An innovation for the senses: thanks to a new gadget, films and series will become an immersive experience. This device distributes scents throughout the room to match the respective scene.
Many passionate film and series fans have probably wished they could smell a scene. A new innovative gadget could make this wish come true. It is designed to enable film lovers to complement the audiovisual experience with smell – regardless of whether a character on the screen is sitting in front of a hot pizza or fighting his way through the jungle on an adventure.
American company Elevated Perceptions, which has already launched the GameScent device, plans to launch another device called MovieScent in September. The associated website promises: “Experience your favorite movies like never before.”
How does television with smell work?
The device is designed to be equipped with fragrance bottles, connected to the television via HDMI and configured via an app. It is said to be compatible with all types of televisions, computers and game consoles. According to the company, the device's artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes the film's sound signal and releases appropriate scents depending on the film scene.
At first glance, MovieScent appears to be a variant of the already available GameScent, which is primarily aimed at gamers. But MovieScent is also said to be compatible with video games. However, it remains unclear whether the two devices actually differ other than the included scent variants and branding.
What does anime smell like?
The MovieScent starter kit is expected to contain the scents “restaurant”, “ocean”, “storm”, “forest”, “freshly mown grass” and “clean air”, the latter for neutralizing odors. Other planned scents are “pizza”, “jungle” and even “new car smell”, with a further 36 different scents in the pipeline. The GameScent contains “forest”, “storm”, “explosions”, “gunfire”, “racing car” and “clean air”, each of which should be enough for 4,000 to 5,000 sprays. Scents such as “blood”, “sports arena” and “anime” are also planned.
So, at the moment, the choice is still limited, and since the device only has space for six bottles, users have to estimate in advance which scents might appear during a film or episode of a series. If you also take into account that one position is reserved for the neutralizing scent, that leaves five spaces for fragrance notes.
An overpriced gimmick, or more?
Is it truly “unforgettable,” as promised on the website of the device aimed at movie lovers, or just an expensive gimmick? That remains to be seen, as the device, which is expected to retail for around $180, has not yet been released.
With its price of just under $150, GameScent has not been able to consistently convince. According to the portal “Shacknews,” the device works far better than expected, but may overwhelm people with a sensitive sense of smell; for everyone else, it actually promises better immersion. “PCGamer,” on the other hand, has much more critical words: GameScent feels like a $20 gag gift that's good for a laugh and that you can fool around with a bit before it goes back in the closet and ultimately into the trash.” YouTuber AlexiBexin called the device a “completely unnecessary piece of junk that shouldn't exist.”
By (spot)
