As someone who loves a good joke, but hates the direction the Steam Review system is headed, I'll just get straight to the point and list some ups and downs to the software in question. This review is still being worked on, and is far from finished, so please let me know if there's anything needs correcting:
About:
Facerig is a third-party facial recognition software that mimics the facial movements of anyone with a working webcam. There are around 20 individual models to be embodied, and nearly all of them feature pupil tracking and lip sync as an accompanyment. Several various props, colors, and skins can be added to certain models, and the feed can be sent back in the form of a small or fullscreen video of your webcam. It can also be broadcasted to camera-sharing applications such as Skype, Twitch, and the like. More models are being implemented in future updates, including Florans from Starbound, Octodad, and other various 3rd parties.
Pros:
Explosively innovative, easily outshining other facial recog softwares++
Pristine feedback on good cameras++
Decent feedback on not-so-good cameras++
Widely customizable+
Customization slider for easier tweaking of characters and props+
Background support (allows custom backgrounds to each character)+
Custom texturing API, 3D modelers can import skin and model files directly into the application+
Webcam sharing support (Skype, Twitch, etc)+
Facerig dev team is extremely perseverant and dedicated to their work, albeit lovably awkward and a bit camera shy (go figure!)+
Meant to entertain a variety of fandoms, streamers, video chatters, and their audiences+
Beautifully rendered for up to 3Kp monitors+
Most add-on DLCs will be free of charge (Starbound, Octodad)+
Cons:
Facial tracking resets are common in some cases--
Early beta, bugs are expected and do occur, but will be fixed in the future--
Not all characters support all props-
Tongue tracking not complete, must be performed manually either by keyboard or mouse click-
Small FaceRig logo under your webcam during streaming sessions-
Modding API is unstable and buggy, will hopefully be fixed eventually-
Some types of facial hair causes lip sync bugs (goatees sometimes cause smiles)-
Glasses make eye sync a bit more difficult-
My experience:
I use a Razer Kraken 7.1 headset mic, so lip sync is not an issue. However, my webcam is a shabby built in Toshiba webcam. Facial recognition on my webcam is a solid 8/10, and lip sync is near perfect. Models and skins work amazingly, and the customization slider makes it a lot easier than having to punch in lines of code. Pupil tracking is fairly decent, flustered eye rolls are possible, and a trick I like to call "bedroom eyes" works really well on certain models such as Fluffo and Cathy.
Favorite models so far:
Zyraxes, Cathy, Blackie Fluffo, Midori, Commander Hunter
Overall, FaceRig is by far the most promising Early Access software I've seen so far, and I've already shared it with all my steam buddies. I can't wait to find out where FR is headed, and I'd like to send my best regards to the facerig team for pulling this off with flying colors.
You can be Doge, too, if the thought of seeing a real review makes your head hurt something awful.
NOTE: I reserve the right to delete any slanderous, rude, derogatory, or just stupid comments from view. I chose this review to be public for the sake of informing, and it shouldn't be your cue to go off on me for whatever reason you have. Take this anonymous quote into consideration as you type your remarks: "I am who I am. Your approval isn't needed."