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Google’s latest 360-degree interactive Spotlight Story is a Santa-based thriller by Wallace & Gromit creators

It’s a little over two years since Motorola launched Spotlight Player, an app that could be used to view a 360-degree interactive animation. Initially limited to the Moto X before being rolled out to other Android devices, you move your smartphone up, down, left and right to choose which part of the scene to view – and can also view through Google Cardboard.

Google held onto the team when it sold Motorola to Lenovo, and it has now launched Special Delivery, a holiday-themed Spotlight Story from Aardman Animations, the creators of Wallace & Gromit. While you have to pay for some stories, this one is free as a holiday gift from Google …

Follow the adventures of a humble caretaker who is disturbed by a mysterious rooftop stranger. Always one step ahead… he leaves behind only a trail of gifts.

In the full interactive experience, you’ll encounter 10 subplots, three potential ways to view the ending, and 60+ moments where you can decide to follow the story in different ways.

To get the full interactive experience, you’ll need to download the Google Spotlight Stories app to a compatible device:

Supported phones

  • Nexus 5, 6
  • Moto X Gen 1st, 2nd
  • Moto G Gen 1st, 2nd
  • Droid Ultra, Turbo, Maxx
  • Samsung Galaxy S5
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3, 4, Edge
  • LG G2, G3
  • Sony Xperia, Z2, Z3, Z3 Compact
  • HTC One M7, M8

Supported tablets

  • Nexus 7 (2013)
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S2

But Google has also created a YouTube 360 version which allows you to look around the scenes without the full interactivity. On the web or in the iOS app, you’ll just see a preview version.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiDRZfeL_hc]

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