Museum Alive 9+

Fascinating! But not very accessible

Much like the other reviews I was amazed by how close you can get with the creatures and the layout of the app is very pretty. I’m not sure if you can skip ahead to the facts without going through the AR element, if you can I haven’t found that section yet.

One gripe I do have is the lack of subtitles or CC as I feel this alienates Hard of Hearing users or those with processing difficulties, it would also be useful to be able to pause videos for this purpose too. I don’t think it’s enough anymore to add these features after the fact, but instead including them must become an essential part of the development process before launch. Especially if you’re asking educators or parents, or just interested people, to pay £3 for information they cannot then access.

I would like to see subtitles or CC, and the ability to pause videos, become a free patch made available to all soon.

Thank you.

Incredible app, limitless potential!

Given we’re all still stuck at home thanks to our old pal COVID-19 at the moment, this app is really perfect for the times.

I love visiting museums, I did when I was a wee lad and I still do now I’m (supposedly) an adult. AR tech is perfect for bringing the museum to your own home and Attenborough is marvellous as always with his narration(seriously can we please clone this man already, time can not have him!).

Sure there’s only three “exhibits” currently but I can see the awesome potential of an app like this. Imagine in the future kids in the class rooms being able to interact with creatures great and small with the imagination that can bring instead of being stuck in a textbook.

My only question is whether the developers would ever consider going beyond AR in the future and support VR. Now THAT would be awesome. How far we’ve come from those old CD-ROM museum things we had on Windows 98 or whatever. Technology is really bonkers these days xD.

Developer Response ,

Hi Tim, thanks so much for the review! We really appreciate you trying out Museum Alive and we're glad you enjoyed is so much! We've been exploring both VR and MR versions of the experience. Feel free to contact us if you're interested in exploring them! Stay safe, Alchemy Immersive.

Good potential

Tracking is pretty bad, at least inside my room. The dioramas don’t stay in one place as you move around them. Also there is a lack of content, only 3 animals to view. Having said that I can see the potential of this app. It would be a much more fun way to learn than just reading a text book. Also David Attenborough narration is a big plus. I look forward to changing this review to 5 stars when the app improves.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for downloading Museum Alive Hextraa. We're sorry to hear you were having trouble with AR tracking but we're on hand to help! Museum Alive uses AR Kit 3.0 from Apple to provide the Augmented Reality functionality. To ensure you get the best experience, make sure to use the experience in a well lit space with a floor that is textured. Using Museum Alive in a slightly larger space will also give you more room to explore the dioramas! If you follow these tips you'll be able to enjoy the experience with rock solid tracking! If you have any more problems, please reach out to us via our website and we'll be happy to speak to you directly. We'll be bringing more to the app soon, so make sure you explore all the information packs at the end of the AR stories before then! Stay safe, Alchemy Immersive