The Foo Show
DeveloperFoo VR
CreatorWill Smith
Lead developerAndre Infante
Lead artistSindre Skaare
Presented byWill Smith
PlatformsOculus Rift, HTC Vive
ReleasedApril 2016 (Episode 0)
GenreTalk show
Number of seasons1
Number of episodes5

The Foo Show was an interactive virtual reality talk show developed by Foo VR and created by Will Smith.[1] The first episode was released in April 2016.

Viewers watch the show through a compatible virtual reality headset and are able to move around and interact with the game world being discussed by the show's host and guests.

Content

The show takes the format of a talk show where Smith and the episode's guests discuss, move around, and interact with a three dimensional space.[2] Many of the episodes will be based on video games, but others will not.[3] The player is free to move around the world and interact with the same models the guests are talking about while listening to the discussion.[1] The host and guests record their movements through Virtual Reality headsets and controllers and are represented by low poly 3D models that move as they did in the real world while recording the episode.[2]

Development

Left: Will Smith and Brendon Chung recording an episode of The Foo Show live at XOXO Right: Their recording as seen by the viewer.

Smith announced in September 2015 that he was leaving Tested.com to start his own virtual reality company which would focus on "some different ways to communicate in VR", saying that he had come to find VR "captivating".[4][5] Smith has said that he is interested in "figuring out the native language of VR storytelling" to create content that would be impossible in another format,[2] and is open to trying a number of different styles with their developed technology, from non-interactive linear experiences to full adventure games.[1] The show is produced through the use of HTC Vive headsets to capture the participants performances,[4] and is planned to run on a weekly schedule.[2]

In November 2016 Smith announced a Kickstarter campaign to fund the show's first, 5 episode, season for release in December, along with more episodes in January and February 2017.[6][7]

Episodes

Episode 0

A player investigates a mug in the Firewatch tower in episode 0.

Released for free on April 2, 2016, Smith interviews Jake Rodkin and Sean Vanaman from Firewatch developer Campo Santo. After a short introduction, the viewer is transported inside the game's watchtower, where Smith, Rodkin, and Vanaman discuss aspects of the game's development and assets, interacting with the objects placed around the watchtower.[8]

Season 1

The developers were aiming for a December 2016 release for the show's first season. There are four released episodes in Season 1.

Episode 1 - Quadrilateral Cowboy

The first episode is an interview with Brendon Chung of Blendo Games discussing Quadrilateral Cowboy.[9][10] The episode was recorded live at the 2016 XOXO festival.[11]

Episode 2 - Total War: Warhammer II

Will dives into Total War: Warhammer II with Henry Hankin and Al Bickham of Creative Assembly, the developers of Total War: Warhammer II.[12]

Episode 3 - Making Nanomachines from DNA

Will is joined by Shawn Douglas (a professor at UCSF whose research involves building nanomachines using DNA) and Jason Brown.[13]

Episode 4 - Inside Adam Savage's Shop

Will takes a trip into Adam Savage's cave with Adam and Norman Chan from Tested.[14]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Chris Kohler (12 April 2016). "The Foo Show: Inside the Peculiar World of the VR Talk Show". Wired. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jeff Grubb (19 April 2016). "The Foo Show is already exploring the future of virtual media". VentureBeat. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  3. ↑ Will Smith (1 December 2016). Gravy for Days – This is Only a Test 377 – 12/1/16 (Video). Tested. Event occurs at 1:26:15. Retrieved 6 December 2016. We also have some non-video game episodes in the pipeline. We have a scientist who's gonna come on...
  4. 1 2 Timothy Seppala (2 April 2016). "Tech journalist Will Smith launches a talk show in VR". Engadget. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Will Smith (10 September 2015). "It's Time For Me To Tackle Something New". Medium. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  6. ↑ Billy Steele (18 November 2016). "Tech host Will Smith needs help funding his VR talk show". Engadget. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  7. ↑ Ian Hamilton (20 November 2016). "The Foo Show is crowdfunding first season of its VR program". VentureBeat. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  8. ↑ Mike Fahey (4 April 2016). "VR Talk Show Is Awkward And Amazing". Kotaku. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  9. ↑ "Go Inside Your Favorite Video Games with The FOO Show!".
  10. ↑ Will Smith. "Episode 1 - Quadrilateral Cowboy on Steam". Kickstarter. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  11. ↑ Casey Newton (11 September 2016). "Our favorite discoveries from the internet's best festival". The Verge. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
  12. ↑ "Episode 2 - Total War: Warhammer II on Steam".
  13. ↑ "Episode 3 - Making Nanomachines from DNA on Steam".
  14. ↑ "Episode 4 - Inside Adam Savage's Shop on Steam".
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