Your Philips Hue lights will now flash and change colour to match the on-screen action of co-op platformer Chariot.
Chariot’s makers Frima say that this is the world’s first example of smart lighting working in tandem with a video game and promises ‘a new layer of immersion’ in console gaming.
Steve Couture, Frima’s CEO said: “We are very proud to be the first in the world to integrate Philips Hue lighting with a videogame and are excited to offer this unique experience to fans of Chariot.”
Whenever enemies attack in Chariot, your Hue lights will blink red. When plants bloom on screen, Hue lights will mimic their shades. When not synced to any sudden on-screen activity, Hue lights will glow a range of colours to match the overall background.
This is something of a spiritual sibling to Philips’ existing Ambilight technology. TV sets with Ambilight are fitted with LEDs that project light from the back of the set, projecting complementary colours on the wall behind your TV.
Wout Verhagen, director of strategic alliances and partnerships at Philips said: “With its stunning art and mesmerising environments, Chariot is a perfect fit to demonstrate the full potential of Philips Hue for games and Frima is the ideal partner to help us showcase a technological world premiere.”
Frima’s fun-looking platformer might not be quite up there with the Fallout 4’s and Witcher 3’s of the world but it lays the groundwork for other, bigger games to follow suit. You can already hook up with IFTTT (If This Then That) recipes that make your Hue to lights flash whenever your team scores, so making Hue play ball with FIFA is the next logical step.
Recipies could cause Hue lights to flash blue when the cops give chase in Grand Theft Auto and your lights could cast a magical glow whenever you use a spell in an Elder Scrolls title.
Outside gaming, we’ve also seen Philips Hue leveraged to lend a degree of extra immersion Sharknado 2: The Second One – not that the gripping script and masterful plotting really needed it.
The Philips Hue feature is exclusive to the Xbox One edition of Chariot, which is also available on Wii U, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and Steam.
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