Disney Playmation: Wearables Make Star Wars And Marvel Come To Life
Disney Playmation revealed with wearable toys, projectors, and wireless technology creating a whole new kind of gaming experience. What you're about to see is the Avengers collection, the first set of Playmation technology that'll hit stores this October. Disney is aiming to change the way children and children-at-heart play games in the real world – getting up and taking action, wearing toys that transform them into their favorite superheroes. Smart Figures, Repulsor Gear, and an optional connection between the lot of them in AvengersNet.
First have a peek at this presentation video. It's not going to tell you a whole lot about what Playmation is, but it's required viewing nonetheless. This is how Disney will be presenting this ecosystem to your children.
The next paragraph comes from Disney, explaining what they'd like you to get out of Playmation when it hits stores this Autumn.
"Playmation is the next step in the evolution of play, where digital gets physical and imagination becomes real. The groundbreaking system of toys and wearables uses smart technology to inspire kids to run around and use their imaginations, as they become the hero or heroine of stories from across The Walt Disney Company."
Next we'll run down the several components included in Playmation.
This is a system that makes use of wearable technology in a way that makes us think twice about our smartwatches. Imagine what more we could do with this – and consider the source: the imagination of a child!
Wearable Toys
The first example of a wearable toy you're going to see from Playmation is the Iron Man Gauntlet. Here you'll have "guidance from JARVIS," lights, sensors, and infrared-based play. This "Repulsor Gear" can interact with other Repulsor Gear as well – multiplayer, that is to say.
According to Disney, this system will launch with 2-player multiplayer mode, while additional modes to support more players will launch soon after.
Disney suggests that most of your gameplay should be relegated to indoor environments. Direct sunlight, they say, may interfere with your experience, so they recommend that if you DO go outside, you stay in the shade.
While the first Playmation experience will center on the Avengers, more realms are in the pipeline. Star Wars "is currently slated for release in 2016," while Disney's Frozen system is "currently in development."
Connected Toys
The first release in the Playmation ecosystem will be a Marvel's Avengers "Starter Pack." In this pack will be 1 piece of Avenger "Gear" – that's the Repulsor gauntlet you see above, 2x Power Activators, and 2x "Smart Figures."
Each of these toys connect "through a combination of gesture recognition, infrared and radio frequency technology."
Disney suggests that this gameplay experience takes "Toys to Life" and flips it on its head. Instead of placing your toys in a video game, you'll be using your toys to become the game.
"Instead of using toys to create a screen-based experience like "Toys to Life," Playmation brings the best of digital to real world play, using connected toys, wearables and customized Disney stories to allow kids to play alongside their heroes and heroines in the real world."
While you can use an app like the one launching with the Avengers set called AvengersNet, you do not need to do so. "Playmation is not tethered to a WiFi network or a screen, you are able to play anywhere your imagination takes you."
Dropping this Halloween
When's this all coming to market? October. At this time we do not have pricing, but we do know that it'll all be coming to the United States first.
Prepare yourself.
Not long after the first Avengers set is out, we'll be seeing Star Wars, then Frozen.
The first in the next trilogy of Star Wars films is out later this year – the timing of the release of the Star Wars Playmation collection will be no coincidence.