ convinced Pixar to put its pixels (and pride) into virtual reality

Pixar is one of the few studios that creates movies that truly appeal to the young and old alike. Its latest effort, Coco, is no different, telling the heartwarming story of budding musician Miguel Rivera against the visually stunning backdrop of the Dia de los Muertos.

In the movie, Rivera finds himself transported to the land of the dead for his adventure. Coco VR allows Oculus Rift owners to do the same, crossing over from the land of the living by putting on their headset.

This is the first time that Pixar has dabbled in VR — and it may well have changed how the company approaches the filmmaking process altogether.

Virtual experiment

Marc Sondheimer is an Academy Award-winning producer at Pixar, who has worked on a number of beloved projects over the last sixteen years. Coco VR, however, offered up a novel challenge.

“It was new and different for me, and for most people here at Pixar since we hadn’t done anything in that space before,” he said when he spoke to Digital Trends earlier this month. “If we had known what we know now, it probably wouldn’t have happened. We just jumped in head first.”

Marc Sondheimer (Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images)

That comment shouldn’t indicate any regrets about how the project turned out — it simply illustrates the fact that Coco VR turned out to be much more ambitious than expected. The number of activities on offer and the level of interactivity involved are far beyond what was initially conceived.

Initially, Pixar was unsure whether to create a smaller VR experiment in support of last year’s Cars 3, or something slightly larger to coincide with Coco. “For a couple of months we talking about different ideas, what we could achieve and what we couldn’t achieve,” explained Sondheimer. “We really felt that Coco was the right property to use, because visually it’s so appealing and stunning, and it’s an imaginary world that we thought would lend itself well to people immersing themselves.”

One of the biggest questions early in the development process was how much of a narrative component should be included. Pixar sought guidance from both partners Magnopus and Oculus, given their personnel’s experience working with the technology.

“Frankly, we weren’t sure how much to lean into the narrative piece, versus choosing an adventure or making it more like a game,” reflected Sondheimer. “That was kind of unknown or uncertain; what’s entertaining in virtual reality, or how to tell a good story.”

VR for Everyone

Much like the majority of Pixar’s back catalogue, Coco is a movie that’s be enjoyed by adults and children alike, and both sections of the audience will find something to appreciate in its VR companion. An immersive concept art gallery offers a very different experience to the opportunity to star in a musical celebration of Dia de los Muertos — but since Coco VR is self-guided, users can pick and choose the activities that appeal to them.

“Our goal was to provide a choice of thing to do, and to give the visitor agency over which parts they want to concentrate on and which areas of the universe they’re most interested in,” explained Alex Henning, co-founder of Magnopus, the VR specialist that collaborated with Pixar to create Coco VR, speaking to Digital Trends.

“We look at all of these projects as an opportunity — and really a responsibility — to push this immersive medium forward.”

Much has been said about the cost of entry associated with VR, even though headset prices are falling. Magnopus wanted to create an experience that adult Pixar fans and VR enthusiasts could enjoy, but it was also important that children who got caught up in the world of Coco would be able to explore Coco VR.

To ensure that this was the case, Disney and Oculus took a proactive approach. Coco VR was playable in Disney stores, AMC theaters, at the film’s premiere, and at various Dia de los Muertos events. “I was thrilled that a broader audience was going to get to experience it,” said Henning. “Not just people who happened to own a gaming PC and the other hardware.”

Magnopus is committed to pushing the boundaries of VR, both in terms of what’s possible using the technology and how broad the audience for this content is. Henning anticipates a future where everyone — from young children to his parents’ generation — are excited about putting on a headset and stepping into a virtual world.

Pixar’s movies have a broad appeal, so Coco VR might convince someone who’s unfamiliar with the technology to try it out for themselves. Of course, that means that the experience has to be stellar to ensure that those newcomers aren’t put off.

The Benefit of Experience

Henning and fellow co-founders Rodrigo Teixeira and Ben Grossmann were inspired to establish Magnopus based on their experience in the film industry, and an expectation that new technology was set to change the entertainment landscape. Virtual reality stood out because it seemed to diverge from the information overload of modern society, offering up something closer to the experiential memories of their respective childhoods.

Despite the fact that Coco VR is the first VR adaptation of a Pixar property, the studio’s strong track record means that it has to meet some exacting standards — both in terms of the fan base and the creative forces behind the movie.

The company garnered plenty of praise when Mission: ISS — a simulation of life aboard the International Space Station developed in collaboration with NASA, the ESA, and the CSA – was released in March 2017. In October 2017, Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab gave fans the opportunity to step into the world of the cyberpunk sequel.

Memory Lab is broadly similar to Coco VR, in that both experiences are intended to expand upon their source material. For Henning, focusing on the world of the source material is crucial for this kind of project.

“You’re serving a lot of masters simultaneously, right?” he said. “On the one hand you’ve got a primary focus with these pieces that are movie tie-ins, which is to promote the movie itself. But for us, we look at all of these projects as an opportunity — and really a responsibility — to push this immersive medium forward.”

Henning explained that Magnopus feels the need to cover new ground with each project, whether it’s building upon work that’s been done by other studios working with VR or establishing entirely new techniques. He points to the holographic capture process used in Memory Lab and the novel social mechanics that are present in Coco VR.

“You’re always looking for like, ‘what is a thing we could try here that might unlock some greater potential,’” added Henning.

Stepping into the Scene

Coco VR was an opportunity for Pixar to work with a new medium. For a studio that helped bring computer animation to the mainstream in the 1990s, that’s an exciting prospect. What’s more, the process is set to have an impact on the company’s upcoming slate of films — albeit perhaps not in the way you might expect.

In June 2018, Pixar will release Incredibles 2, its next feature. There’s no word on whether or not it will be accompanied by an experience along the lines of Coco VR — but even if the studio never releases content of this kind again, there should be no doubt as to the impact the project had on its development process.

“We’re using some techniques that we developed for Coco VR in Toy Story 4,” said Sondheimer. The upcoming sequel will join the ranks of one of the most critically acclaimed and financially successful series of all time, so you can bet that Pixar must be on board with VR if the technology is to contribute to its production.

Fans shouldn’t necessarily expect to be donning their headset to go to infinity and beyond, though. While a VR companion is definitely possible, Pixar seems to be particularly excited about how the technology might be used behind the scenes.

“As we were building the experience, we were actually collaborating inside of VR, together,” said Henning. “You would have Pixar’s creatives and project leads walking around as skeletons with our creatives and project leads, all together, actually in the experience — them in Emeryville and us in Los Angeles — exploring the space together and making decisions natively in the medium, as opposed to just doing a video conference or a phone call.”

Alex Henning (Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images)

As you can imagine, being able to physically inhabit a virtual space rather than just view it as a collection of 3D models has a certain appeal for a studio that specializes in computer animation. VR could help Pixar adapt practices from live-action filmmaking that were previously unattainable.

“We model it, then we drop the filmmakers in those spaces to get a feel for scale, design, and to start finding some of their camera shots that they might want to achieve,” said Sondheimer. “That’s new, for us, but it’s also very exciting, for sure.”

The future of filmmaking

Sondheimer describes the studio’s exposure to this kind of technology as being “completely unexpected, but extremely valuable.” There was no preconception that the social, multi-user aspects of Coco VR could factor into the creation of future film projects. However, it’s impact on the team’s ability to collaborate with one another and get on the same page.

“I know that it’s something that they’re using now in our filmmaking — you get a production designer, a director, and the head of our camera department all in, doing a walkthrough of a space together, virtually,” added Sondheimer. “Coco VR unlocked that door, at least in three dimensions.”

It’s easy to pigeonhole VR as a new type of entertainment, something that blurs the lines between movie and video game without every really belonging to either category. However, we’re seeing the technology used for practical purposes more and more. “I think it’s a tool,” said Sondheimer. “I think it’s a great tool for filmmaking.”

Pixar set out to make an entertaining experience, and ended up discovering a new way to leverage technology to benefit its filmmaking process. This is part of a broader trend that spans both VR and augmented reality – whether it’s diagnosing concussions or tracking tools on a job site, these headsets have a place in the world of work.

On the surface, wearing a headset might seem isolating, but Pixar discovered how a shared virtual space can help people tackle a project together. In time, we might see all kinds of industries use social VR to foster communication and collaboration in the workplace.

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