Play a video game

A video game in OBEATR is a set of beats and depth marks that belong to a video somewhere else on the web. You bring the video, OBEATR brings the timing.

Pick your video file

OBEATR never hosts, streams or resolves videos. Before a game starts you see a link to the source page and the expected length. Get the video from there yourself, then press Choose video file. The file stays on your device and your browser plays it locally.

• If the file's length differs from what the game expects by more than a second, you get a warning and can still use Use anyway. The beats may then be out of sync.
• If your browser can't read the file, try an MP4 or WebM copy.
• You can connect a video folder so matching files are found automatically.

More background: Local video.

Follow along

Start the game, then follow the metronome (clicks and a beat bar) and the depth guide that shows how deep each move goes. There is no scoring: nothing is rated, you simply follow.

Some games add stops, where the video pauses until you press Continue, and overlays with text or images at set moments. A finished run shows "Run complete" once you have watched enough of it.

Free plans have a weekly number of plays, shown as a hint on the game page; see Plans. A session only counts once you have chosen your file and pressed Start.

Controls and settings

• The bar at the bottom has play/pause, a seek slider, the BPM, a sound mixer (video volume and metronome volume, each with mute), a device button and full screen.
• The beat bar can be dragged to another height, or moved with the arrow keys; double-click resets it.
• Customize lets you pick the metronome sound, the depth guide's shape and color, a stage theme, an optional beat sound and quiet background music. Higher plans can save different settings per game.

All shortcuts are listed in Keyboard shortcuts. To use a toy or machine, see Devices.