The latest edition of Architizer: The Worlds Best Architecture a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe is now available. Order your copy today.Frankly, people are asking way too much of squares. These open, public spaces need to act as points of transition, oases amongst dense urban fabrics, places for entertainment, and spaces that leave room for spontaneity and interaction. Consequently, this begs the question, how much design should a square actually have? One approach is to populate the space with different, playful architectural elements an intricate staircase, benches, walls, fountains and vegetation. Other proposals that are not fearful of voids and empty space suggest simpler, more subtle delimitation practices within the public urban fabric.The following six projects tackle square design in distinct ways, ranging from highly structured interventions that encourage specific uses to more open-ended approaches that embrace flexibility and organic occupation.Karen Blixens PladsBy Cobe, Copenhagen, Denmark The square is located between the newly built University of Copenhagen buildings and the nature reserve Amager Common, offering a gradual transition from the landscape to the city. The new design acts as an urban carpet floating over three bicycle parking hills, making room for more than 2,000 parking spaces both over and under the hills. The urban structure comprises several circular openings that allow natural light to penetrate the lower level, while others act as plant pots for vegetation.V- Plaza Urban DevelopmentBy 3deluxe, Kaunas, Lithuania Situated amongst a series of cultural buildings, V-Plaza is redesigned to cater to the needs of a more contemporary city. Developed in two levels, the squares surface comprises a grid that follows the axis of the surrounding historical buildings. In parallel, the second level breaks up the rigid lines by reflecting the natural and organic flows of movement. The result is an urban void filled with natural islands that include a skate park, a fountain complex, an event venue as well as open green spaces.West End SquareBy Field Operations, Dallas, TexasPopular Winner, Public Parks & Green Spaces, 11th Annual A+Awards West End Square replaces a former parking lot with a next-generation park, one concentrated around innovation companies and start-ups. The space becomes a community anchor, hosting frequent events that include salsa dancing classes, interactive art installations, and local vendor markets. The design aimed to contrast the neighborhoods heavy brick-paved sidewalks, suggesting an array of organically shaped planting beds, water features, and a smart irrigation system. Additionally, a trellis structure supports smart sensor lighting, fans, swings, and power for various types of programming, also serving as a flexible armature that holds the parks electrical and fiber infrastructure.taksim for allBy superspace, Beyolu, stanbul, Turkey The square is located in the Taksim district. Its name derives from the distribution of water when the space was still in use. Its contemporary redesign focuses on how people are reclaiming the space and how design can regenerate this urban void. A new courtyard and skywalk regulate pedestrian movement, leading them to various functions along the space, such as fairs, art installations, concerts, and markets. In parallel, urban axes follow the historic grid, connecting the new intervention with the existing historic fabric.Mendel SquareBy CHYBIK + KRISTOF, Brno, Czechia Mendel Square is the first phase of a larger revival plan for this specific part of the city, which transforms the existing, decaying transportation hub into a vibrant public space. The proposal draws inspiration from the areas key periods of its past, reflected in the surrounding monuments, and transforms the space into an active, social transportation hub for the city. The square is centered around a circular area with no definitive barriers, making it accessible from all sides. Additionally, new bus stops made from reusable materials ensure a smooth transition from tram and trolleybuses to municipal and regional bus lines, while mobile, urban furniture is also installed in a playful arrangement, acting as points of observation towards the rest of the city. An abundance of tree species and water elements bring an organic tone to the overall design, fusing nature with transportation and culture.Sky Forest ScapeBy Shma Company Limited, Bangkok, ThailandFinalist 2024, A+Awards, Landscape & Planning Private Garden The project reveals a new type of public space in Bangkok greenspaces on the rooftops. It is part of the new mixed-use development located within a vibrant commercial district and aims to revamp Siam Square with more people-centric urban spaces, including a green street, places for gathering, and greenery. The design unfolds in two levels: on the ground, BIO STREET draws people from the main street towards a lush green circulation space and guides them to a series of lifts and escalators that lead to the 10th floor, where a variety of tutoring schools and art academies are situated. A new type of square unfolds on the roof, following strong linear lines forming plant bends filled with tropical trees. The space acts as a new multi-functional gathering stage for students, a performance rehearsal and concert stage, and even a TikTok dance backdrop.The latest edition of Architizer: The Worlds Best Architecture a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe is now available. Order your copy today.Featured Image: V- Plaza Urban Development by 3deluxe, Kaunas, LithuaniaThe post Void or Venue? 6 Public Square Designs That Think Outside the Box appeared first on Journal.

In its ongoing playtests for upcoming free-to-play skateboarding title Skate, publisher EA and developer Full Circle have begun testing microtransactions for the games. As caught by Insider Gaming, players part of Skates playtests recently got an update message that listed microtransactions as part of the next update for the playtest.The microtransactions coming to Skates playtest will take the form of San Van Bucks, which can be bought with real-world money. These San Van Bucks can then be spent in an in-game shop to buy cosmetic items. Full Circle has stated in the message that the microtransactions are being tested to ensure that the store is working fine with Skate is finally out.To ensure we achieve these goals at Early Access we have enabled the option to purchase and use virtual currency (San Van Bucks) in our ongoing Closed Alpha playtest, reads the message. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated in providing a great experience at Early Access launch.The message also warns players that, since it is a playtest, player progression might see resets. When this happens, however, players that have purchased items with San Van Bucks will see the bucks returned to them, which can then be spent once again. When the game is out as an Early Access release, players will be able to use the San Van Bucks that they acquired during the playtests as long as they use the same EA account.Full Circle recently released a video to showcase how development has been coming along during the playtests. The video, featuring gameplay from the February playtest, revealed that work on the game has been coming along quite well. Models and textures were seemingly more complete in the recent playtest, and players had access to a vast number of tricks that they could pull. Tricks showcased in the video included flips, grinds, and grabs.The video also highlighted the level of customisation that players will have access to. Just about every player character was dressed in a unique way, and the fashion ranged from the mundane to the bizarre. There were also tricked out skateboards, which gives you an idea of how much customisation will be available on that front as well.Skate doesnt yet have a release date. However, the title is slated to first be released as an Early Access game some time in 2025. The game will primarily focus on offering a multiplayer experience with an emphasis on its social aspects and character customisation.While the Early Access release is coming, in the meantime, players can still sign up for the playtests through the games official website. The playtests have been going on for PC quite some time, but the studio has revealed that console players will be able to get in on the action as well.A lot of the customisation was previously detailed thanks to a dev diary video. Along with their clothing, players can also change their characters height, body shape, and other features. On the clothing front, players will be able to change their tops, pants, eyewear, and even socks.

Path of Exile 2s next big content update, 0.2.0, has an official name Dawn of the Hunt. Its out on April 4th, noon PDT, for all players, but a live reveal is coming today at the same time. As is tradition, Grinding Gear Games Jonathan and Mark Roberts will join ZiggyD for a live Q&A. Patch notes will follow afterwards.Though a new Ascendancy for the Mercenary is seemingly inbound, the developer has showcased another in a new teaser. Based on the spear usage, its the Amazon, another staple of Diablo 2, which could be an Ascendancy for the Ranger. Along with spear throws, she can drop down from the sky with a lightning-infused slam.As for other content, there are new Skill and Support Gems, new Uniques, additional Atlas Passive Skill Tree choices, and quality-of-life changes like locking your main, off-hand, or both slots. You can also expect visual and audio improvements, with Essences getting a significant glow-up. Stay tuned for more details on Dawn of the Hunt in the coming hours.

Tuesday, March 11th, 2025Posted by Jim ThackerCheck out open-source Blender character generator MPFB 2html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"The team behind MakeHuman has officially released MPFB 2, the new Blender plugin based on the veteran open-source 3D character generator.MPFB 2.08, the first stable release, makes it possible to create 3D characters with custom ages, builds, gender and ethnicity, complete with skin textures and clothing, directly inside Blender.Unlike the old standalone edition, the plugin is being actively maintained, and makes it possible to export characters in more formats, including Alembic and USD.(Full disclosure: it was actually released at the end of January, but we didnt manage to post a story at the time.)Create custom 3D characters for games, animation and motion graphics projectsFirst officially released in 2014, MetaHuman is an open-source character generator capable of creating 3D characters of custom age, build, gender and ethnicity, using simple slider controls.Characters can be rigged automatically for animation, with a choice of several different character rigs, and support for Rigify, Blenders rig-creation system.The software comes with an asset library of clothes, body parts and materials, and comes with separate tools for creating clothes and morph targets.Content created using the software is licensed under a CC0 licence, meaning that it can be used commercially, including in closed-source games.Standalone edition now being superseded by the new Blender pluginWe last wrote about the software when the last major version, MakeHuman 1.2, was released in 2020 there was a MakeHuman 1.3 update last year, but its primarily bugfixes.Since then, work on the standalone edition has effectively ceased, due to its ageing codebase.Instead, the developers are now focusing on the new Blender plugin, MPFB (MakeHuman Plugin For Blender).Now a fully fledged character generator in its own rightThe first version, released with MakeHuman 1.2, was an importer for transferring characters created with the standalone version of the software to Blender.In contrast, MPFB 2, which has a separate codebase to MakeHuman, and is being maintained actively, is a character generator in its own right.It can create characters in the same way as the standalone edition, but can export them in any format that Blender can.That means that instead of being restricted to OBJ, FBX or Collada (DAE) format, users can also export characters as Alembic, glTF or USD assets.You can find more details on the differences between MakeHuman, MPFB and MPFB2 in the online documentation.MPFB 2.08: now both a stable release and an officially vetted Blender extensionAs well as being the first stable release of the character-generation plugin, MPFB 2.08 makes the software available as an officially vetted extension, via the new Extensions platform.It has most of the key functionality of the standalone edition, although some parts are still rough around the edges, and some tools have had limited testing.You can find more details in the online release notes. System requirementsMPFB2 is compatible with Blender 4.2+. The software is open-source: the source code is available under a GPLv3 license, while the bundled assets are available under a CC0 license. You can find more details here.If you find the software useful, you can support its development on Patreon.Read a full list of new features in MPFB 2.08Get MPFB 2 from the Blender Extensions PlatformEditors note: Yep, were aware that MPFB means something quite different in online slang. The MakeHuman team are aware of it too.Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.Latest NewsCheck out open-source Blender character generator MPFB 2New free plugin based on veteran standalone app MakeHuman creates custom 3D characters, complete with skin and clothing.Tuesday, March 11th, 2025Check out neat AI-trained animation tool HandCraft ProAnimator Tal Minks' promising Maya plugin extracts hand animation from a standard webcam and bakes it to any five-fingered Maya character.Monday, March 10th, 2025Tutorial: Creating Production-Ready Hero Assets Using MariMaster professional asset development workflows for VFX with The Gnomon Workshop's advanced-level tutorial.Sunday, March 9th, 2025AMD releases Capsaicin 1.2Check out the new features in the modular, open-source, hardware-agnostic framework for developing real-time rendering technology.Saturday, March 8th, 2025AMD launches FSR 4, AFMF 2.1 and RIS 2.0Check out the new versions of AMD's AI-based image upscaling, sharpening and frame-generation tech, available via its GPU drivers.Saturday, March 8th, 2025AMD launches Radeon RX 9070 XT and Radeon RX 9070First RDNA 4 GPUs get strong reviews in the gaming press. But how do they fare in CG apps like Blender and DaVinci Resolve?Friday, March 7th, 2025More NewsD5 Render 2.10 adds real-time path tracingDownload Marmoset's free materials for Toolbag 5Autodesk lays off 1,350 staff3d-io releases Unwrella-IO5 key features for CG artists in Godot 4.4Trimble releases SketchUp 2025.0Tutorial: Dynamic Cloth Simulation for ProductionCheck out free Blender scattering add-on OpenScatterCETA Software launches Artist AccessFoundry releases Nuke 16.0Boris FX releases SynthEyes 2025Adobe launches Photoshop on iPhoneOlder Posts

Chris Kerr, News EditorMarch 12, 20253 Min ReadImage via SAG-AFTRAStriking voice performer union SAG-AFTRA claims negotiations with major video game studios continue to stall due to "alarming loopholes" in proposals that would leave members open to AI abuse.SAG-AFTRA called a strike in July 2024 to secure better provisions and protections for members plying their trade in the game industry. The union specifically said it wanted to deliver "critical AI protections" for performers working under the terms of the Interactive Media Agreement.The strike was called following 18 months of negotiations with a bargaining group containing major studios such as Take 2 Productions, EA, Activision, and WB Games.Although the union has delivered some victories in the form of tiered-budget or interim agreements that are currently being utilized across 80 projects, the organisation has indicated a permanent deal remains out of reach."Though progress has been made and agreements have been reached on certain provisions since we launched our strike last year, the last proposal the bargaining group made is still filled with alarming loopholes that will leave our members vulnerable to AI abuse," reads an update sent to SAG-AFTRAmembers on March 11."The union recently submitted a counter to this proposal that diligently addresses all of the loopholes and would result in a contract that offers the minimum protections our members need in order to maintain sustainable careers as video game performers."SAG-AFTRA tells voice actors to hold the line with employers 'feeling the squeeze'SAG-AFTRA claims the bargaining group is stalling in the hopes of union members turning on each other and continues to table proposals that would enable major companies to circumvent AI protections without needing to inform voice actors."They want to use all past performances and any performance they can source from outside the contract without any of the protections being bargained at all. You could be told nothing about your replica being used, offered nothing in the way of payment, and you could do nothing about it," continues the update."They want to be able to make your replica continue to work, as you, during a future strike, whether you like it or not. And once youve given your specific consent for how your replica can be used, they refuse to tell you what they actually did with it."SAG-AFTRA has emphasized the two parties remain "frustratingly far apart," but says employers are beginning to "feel the squeeze.""With their previously signed projects dragging their way through the production pipeline, employers are feeling the squeeze from the strike, as SAG-AFTRA members who work in video games continue to stand together and refuse to work without adequate protections," said the union."This is causing employers to seek other performers they can exploit to fill those roles, including those who dont typically perform in games. If youre approached for such a role, we urge you to seriously consider the consequences."Not only would you be undermining the efforts of your fellow members, but you would be putting yourself at risk by working without protections against AI misuse. And 'AI misuse' is just a nice way of saying that these companies want to use your performance to replace youwithout consent or compensation."SAG-AFTRA has published a comparison chart of AI proposals to highlight how the proposals tabled by the bargaining group differ from its own. The union will continue striking and is holding another picket at Disney Character Voices in Burbank on March 18.Read more about:Generative AILaborTop StoriesAbout the AuthorChris KerrNews Editor, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, andPocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Niantic Labs has announced that its selling its video game division to Saudi Arabia-owned mobile developer Scopely for $3.5 billion after struggling to replicate the success of Pokmon Go across its other AR games. The newly inked agreement includes Niantics Pokmon Go, Monster Hunter Now, and Pikmin Bloom mobile gaming titles.Niantic games have always been a bridge to connect people and inspire exploration, and I am confident they will continue to do both as part of Scopely, said Niantic CEO John Hanke. I firmly believe this partnership is great for our players and is the best way to ensure that our games have the long-term support and investment needed to be forever games that will endure for future generations.The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other closing conditions. Should the deal go through, it will also bring Niantics social companion apps for Pokmon Go Campfire and Wayfarer under Scopely ownership. Scopely says it will gain Niantics entire team of exceptional gamemakers and category-leading games. However, the Peridot and Ingress AR gaming titles, the latter of which is also supported by the Wayfarer mapping app, will remain under the ownership and development of Niantic Spatial.Pokmon Go attracted more than 500 million players in its first year, but its popularity was impacted in 2020 when global covid lockdowns kept people inside their homes. The company has since canceled multiple projects and laid off at least 310 employees between 2022-2023 in an attempt to weather the current challenges in the market.Todays announcement is Saudi Arabias latest attempt to muscle its way into the gaming industry, having used its Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) to acquire stakes in Nintendo, Activision Blizzard, and EA. The PIF was also used to establish Esports and gaming company Savvy Games Group in 2021, which later acquired Monopoly Go! developer Scopely for $4.9 billion in 2023.The announcement appears to be the 2025 megadeal that Scopelys chief revenue officer Tim OBrien teased last year, saying during a Q&A that it would involve a scaled global franchise doing hopefully at least a billion dollars in revenue. Niantic Labs doesnt disclose its earnings to the public, but Scopely said in its announcement that Niantics gaming business drove $1 billion in revenue last year, and Pokmon Go alone is estimated to have brought in $7.9 billion in revenue since launching in 2016.See More:

The issues may not be resolved for everyone, however.Google Messages has been updated to address slowdowns, failures, and other issues that are preventing some users from receiving images and videos. Some users have reported RCS issues related to incoming media files, saying the Messages app slows down or freezes while loading attachments, photos cannot be clicked on or interacted with, and that images and videos appear blurry, load slowly, or refuse to load entirely.Google has now acknowledged the issues and has been actively working on a solution to fix them according to a new support page entry. Weve recently rolled out updates aimed at significantly improving media receiving performance, said Google community manager Monika Y. Were hoping youll see a noticeable difference now. However, we also know that issues can be complex, and were committed to getting this right.Google hasnt specified which media issues these Messages updates are addressing, but its likely making backend server changes as users arent required to download or install anything new. The fix also may not fully resolve the issues for everyone as Google is asking people to submit feedback if theyre still seeing problems. At least one impacted user has reportedly noticed a difference recently in received RCS photos since the updates started rolling out.

EA has added microtransactions to Skate during its latest alpha test, and ahead of a release date announcement.As reported by Insider Gaming, developer Full Circle added microtransactions to the ongoing closed alpha test of EA's free-to-play Skate revival.You can spend real-world money on a virtual currency called San Van Bucks, which in turn is used to buy cosmetic items. It sounds like Full Circle wants to test Skates microtransaction purchase system, as it states it wants players to have a positive experience when purchasing items from the Skate store.Your feedback will be greatly appreciated in providing a great experience at Early Access launch, the message continues.According to Insider Gaming, Full Circle has warned testers that progress will be fully reset before Skate launches into early access, and any purchases you make will be converted back into San Van Bucks and made available again at the start of early access.Skates early access launch is set for 2025. It was announced during EA Play way back in 2020, but at the time was stated as "very early" in development. Since then, Full Circle has kept the community up to date with closed community playtests of early builds and updates on where the game is at via its "The Board Room" video series.The developer officially revealed the name of the game would be skate. back in 2022, alongside confirmation it would release as a free-to-play title on Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

The casting process for any movie is a difficult thing, one that involves nuanced factors such as figuring out schedules, availability, chemistry, or even just aligned visions. And then there are times where it just clicks. The many-hyphenated musical and artistic talent Flying Lotus had exactly such a moment while looking for the lead of his new sci-fi/horror genre-bender, Ash. He had a moment when he met Eiza Gonzlez.It was the first thing she said to me, Flying Lotus recalls of their earliest conversation while visiting the Den of Geek studio at SXSW. She said, You know, the script reminds me of Silent Hill.' The smile practically bursts from the directors face when the memory comes back. I was like shes perfect!When you see the finished film, the influences are apt. Set in a distant future on a strange alien world, Ash is a bizarre vision filled with dread, mysteryand even a dizzying first-person action sequence where Gonzlezs protagonist, a woman named Riya, must defend herself against a hostile force. Suddenly, a movie told entirely from Riyas subjective point-of-view literalizes it in a fight scene with scalpels, fire, and perhaps a martial arts legend.It reminded me of Silent Hill 2, Gonzlez specifies about the whole film. I used to play Silent Hill avidly and [Ash] really reminded me of that vibe. [And this] energy was always something that I wanted to do, and I loved the first-person perspective in movies. It just gives you a sense of being in it, and also creates so much anxiety. I thought that was dope.The connection between Ash and iconic video game imagery isnt entirely an accident either. As FlyLo confirms, he worked with gaming tools when designing visuals for the film: I spent a lot of time learning Unreal Engine and trying to learn visual effects because I wanted to do some pre-visualizations, and I just wasnt satisfied with my drawings, he explains.Yes, thats a unique approach for film development, but Ash is an unique take on the proverbial haunted spaceship movie. The script [written by Jonni Remmler] came like a jigsaw puzzle, Flying Lotus observes. It didnt have to be constructed that way, but it just happened to be constructed in a way that was like, What is this?'When Ash begins, Gonzlezs character Riya awakens on a desolated shuttle with no clear memory of how she got there or even who she is. All she knows for certain is the planet outside is bleakly oppressive, overcast in menacing psychedelic reds and purples. Yet that seems pitcuresque when compared to how seemingly all of Riyas crew onboard the ship has been wiped out by something.The movie is from Riyas perspective, and the colors and the visual tone is a reflection of her headspace, the helmer says about his movies evocative look. I dont want to spoil too much, but it corresponds to what shes dealing with emotionally.Its purposeful, Gonzlez agrees. The director has a visual idea, and we had measured every single part of where her fevers are coming, why theyre coming, and how the colors correlated. That became a roadmap for us to dive into the performance. It also proved to be an expressionistic way to help the star build a character who due to having amnesia doesnt even know herself.Shes sort of like a newborn baby, Gonzlez says. It was very tender and vulnerable for me as an actress, because I felt like a little girl in many of these scenes, and I think you can see it, especially with Aaron.The Aaron in question is Breaking Bads Aaron Paul, an thespian who Gonzlez has been friends with for years, and whose sense of warmth and familiarity created a great wellspring to build what is ironically a much more strained dynamic onscreen.Join our mailing listGet the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox!This [script] came to Eiza and Is desk at the same time, so it was just nice to have each others back from the beginning, Paul tells us about what is almost a two-hander aspect to the film. While Riya doesnt know anything that is going on, Pauls character Brion seemingly has all the answers, although he comes into the film as his own mystery.When he shows up, hes been orbital monitoring around the planet, so he hasnt been with the group for some time, Paul says. Hes been on a solo journey in his spaceship by himself doing God knows what. But then he gets an SOS call from [Riya] and he shows up and the entire crew is massacred. So hes just trying to figure out what the hell happened but then, also if he can trust her.Much of the appeal about Ash, though, is about mystery and tone, the unknown and dread. That seeps into even the musical score, which of course is a crucial component for a filmmaker who is also a musician, producer, and the films composer.Its funny because I had a vision for it originally, but that changed when I started cutting the movie together, Flying Lotus says of the films hypnotic soundscape. The original thing I wanted to do just wasnt working. I had to try a bunch of different stuff. I threw different sounds at the wall, and I started [to become] really obsessed with Halloween at the time. I was watching John Carpenters stuff quite a bit, and I just thought about how when he did Halloween he was up against it for time, and he had to do this soundtrack pretty much by himself. I tried to feel that spirit and thought to myself, What can I do alone in New Zealand with minimal gear? How do I do that thing and still bring something new to it and make it interesting to myself?'Whether dealing with the visuals or the music, those types of questions matter because Ash takes advantage of the freedom offered by genre moviesas well as independent cinema.Independent filmmaking is challenging, Gonzlez points out. And with Ash, she says here comes someone with a vision and an exciting story. I have been really happy to see that the independent filmmaking is taking a cool turn, because thats how you create new styles, new visual imagery. Thats how you bring a fresh take into filmmaking.For Flying Lotus, hes just happy to make a genre movie to connect with the audience in a new way. Genre films are the movies you want to go see on Friday night. Some of them may be forgettable, but you just want to have a good time sometimes and escape the crazy world that we live in.With Ash, however, it seems the intent is to escape one crazy world in order to find something crazier, more bizarre, and just maybe dope as hell.Ash premiered at SXSW on March 11 and opens in theaters on March 21.

One of the most attention-grabbing aspects of the new M4 MacBook Air was the announcement of a new color: sky blue. While Im of the view that gadgets should be silver or black, plenty of people clearly welcome the idea of more colorful MacBook Air models.Only, reviewers all seem to agree that the new blue color isnt very, well, either blue or colorful. So is it time for Apple to offer some truly colorful MacBook Air finishes ?One reviewer said that he thought Apple had made a mistake and sent him the silver model by mistake, as there was no sign of the blue color he expected. Others variously described the blue as subtle or barely visible.But given that there seem to be plenty of people whod appreciate a splash of color with their MBA, should the company lean in more, with some vivid colors?Last year, Basic Apple Guy posted an April Fools post on Threads, claiming Apple had done just that. Plenty of people responded by saying theyd been ready to order one.Daaaamn I literally made a decision to get it before realizing its Aprils FoolThis really got me. Made me so mad when I figured it out.I would buy the ever-loving out of the purple one if this was real.The joke is on Apple because I would have bought this.Man I wish they would do this.This model would most likely sell like crazy if it existed.Damn, I loved the idea.There seems to be a strong feeling that while the MacBook Pro might have to be professional and corporate looking, theres room for the MacBook Air to be more fun.What do you think? Would you buy a MacBook Air in a vivid color? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.Renders: Michael Bower/9to5MacAdd 9to5Mac to your Google News feed. FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.Youre reading 9to5Mac experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Dont know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel