This release has two big themes: a brand-new way to control stories, and a stronger foundation to run them. We rebuilt TSS Control from scratch to make live control clearer and safer, and we rebuilt Play behind the scenes to improve performance and stability with large, high-quality content. If you want to start with the shiny part, jump to the TSS Control section.
TSS Play
Behind the scenes, we’ve made a major architectural update to Play, the component responsible for running stories. This change is not something you’ll notice visually. The goal was not to change how Play looks or behaves, but to improve how it performs, especially when handling large, high-quality content in complex setups.
What changed
Play has been rebuilt on a new architecture that better fits the way The Storytelling Suite is evolving.
A key focus was to make the different components within TSS more independent. Reducing overlap between components allows us to:
Develop faster
Improve stability
Isolate issues more effectively
As part of this update, Play now takes on a more active role in processing certain types of content itself, leading to more efficient asset handling and better performance in demanding scenarios.
Highlights
Alongside the architectural rebuild, we also introduced several quality-of-life improvements:
Smoother scene transitions using an ease-in-out bezier animation
Subtle feedback sounds on On-Click interactions
Multi-screen setups continue running even if one or more screens go offline, improving overall uptime
Removed long waiting times when downloading stories. Stories now update automatically when changes are made in Compose
Introduction of the new Gateway architecture, enabling custom integrations and improved API support
Looking ahead
This architectural foundation allows us to continue improving Play without disrupting existing setups. Future enhancements will focus on performance, advanced codec and file support, reliability, and scaling across different environments.
Custom integrations
With the Gateway architecture in place, both our team and partners can build integrations that work with TSS.
This release provides the communication layer only. It does not yet include out-of-the-box integrations or simplified tooling. Making this easier through an API and/or SDK is part of our future roadmap.
TSS Control
We completely rebuilt the control app you use every day to run stories for customers, colleagues, visitors and yes, executives too. Over the years, you gave us a lot of feedback on the Control Tablet experience. We listened, took a step back, and rebuilt it from the ground up.
TSS Control is a full overhaul, designed specifically for one thing: controlling stories in a clear, intuitive, and frictionless way.
What stayed familiar
Before you worry, the core flow is still the same.
You still:
Select the setup your story runs on
Select the story
Control the story
No relearning under pressure.
What changed (and why it matters)
The biggest change is how the app guides you. Instead of showing everything at once, TSS Control now walks you through clear steps. This keeps you focused, reduces mistakes, and makes sure you always know what to do next. The interface is completely new, but the logic behind it is not.
Want to learn more about Control?
Highlights
Responsive design
Works smoothly even on smaller screens.
Bigger buttons
Faster interaction and fewer mis-taps when it matters.
Strong visual feedback
Stories, scenes, and assets are easier to recognize. Visual memory beats reading under pressure.
Search and sorting
Find the right story faster, even in long lists.
Linear control with Next / Previous buttons
Prefer telling your story step by step? You can now move through scenes using Next and Previous buttons, ideal for linear storytelling moments.
Faster response during live moments
Less friction between you and your audience.
Text thumbnails for assets
Text assets now show a thumbnail of the actual text content, making selection faster and more reliable.
Clear error messages
When an asset is unavailable, you now see why. No guessing.
More coming your way
Scene thumbnails of the actual scene for faster recognition and jumping back
Small UI refinements to smooth out the last edges
Further mobile optimisations (it already scales well, but we’re not done)
Real-time scene preview
Expanded thumbnails for web pages and documents