Human Within is a dystopian sci-fi VR experience for Quest & PC VR
The Human Within VR experience combines stereoscopic 360 footage with interactive elements and 3D environments.
Human Within explores the profound impact of AI and other advanced technologies on society and is coming to Meta Quest on January 9th and to SteamVR soon.
The story follows cyber-engineer Nyla and her sister Linh, who are developing a groundbreaking supercomputer for a corporation that harnesses the computing power of the human brain. When Nyla tries to withdraw from the project, the two sisters are held captive and forced to continue working, even though they suspect their employer's hidden motives. In a daring attempt to break free, Nyla is forced to connect the technology to Linh and use it in exactly the way she feared.
Human Within is an interactive movie that combines a branching storyline with video game elements. According to the studios, key features include:
- User Involvement: Experiencing the story from Linh's consciousness within a virtual internet space provides a unique way to observe the events taking place and have a level of participation unlike anything else.
- Point Cloud Interactivity: Explore environments in digital recreations. These sequences serve as pace-breaking moments where users engage with the story even further, bringing a whole new degree of interactivity to the mix.
- Choice and Consequence: At key moments in the story the events that take place are defined by the user's choices. These moments define how events unfolded in the past and determine how it all ends in the present.
- Style Variety: The story is told across a unique combination of three distinct visual styles: The Internet Space blending 2D film and 3D graphics, Flashback Scenes with interactive 360 degree stereo film, and Point Cloud recreations with 6 dof 3D environments.
You can pre-order Human Within now in the Horizon Store and add it to your wish list on Steam.
A reflection on technological developments
Human Within is being developed by Signal Space Lab and Actrio Studio. Supported by Meta, the Canada Media Fund, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Filmstiftung NRW, Human Within aims to raise the bar for interactive narrative VR experiences.
"We wanted to explore how advanced tech affects the human experience, and how we connect to one another," said Avi Winkler, Creative Director at Signal Space Lab. "Launching at a time of rapid advancements, like ChatGPT 4.0 and Neuralink, Human Within no longer feels like science fiction, but rather a timely reflection on the shifting realities of modern life. We felt it was important to use VR to tell this story, as it immerses viewers in the reality of now - and where we're headed - in a more immersive, nuanced way than through a traditional film or video game. Technology can be both terrifying or connecting. Ultimately, it's what we do with these tools that matters."
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