FDA OKs first implant treatment for opioid addiction
That small stick in the image above might look like a fat toothpick or a part of a toy that broke off, but its much, much more than that. It’s called Probuphine, and it’s the first implant treatment for opioid addiction that got the FDA’s blessing. Opioid dependence is a huge problem today, especially since opioids encompass not just illegal substances like heroin, but also legal pain killers, such as those prescribed after surgery.
If you choose to stop taking opioids after some time of using them regularly, you experience withdrawals. Probuphine was designed to release small doses of buprenorphine — a medication used to combat addiction to opioids — for six months to reduce withdrawal symptoms. Since buprenorphine itself is an opioid derivative, it targets the same parts of the brain that pain killers and heroin do, thereby stopping you from craving them.
The full Probuphine treatment involves implanting four of these small rods under the skin on the inside of your upper arm. But in exchange, you won’t have to take pills anymore. The downside? Braeburn Pharmaceuticals, its creator, admitted that it won’t be cheap. When the company announced the treatment’s successful phase 3 trial, it said that it will cost around $1,500 per procedure upon launch. If you still need its help after six months, you can a get new set of implants, though that will obviously cost more money.
Since this treatment option involves some form of surgery, Braeburn Pharmaceuticals will have to train doctors for the procedure. According to Business Insider, some doctors will begin their training as soon as this Memorial Day weekend, while Probuphine itself will be available on June 21st.
Via: Business Insider
Source: FDA
Backpack PCs will help you avoid VR cable catastrophe
HP revealed an arsenal of new gaming gear yesterday, but it had one more device up it’s sleeve. Another PC that’s part of the recently announced Omen line is a backpack machine that’s VR-ready. It’s still in development, so details are a bit scarce at this point, but the mobile setup packs a Intel Core i5 or i7 processor, up to 32GB RAM and everything else you’ll need to power an HTC Vive or Oculus Rift. There’s no word on the graphics card just yet, but a belt holds two batteries — one for the CPU and one for the graphics card.
As you might expect, battery life is pretty limited. In fact, HP says those batteries will only last for about an hour. However, you’ll be able replace those packs without having to shut the system down thanks to a smaller third battery. In terms of heft, the Omen VR backpack weighs under 10 pounds and offers a wireless display, mouse and keyboard for setup and troubleshooting. Since this device is still in the works, there’s no word on pricing or availability. If we had to guess, you’ll need to tap into your savings account when the time comes.
HP isn’t the only one with a VR backback though, as MSI also announced one as part of its Computex lineup. The Backpack PC (yes, that’s the name) carries an Intel Core i7 alongside a Nvidia GTX 980 graphics card. MSI is touting the benefits of “big movements and total immersion,” but it too is light on the finer details, especially pricing and availability. Back in April, Zotac put one of its mini PCs in a backpack to offer a VR-ready setup with Nvidia GTX 970, 980 or 980i graphics. There’s no word on price here either, unfortunately, but we could hear more at the event in Taiwan this week.
The goal with all of these machines is for users to be able to use a tethered VR headset without being anchored to a desktop machine. In theory, you can plug into one of these backpacks and walk around during the game or other VR experience. Of course, you likely don’t have a lot of room to roam in your living room, but places like the VR theme park The Void could be a spot where these devices see the most use. Either way, it beats cramming a computer into a regular backpack that will quite literally get you hot under the collar.
Source: MSI, The Verge
Samsung’s Batman Galaxy S7 Edge has Alfred on speed dial
What better way to celebrate the third anniversary of the popular mobile game Injustice: Gods Among Us than with a Batman-themed phone. Samsung created the Galaxy S7 Edge Justice Edition for the occasion (rather than the release of a certain movie), mixing black and gold accents for the new version. This special model “enhanced hardware and software capability” alongside larger battery capacity which should make the mobile gaming experience a bit better.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has gone full superhero. When The Avengers: Age of Ultron debuted a year ago, the company crafted an Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge. In certain locales, the Batman handset will come bundled with a Gear VR headset for more immersive views. The phone will be available next month in China, Singapore, Korea, Latin America and Russia, but Samsung says more locations will be announced in the future.
Via: The Verge
Source: Samsung
The best PC gaming controller
By Kimber Streams
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read the full article here.
After putting in 15 hours of research and testing—in addition to hundreds of hours gaming on controllers in years past—and enlisting the help of an experienced panel of gamers, we found that the Sony DualShock 4 Wireless Controller (yes, the one that comes with the PlayStation 4) is the best gaming controller to use with your computer. In fact, we concluded that all the best PC controllers are console controllers. But a gaming controller is a highly personal object, and your preferences may differ based on your hand size, gaming style, and operating system. If you already own a controller that you love, you probably don’t need to buy a new one.
Who should get this
Not every PC game is best played with a keyboard and mouse. If you’d rather sit back and play some of your games with a controller instead, you should consider one of our picks. But if you already own an Xbox 360, an Xbox One, or a PlayStation 4, and you’re happy with the controller that came with it, you probably don’t need to buy a different one.
How we picked
All the gaming controllers we tested for this guide. Photo: Kimber Streams
A great controller must be comfortable to hold for long periods of time, have a good grip to prevent your hands from sliding off even if they get sweaty, and it ought to be a reasonable weight. Although people have individual preferences, a controller’s buttons and triggers all need to be responsive and accurate: They need to do what you tell them to do, when you tell them to do it. But comfort and ergonomics aren’t everything; a controller also needs to play nice with your computer.
We looked at 22 controllers from major manufacturers such as Logitech, Mad Catz, Microsoft, Nvidia, Razer, Sony, SteelSeries, and Valve, plus a few other controllers from lesser-known manufacturers that are popular on Amazon. We ruled out those with poor user reviews and others that cost way more than controllers with similar features. That left us with 11 controllers to test with the help of five people with varying hand sizes and comfort preferences.
Our pick
The Sony DualShock 4 is the most comfortable controller for most hands. Photo: Kevin Purdy
The Sony DualShock 4 Wireless Controller is the most comfortable controller for average-size hands. All of its analog sticks, buttons, and triggers are easy to reach and work well, which isn’t the case for several other models, including the Xbox One controller and Steam Controller. The DualShock 4 works over Bluetooth or with a Micro-USB cable (not included; you can get a great Micro-USB for about a dollar). Plus, its touchpad can simulate a mouse cursor, a feature no other good controller has.
Currently priced less than $50, the DualShock 4 can work both wired and wirelessly—unlike the Xbox One controller, which needs a dongle to work wirelessly on a PC, making it more expensive than the DualShock 4. But the DualShock 4 requires a bit of effort (and software like DS4Windows) to set up on Windows, it won’t work for most games on OS X, and it’s a bit small for large hands.
Runner-up with an easier setup
If you have large hands (unlike me), the Xbox One controller might be more comfortable than the DualShock 4. Photo: Kevin Purdy
If you want a controller that’s easier to set up on Windows and will also work on OS X, or if you have large hands, or if you simply prefer Xbox-style controllers, you should get the Xbox One controller bundled with a wireless adapter. The Xbox One’s greatest advantage over the DualShock 4 is ease of setup. In Windows, the drivers automatically install when you plug in the controller. On OS X, the process is about as complicated as setting up the DualShock 4 on Windows—you just need the 360Controller software.
This controller lacks a touchpad, though, and the shoulder buttons are awkwardly placed. Many people prefer the DualShock 4’s triggers and analog sticks, too. The Xbox One controller also costs more to use wirelessly. If you don’t need wireless and want to save some money, buy it bundled with a Micro-USB cable instead.
Inexpensive and well-loved
The Xbox 360 controller’s body is narrower than the Xbox One controller’s, so it’s easier for small and medium-size hands to grip. Photo: Kevin Purdy
If you don’t want to spend more than $35 on a controller, you should get the wired Xbox 360 Controller for Windows, the go-to controller for PC gamers for many years. The Xbox 360 controller is a bit smaller and lighter than the Xbox One controller, and its more compact size makes the buttons and analog sticks a little easier to reach for people with smaller hands and shorter thumbs.
All the buttons (including the shoulder bumpers) are well-placed and easy for hands of all sizes to reach, but this controller isn’t without its flaws. It can’t work wirelessly—Microsoft sells a wireless version, but that controller plus the required adapter cost about the same as the wireless Xbox One controller and adapter. And the D-pad is horrendous.
Fancy but pricey
The Elite is about the same size as the Xbox One controller, but its soft surface and textured grip make it more comfortable to hold. Photo: Kevin Purdy
If you play a lot of games on your PC that require a controller and you don’t mind spending $150 for a fantastic one, the Xbox Elite is the best option available. The Elite is an upgrade over our other picks in just about every way, with better, customizable controls, four additional paddles on the back, and easier setup than the DualShock 4. Every single member of our testing panel loved it—and I bought one myself—but for most people it isn’t worth three times the price of the DualShock 4.
About the Steam Controller
The Steam Controller feels hollow and cheap, and it’s large and awkward to hold. Photo: Kevin Purdy
The Steam Controller is the only controller that bridges the gap between games with controller support and games better played on a mouse and keyboard. It has touchpads in place of a D-pad and right analog stick; these components offer haptic feedback that you can configure to mimic the movement and feeling of either a mouse or an analog stick. Its dual-stage triggers and back buttons are designed to give you more control and customization than traditional console controllers provide.
Despite this, the Steam Controller isn’t a great controller. Its plasticky body feels cheap and hollow; it has an awkward, large shape, with difficult-to-reach buttons and controls; and because it’s so different from standard gaming controllers, it requires a substantial learning curve. Until Valve releases better hardware, we can’t recommend it for most people.
This guide may have been updated by The Wirecutter. To see the current recommendation, please go here.
Blue Origin’s next flight will end in a crash-landing
While Blue Origin has shown it can successfully land a reusable rocket multiple times, the space tourism company will hit the ground a little harder on the next test. As Jeff Bezos announced this week, his space venture will intentionally crash the empty crew compartment to see what happens when the parachutes fail.
On previous missions, the empty crew compartment detached from Blue Origin’s flagship New Shepherd rocket and drifted back to Earth while the rocket stage landed. That’ll change on the next flight.
“On this upcoming mission we also plan to stress the crew capsule by landing with an intentionally failed parachute, demonstrating our ability to safely handle that failure scenario,” Bezos wrote in an email announcement yesterday. “It promises to be an exciting demonstration.”
There’s no announced date for the flight yet, but Bezos did say the test launch will include “additional maneuvers on both the crew capsule and the booster” to better understand how the New Shepherd flies. All of this, of course, is working towards the larger goal of launching manned test flights by next year and providing tourist flights to space by 2018.. When those tourist flights take off, Blue Origin plans to carry up to six passengers at a time beyond the Karman line 62 miles above the Earth where they’ll get about four minutes of weightlessness before returning home.
Report: A major developer is working on a VR game for Xbox One
Ars Technica reports that a “well-known European studio” is currently working on a VR game for “set in the universe of an established, long-running franchise” the Xbox One console. The unnamed game is slated for a 2017 release. Ars received the news as part of its E3 pre-briefings and was able to confirm it with the developer’s PR rep. A PC and PS4 version are both also supposedly in the works. This news lends significant credence to rumors that the upgraded Xbox One models that are expected to debut at the expo will be VR capable and compatible with the Oculus Rift headset.
Source: ArsTechnica
‘Battleborn’ turned gaming cinematics into high art
The best part of Battleborn is its prologue cinematic. That’s not to say the game itself isn’t any good — in fact, it’s a wonderful single- and multiplayer experience for the fantastical first-person-shooter crowd. However, the opening video is divine. It’s evocative, rich and effortlessly cool, built on a base of smooth hip hop and anime-inspired, neon-coated illustrations. When I think of Battleborn, my mind is immediately saturated in the cinematic’s soulful rhythm.
This is a new brand of video game artistry. As a game, Battleborn doesn’t feature cartoon characters; it’s a fully realized 3D experience from Gearbox, the creators of Borderlands. In the same vein as Borderlands, Battleborn is highly stylized, but it looks nothing like the opening cinematic.
That was on purpose.
“I wanted to come with something fresh in a sea of CG cinematics and openers,” Gearbox art director Scott Kester says. “We just figured players would appreciate something a bit different. I wanted a vibe to it that was fresh, but also kind of piggybacked off the feel of Samurai Champloo’s opening, with a healthy mix of Aeon Flux for good measure.”
Kester was inspired by cartoons from the ’80s and early ’90s, and he wanted the prologue to get players pumped for the actual game. He secured the cinematic of his dreams by working with animation studio Secret Sauce and hip hop group Deltron 3030, which includes Dan the Automator (Daniel Nakamura) and Del The Funky Homosapien (Teren Jones).
The cinematic’s energetic animations and its mellow soundtrack balance each other perfectly; they feel as if they were produced by the same mind. In reality, they were completely separate projects. Secret Sauce CEO Sanford Greene and animation director LD Walker didn’t even hear the song until their work on the animation was finished, Greene says.
“During the production of the animation we didn’t have any soundtrack to go by so LD did his best to keep the shot pacing tight in the middle and open on the ends,” he says. “Seems it just magically worked out after Del’s track was recorded and laid down.”
As he wrote the lyrics for “Countdown,” the prologue song, Del took inspiration from Battleborn’s storyline, interpreting its main points in his own way. He didn’t want the track to feel like an advertisement for the game.
“I just took the subject matter of the game and I went with that, but without directly following it note for note,” Del says. “Tried to make it more universal in feel so it could stand outside of the game as well.”
One reason these pieces came together so seamlessly was the creators’ shared love of video games. Walker in particular is a fan of action role-playing titles, platformers, fighters and shoot-em-ups. Del is a huge gaming fan and he’s been making music for the industry since 2000. His work has appeared in Mat Hoffman’s Pro BMX, a handful of Tony Hawk titles, NBA 2K5 and 2K7, Skate 3, and, more recently, Street Fighter V.
“I was a crazy player when it was the vidiot era — ’80s, you know, arcades and stuff,” Del says. “I used to be stuck at the arcade, I used to buy every mag…. I had every system, still have emulators of most of the classic systems with every game, I got every arcade emu for every game I ever played in the arcade — so, uh, yeah, I’m kinda a video game fan, a little.”
It also helped that Secret Sauce and Gearbox go way back. Sanford and Kester have known each other for a long time; they actually started out working together in the comics industry. Secret Sauce is a small and relatively new team, but Kester says he respects their work. Plus, working with Deltron 3030 was “a dream” of Kester’s, partially because he’s a fan of Dan the Automator and Del, and partially because this project gave him a chance to amplify their voices.
Sure, Del has created music for video games, but that doesn’t mean he’s a household name in the gaming universe.
“Del tells such vivid sci-fi stories in his lyrics and was just a perfect fit for us,” Kester says. “I was specifically interested in Deltron and Secret Sauce due to the fact they aren’t super widely known in the game community. I think any time you can draw more attention to different artists across different disciplines is, well, like a duty we have as creators, honestly. To expose people to new cool things.”
Secret Sauce was definitely on-board with Kester’s preferred animation style, too: a Japanese-inspired, anime look.
“They avoid correcting every single drawing to look perfectly homogeneous,” Walker says. “Instead, they let that animator cut loose and belt out the equivalent of a guitar solo.”
That’s what Kester wanted with the Battleborn introduction video; something raw yet intriguing to long-time FPS fans. Something different. The AAA industry is largely focused on creating realistic 3D animations, Kester notes, and he hopes the cinematic is part of video games’ growth as an artistic medium. He’d love to play an entire game that looks like the prologue, for instance.
“I’m interested in seeing game art styles evolve and take us to new places visually,” Kester says. “We have an obsession in the gaming world to keep trying to replicate reality, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m more interested personally in making things that let me escape this world. Let’s show people styles and places I could never visit in real life.”
Video games are art and experiences like the Battleborn prologue help demonstrate this aspect to the wider world. Del, for his part, has always viewed games as artistic expressions.
“Maybe people just didn’t believe or see it, but I did,” Del says. “Matter of fact, the earlier games had to have art invested in it because the graphics weren’t that great.” Today, the potential for wild artistic experimentation exists within gaming, Del says, but large studios are mostly focused on creating lifelike worlds. “I lean toward more fanciful-type games, personally,” he says.
Now that Secret Sauce has dipped its toes into the world of gaming animation, Walker and Greene are hungry for more — and they’re not just dreaming any longer. Or, as Greene puts it:
“We have plans. Let’s just say that.”
AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Out of Stock at U.S. Apple Stores [Updated]
Following a rare firmware update for the AirPort Express, AirPort Extreme, and AirPort Time Capsule earlier this week, a few readers have contacted us about the Wi-Fi base stations being out of stock at their local Apple retail stores in the United States.
Specifically, the tipsters informed us that the AirPort Extreme was out of stock at the Apple Store, Sagemore location in Marlton, New Jersey, an outer suburb of Philadelphia, and the Apple Store, Beverly Center location in Los Angeles, California.
“I was trying to buy an AirPort Extreme today from the Beverly Hills Apple Store and an employee told me that Apple had asked for all of them back from all the stores,” wrote one anonymous tipster.
To verify the tipster’s claim, we contacted an Apple support representative who confirmed that Apple has pulled AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule stock from all U.S. stores. The base stations remain available to order online, while it appears the smaller AirPort Express can still be purchased both online and in stores at present time.
Apple’s web-based Personal Pickup tool has also been removed from the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule product pages on its U.S. storefront.
Even though Apple has pulled all AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule stock from U.S. stores, it is possible that select locations may still some units available. The base stations also remain on sale through authorized resellers such as Best Buy.
A retail source informed us that the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule remain in stock at stores in the U.K., as confirmed by Personal Pickup, and the Wi-Fi base stations are also currently available at most stores in Australia, Canada, and Europe, so the in-store outage appears to be limited to U.S. stores for now.
With WWDC 2016 around the corner, scarce availability of the AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule in the U.S. will naturally stir speculation about a possible refresh to its Wi-Fi base station lineup. However, the stock outage could be related to the recent firmware update, Apple Store renovations, or regular fluctuations within Apple’s inventory channels. There are also no rumors about an impending AirPort refresh.
Apple last updated the AirPort Extreme and AirPort Time Capsule at WWDC 2013 with faster 802.11ac Wi-Fi, new designs, and other internal changes. The slimmer AirPort Express was last updated in June 2012, drawing on the design of the Apple TV and gaining simultaneous dual-band 802.11n connectivity.
Given the lack of rumors, it is unknown what features a next-generation AirPort Extreme could have, but 802.11ac wave 2 Wi-Fi is a possibility. Some readers also speculate that Apple could integrate Siri features into the AirPort Extreme amid rumors it is working on an Amazon Echo competitor — which could also be a new Apple TV.
Apple’s AirPort base stations are designed to create or expand Wi-Fi networks, providing dual-band connectivity in addition to other features like music playback, wireless printing, and wireless backups. Read our AirPort roundup to learn more.
Update: Apple may be complying with an FCC deadline of June 2, 2016 related to router software security rules gradually phased in since 2014, which would explain why the stock outage is limited to U.S. stores.
“Starting June 2, 2016, permissive changes will not be permitted for devices approved under the old rules, unless they meet the requirements of the new rules,” the FCC writes. “All devices partially or completely approved under the old rules cannot be marketed starting June 2, 2016 unless they meet the requirements of the new rules in all the bands of operation.”
(Thanks, Cole, Justin, and Corrode!)
Related Roundup: AirPort
Tags: Apple retail, AirPort Extreme, AirPort Time Capsule
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Following Poor Performance on Galaxy Phones, ‘Samsung Pay Mini’ Reportedly Heading to iOS
Samsung is planning to launch its mobile payments service Samsung Pay as a downloadable iOS app, according to a new report from South Korea’s ETNews. Called Samsung Pay Mini, the app will allow iPhone users to enter their credit card information to make payments within online stores.
Not many details were given about the initial launch, but the app seems to be limited to South Korea and available only as an online payment option with no retail support yet. The rollout in South Korea could begin as early as June.
Samsung’s reason behind introducing support for its mobile wallet onto iOS is reportedly due to Samsung Pay’s poor performance on the company’s line of Galaxy smartphones. An expansion to Apple’s iOS ecosystem is hoped to help bolster Samsung Pay usage beyond its current limited scope.
“By releasing SamsungPay Mini, Samsung Electronics has completed a versatile platform that absorbs online and mobile payments.” said a high-ranking representative of a card company. “Besides of online payments, SamsungPay Mini will be a catalyst for Samsung Electronics in tying together variety of additional businesses.”
According to sources within the IT and financial industries, the company plans for the new app to be free and work on all Android devices as well as Apple’s iPhone. During the initial launch in South Korea, Samsung Card, Lotte Card, and Hana Card have all agreed to support Samsung Pay Mini. KB Card and a few other companies have mentioned interest in joining the service, as well, but beyond South Korea, there was no mention of a wider Samsung Pay Mini launch.
On Apple’s side of the mobile payment market, the Cupertino company has been expanding Apple Pay’s presence in multiple countries ever since its launch in 2014. This morning, Apple Pay VP Jennifer Bailey described how the company is “working rapidly” to get its mobile wallet into “every significant market” Apple is currently involved in.
Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: Samsung Pay
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Apple’s Amazon Echo Competitor Could Feature Camera, Facial Recognition
Apple’s rumored product designed to compete with the Amazon Echo could come equipped with a camera and facial recognition capabilities, reports CNET. Citing sources with knowledge of Apple’s plans, CNET says the device would be “self aware,” able to detect the people in the room through facial recognition technology.
Once the device determines who is in the room, that information could be used to pull up each person’s preferences, “such as the music and lighting they like,” allowing for a customized interactive experience for each member of the home. Facial recognition is something Apple has previously expressed interest in, both through patent filings and acquisitions.
News of Apple’s work on an Amazon Echo competitor first surfaced earlier this week, when The Information reported such a device was under development. The Amazon Echo is an in-home personal assistant device that features a built-in speaker and a robust artificial intelligence system, and a product from Apple would likely be similar, with AI capabilities based on Siri along with its own speaker and microphone.
It is not clear what form Apple’s in-home hub will take. While The Information’s report suggested it was a standalone hardware product, a second report from VentureBeat has said Apple will built the Echo-like features into a next-generation Apple TV.
Apple is laying the groundwork for a robust in-home AI-powered product through its work on Siri, and major Siri improvements could come in iOS 10. Apple is said to be preparing to release a Siri SDK, which would make the personal assistant available to developers for the first time and greatly increase its functionality.
Today’s report is the first to include details on a potential release timeline, suggesting the device could launch at the end of 2016, but 2017 is a more likely target. CNET cautions that Apple’s plans for a camera could change as it is a potential privacy risk that may not be favorable with consumers. As with all Apple products still under development, there’s also a chance Apple could scrap its Echo competitor entirely.
Tags: Siri, cnet.com, Amazon Echo
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