The South by Southwest Interactive Festival is a sprawling nine-day event that covers tech, culture, music, and more across its schedule of panels, screenings, unveilings, and activations in Austin, Texas. The Verge is hanging out at this year’s event, checking out the panels, weird gadgets, movies, TV reveals, celebrity Q&As, and more. Follow along for all of our coverage, reviews, and commentary.
Aug 24, 2018
What Keeps You Alive shows the importance of art in horror films
This twisty suspense thriller operates along familiar lines, but terrific leads and a dedication to memorable imagery keep it fresh
Aug 21, 2018
Elizabeth Harvest is a high-tech, twist-packed take on the Bluebeard fairy tale
This is prime science-fiction horror: a story where technology creates an entirely new method and reason for murder
Jul 22, 2018
Unfriended: Dark Web is clever, dour, and punishing
Shady chat rooms, snuff films, and Facebook — is Unfriended: Dark Web a warning about life online in 2018, or 2004?
Apr 5, 2018
A Quiet Place is a creepy horror film set in an oppressively silent world
When every sound is a jump scare
Mar 30, 2018
Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One improves immensely on the book
Ernest Cline’s fast-moving novel was a treasure trove for pop-culture junkies, but the endless references work better on the screen.
Mar 28, 2018
How a creative think tank in Austin is developing a new generation of interactive storytellers
Interactive Deep Dive is making David Fincher’s The Game a reality — but that’s just the beginning
Mar 26, 2018
A day in real-life Westworld from a host’s perspective
Here’s what it’s like to be a robot in Westworld — or at least in HBO’s immersive Westworld experience
Mar 26, 2018
I ruined my trip to Westworld by treating it like a video game
Omnia mutantur, nihil interit
Mar 26, 2018
The best part of real-life Westworld was learning what people want from Westworld
SXSW created the town of Sweetwater, and it was a perfect way to see how people approach entertainment’s immersive future.
Mar 16, 2018
This year’s SXSW was all about blockchain dreamers, cryptocurrency scammers, and everything in between
Wading through all the hype, nonsense, and genuine hope for the blockchain revolution at South By Southwest 2018
Mar 16, 2018
Krypton’s showrunner on the show’s complex politics and alien design
And about the five-year plan, where the show fits into DC continuity, the Borg factor, and much more
Mar 15, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part eight: I sacrificed myself to save two worlds
The conflict isn’t over, but defeating Bishop will require extraordinary measures
Mar 15, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part seven: I stopped an evil megacorp and had a neon rave
After the sinister intentions behind the OpenMind deal are revealed, it’s time to take a stand
Mar 14, 2018
Chelsea Manning thinks we need to remake the internet
Manning talks about digital privacy, surveillance, and alternatives to Google and Facebook.
Mar 14, 2018
Alt-Right: Age of Rage is a snapshot of one of 2017’s darkest moments
The director of The New Radical tracks the rise of the alt-right, how its face is changing, and how protestors combat it
Mar 14, 2018
More Human Than Human makes the state of AI look ironically grim
It’s meant to be about the field’s promise for the future, but it mostly suggests that future is far away
Mar 14, 2018
This Japanese startup is making a hover backpack to augment jumping ability
We were promised jetpacks
Mar 14, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part six: I had a home-cooked meal with a family that doesn’t exist
The most ordinary moments can often be the most magical — but the threat of OpenMind is never far away
Mar 13, 2018
YouTube limits moderators to viewing four hours of disturbing content per day
A move to protect workers’ mental health among growing criticism
Mar 13, 2018
YouTube will add information from Wikipedia to videos about conspiracies
Pushing back on crazy theories
Mar 13, 2018
Upgrade is set up as a colorful near-future thriller, but it’s actually pure body horror
It’s a wild collaboration between Blumhouse and the creator of the Saw franchise
Mar 13, 2018
Chelsea Manning: ‘Software developers should have a code of ethics’
Manning decries complacency over biased algorithms and mass data collection.
Mar 13, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part five: I just brokered a tech deal worth $1.29 billion
The allure of power proves too strong to resist, and a plan to take down OpenMind comes together
Mar 13, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part four: I have my own personal Tyler Durden
Dimensions collide, and a threat to our world is revealed
Mar 12, 2018
How the director of Social Animals made a documentary about teens and Instagram that doesn’t suck
Jonathan Ignatius Green’s first feature-length documentary is a compassionate look at the highs, lows, and burgeoning norms of adolescence on the internet
Mar 12, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part three: I was kidnapped by anti-technology anarchists in Austin
In an immersive experience, you have nothing to lose — and that makes anything possible
Mar 12, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part two: I found a stranger from another dimension in my hotel room shower
As the story continues, I make a connection with Bishop’s wife — and a plan to stop the dimensional swapping emerges
Mar 12, 2018
Bose’s augmented reality glasses use sound instead of sight
Thinking beyond cameras and projectors is a sound idea
Mar 12, 2018
Come see Why’d You Push That Button live at SXSW on March 9th!
We’ll be talking about ghosting
Mar 11, 2018
The SimuLife Diaries, part one: I’m a transdimensional doppelgänger
This was the beginning of a four-day narrative experience where there is no line between fantasy and reality
Mar 11, 2018
Elon Musk still thinks a Mars colony will save us from a future dark age
The head of SpaceX and Tesla came to SXSW this week and gave a grave talk about the future of humanity
Mar 11, 2018
Sony’s wild AR hologram tech continues to get better and better
A closer and more realized AR alternative to smart glasses
Mar 11, 2018
The final boss in the Ready Player One tie-in games is copyright law
A licensed film adaptation that files off its own serial numbers
Mar 11, 2018
Elon Musk and the creator of Westworld made an inspirational trailer for the Falcon Heavy launch
“We’re hoping this is is the trailer for one part of the next chapter of the human story.”
Mar 10, 2018
Sony’s three-player virtual air hockey table is a peek at the future of augmented reality
Creating AR without glasses or helmets
Mar 10, 2018
Watch the Vergecast Live recording from SXSW
In person is better, but fine, okay, you can stream it, too
Mar 9, 2018
Bose is developing augmented reality glasses with a focus on sound
‘The world’s first audio augmented reality platform’
Mar 8, 2018
SXSW 2018: What to expect at Austin’s tech, media, and music extravaganza
Lots of marketing, activations, and breakfast tacos
Feb 28, 2018
Come see The Vergecast Live at SXSW on March 9th!
Featuring Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Ashley Carman, and Casey Newton
Feb 21, 2018
HBO is building the town of Sweetwater for an immersive Westworld experience at SXSW
An interactive adventure to start the second season hype
