The work that goes into making Spider-Man swing is incredible

Sony Imageworks, the company behind The Amazing Spider-Man’s visual effects, has done a spectacular job of making Andrew Garfield’s digital double a realistic, believable entity — so much so that a lot of the shots I expected to be a combination of live-action shots of a stuntman in a suit and animation are just straight-up digital. What they do more than most VFX houses is that they seem to trust in simulation, whether it’s simulating cloth or even muscles juggling with the force of punches or steps. It adds a realistic dimension to what may…

How Could Microsoft Have Set Expectations Better for the Xbox One?

I work with a lot of students. And they love video games. Most of them are Xbox owners, or play Xbox at friends’ houses. Not one is excited for the Xbox One. It’s taken some digging to figure out why. They’re pretty savvy. They’ve either watched the reveal or talked with friends who have, and they’re pissed that there wasn’t much time devoted to games. I have an explanation for that — they wanted to get the platform and TV and services stuff out of the way so that they…