Unofficial Belgian beer emojis use the appropriate glassware
As craft breweries explode in popularity across the US, more and more people want to express their love of specialty beers in the form of emojis — rather, emoji. There’s just one standard beer emoji (plus a “cheers” emoji that uses the same image) on Android and iOS, even though there are more than 100 styles of beer, some of which are meant to be served in specific ways. Here’s where the Belgian Brewer’s Association comes in. The group’s latest marketing scheme is an iOS and Android emoji board featuring 60 tiny images of Belgian beers, all served in their appropriate glasses.
These aren’t official iOS or Android emojis, so they won’t be compatible with all devices, as Fortune notes. That’s OK though — some beers aren’t compatible with all palates, either. We’re looking at you, sours.
Via: Fortune
Source: Belgian Beer Emojis
Google is working on a kill switch to prevent an AI uprising
Humans don’t like the idea of not being at the top of the food chain; having something we’ve created taking power over us isn’t exactly ideal. It’s why folks like Tesla mastermind Elon Musk and noted astrophysicist Stephen Hawking are so determined to warn us of the terrifying implications that could culminate in a Skynet situation where the robots and algorithms stop listening to us. Google is keen to keep this sort of thing from happening, as well, and has published a paper (PDF) detailing the work its Deep Mind team is doing to ensure there’s a kill switch in place to prevent a robocalypse situation.
Essentially, Deep Mind has developed a framework that’ll keep AI from learning how to prevent — or induce — human interruption of whatever it’s doing. The team responsible for toppling a word Go champion hypothesized a situation where a robot was working in a warehouse, sorting boxes or going outside to bring more boxes in.
The latter is considered more important, so the researchers would give the robot a bigger reward for doing so. But human intervention to prevent damage is needed because it rains pretty frequently here. That alters the task for the robot, making it want to stay out of the rain, and then adopting the human interruption as part of the task rather than being a one-off thing.
“Safe interruptibility can be useful to take control of a robot that is misbehaving and may lead to irreversible consequences, or to take it out of a delicate situation, or even to temporarily use it to achieve a task it did not learn to perform or would not necessarily receive rewards for this,” the researchers write.
Deep Mind isn’t sure that its interruption mechanisms could be applicable to all algorithms. Specifically? Those related to policy-search robotics (a part of machine learning), so it sounds like there’s still a ways to go before the kill switch can be implemented across the board. Sleep tight.
Via: Business Insider
Source: Intelligence.org (PDF)
Researchers use T-rays to look inside of broken microchips
Terahertz radiation, or T-rays, can do some really incredible stuff. It can be used to scan for tumors and bombs build ultrafast wireless networks and see through solid objects. As an imaging technology, however, T-ray cameras have always had a resolution limitation. Well, they used to. Researchers at the University of Exter has developed a new terahertz camera that can see at a microscopic level — and they want to use it to find defects in microchips.
This breakthrough kind of changes the game for terahertz imaging. The radiation has always been able to look through solid objects without damaging them — which is why it’s frequently used in the art world to look past the surface layer of various masterpieces — but resolution limitations kept it from being used to diagnose broken computer chips.
Project lead Rayko Stantchev says his team has effectively doubled the technology’s resolution, creating a proof-of-principle prototype that can see a microscopic image printed on a circuit board obscured by a thick silicon wafer. “With our device you could test the quality of microchips that have buried under optically-opaque materials,” Stantchev says. “Allowing you to tell if a hidden chip is broken without having to open it up.”
The new, microscopic T-ray camera might have medical applications in its future, too. “We’re hoping to apply this imaging technique to detecting skin cancers,” Stanchev says. “And with this new resolution, finding them before they develop past a certain size.”
Source: Science, Popular Mechanics
Lynktec’s Reeljuice 5X external battery chooses function over portability
Eight hours. That is the amount of battery life I typically get out of my Galaxy S6 in a normal work day. Battery longevity is the one thing that has not been able to break out into “the next level.” Due to this fact, portable battery packs have become very common in the lives of those like myself who rely heavily on their mobile devices. With that trend, Lynktec has seen fit to jump into the game with the Reeljuice line of portable batteries.
There are four versions of the Reeljuice charger that can be purchased; the 3X comes with a 5300mAh battery and the 5X comes with an 8000mAh battery (naming coming from the assumption that a phone could be charged up to five times with the 8000mAh full charge). Each of these can be purchased with either a 10 Watt wall charger or a standard USB charger. Lynktec sends the Reeljuice with a built-in microUSB cord but did not forget about those iOS users; they provide a microUSB to lightning adapter with every device. They even added a nice little storage spot for the adapter so it does not get lost.
Specs
- Battery: Li-Polymer
- Capacity: 5300mAh/8000mAh
- Input: 10W wall charger or 5V USB charger
- Output: 2.1A microUSB
- Size: 6.125 x 3.125 x 0.77 inches
- Weight: 10.3 oz
- Warranty: 12 months
Usage
Every charger out there has something that attempts to set them apart from the competition. The Reeljuice is no different, having two unique features that set this charger apart from the other options. First is the modular charging method which allows you three methods of charging your battery pack: the 10 Watt wall charger (which also has a passthrough USB output for convenient charging), the USB input charger (can be used with any wall charger or USB port), or a microUSB cable can be plugged into the module connector on the bottom of the device. The second, and most notable, distinction of the charger is the built-in charging cord that “reels” back into the body of the charger.
I was pleasantly surprised with the performance of the battery pack. The 2.1V charging speed is definitely not QC 2.0, but it is fast enough to get your device charged in a timely manner. It takes about an hour and a half to charge my Galaxy S6, which has a 2550mAh battery. An empty battery pack charges in about an hour with the wall charger, which means that you can charge your 8000mAh pack faster than it charges your phone.
The cord that is built into the charger is a nice quality, braided, microUSB cord. It is a welcome feature to not have to carry a cord around with me. This feature comes with a pretty hefty trade off, size. It is pretty obvious that the reel feature increases the width and girth of this charger making it more difficult to transport than other 8000mAh chargers. I would say it is nearly impossible to carry in your pocket and would only be transportable in a bag of some sort, perfect for students or professionals who often carry a medium to large bag.
The real “gotcha” with the Reeljuice is the price tag. The cheapest version of the device rings in at just under $100. Comparing that to some of the other chargers of comparable size, we can see that there is a major difference in cost. If they were to add a few features like Quick Charge or wireless charging then the price wouldn’t seem so steep.
Summary
The Reeljuice 5X is a great charger, built on a solid foundation of innovative ideas. If Lynktec could find a way to bring the cost into the realm of other comparable chargers, I think this would be a great device for those tech-heavy users. You can pick up the Reeljuice 3X or 5X with USB charging module on Amazon right now for $20 off the MSRP.
2016 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Td6 review – Roadshow
The Good With its air suspension, the 2016 Range Rover Sport delivers a very comfortable ride over long distances, while its available diesel engine is reasonably economical. Advanced offroad systems let this SUV go far off the beaten path.
The Bad The navigation system’s destination entry requires digging through too many menus. The dynamic driving program is not available with the diesel engine.
The Bottom Line The 2016 Range Rover Sport Td6 makes for an extraordinarily comfortable and capable SUV, while its diesel engine achieves much better fuel economy than its gasoline-equivalent, but don’t expect the most modern electronics or performance driving.
Scooting the 2016 Range Rover Sport Td6 over into a pocket on the side of a fire road to let other traffic squeeze by, the guy in the first truck says there’s a downed tree ahead that he couldn’t get under, so I’d probably have to turn around. The guy in the second truck asks after his dogs, the playful pack of black labs wearing radio tracking collars I passed coming up the road. I talk to him about the dogs for a bit, and he says they are tracking a bear.
Low enough to fit under this fallen tree, the Range Rover Sport makes its way up Cougar Mountain.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Welcome to the wilds of Idaho, one of our lesser-populated states that, however, has some of the best highways and Interstates in the country, not to mention big river canyons, lakes and heavily forested mountains. I’m in the middle of a 2,500-plus mile roadtrip, driving the new diesel-powered Range Rover Sport from San Francisco.
This well-packed fire road, running up Cougar Mountain near Coeur d’Alene, sees plenty of use, but trees fall frequently across its path. The locals probably scoffed at the upscale Range Rover Sport as they passed me, but I had no problem cruising under the fallen tree across the road. Further up, things got a little hairy as the rain increased and the road’s ruts deepened.
That’s when I engaged the Mud and Ruts setting on the Terrain Response System, letting the Range Rover Sport compensate for slip through a combination of locking differentials and automated braking system work. The air suspension lifted, keeping the chassis off the mud and the tires in contact with the track.
It was a moderate test of the Range Rover Sport’s abilities, and a chance to see some of the more impressive Idaho terrain, despite the reported presence of bears.
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Mileage groove
Getting to that mountain in Idaho required many miles driving through California and the sweeping, high desert of Nevada. When I hit Reno and fueled up, the Range Rover Sport’s mileage didn’t impress me as much as I had hoped. 25.6 mpg seemed low for this truck’s turbocharged 3.0-liter V6 diesel engine after 300 miles of Interstate-driving, a bit under the EPA’s estimated 28 mpg for highway driving.
Brothers under the hood, diesel proves economical for the long highway.
Wayne Cunningham/Roadshow
Throughout the trip I would find that this diesel was happiest with the 55 and 60 mph speed limits of Washington and Oregon, where its average economy reached a high of 27.6 mpg.
Searching for diesel in Reno proved easy enough, after I dug into the Automotive points-of-interest category in the Range Rover Sport’s navigation system. However, subsequent searches for specific place names proved so complicated that I resorted to my phone. Land Rover is on the verge of rolling out a new infotainment system for its vehicles, which will hopefully offer a better destination search interface. Even better would be support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, neither features being available in Land Rover’s current system.
With its 23.5-gallon tank, I was looking at just over 500 miles between fill-ups, which proved especially useful during the desolate drive through Nevada to Winnemucca, then up the lonely Highway 95 through Washington and into Idaho, where fueling stations were very few and far between. This stretch proved the comfort of the Range Rover Sport, as its air suspension mitigated the toll on my body and limited the need for rest stops.
vivo V3Max Review
With their latest smartphones, vivo is looking to expand their growing presence within China to other parts of the world. The vivo V3Max claims to offer much of what many want from a flagship device, in a less expensive, mid-range package.
More vivo coverage:
- vivo X6Plus Review
- vivo X6 First Look
- vivo XPlay 5 Announced
But the question remains: how does vivo’s V3Max compare to similarly priced “super mid-range” smartphones? Let’s find out with our full review of the vivo V3Max!
Design
It goes without saying that the vivo V3Max bears quite a bit of resemblance to the iPhone, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Despite its mid-range status, the V3Max encompasses an unmistakably premium design with notably solid build quality. The V3Max’s carefully crafted curves and physically soft metallic shell are particularly remarkable, and although the phone can be a bit slippery, it feels excellent in the hand.
The V3Max’s carefully crafted curves and physically soft metallic shell are particularly remarkable
While some may find its gold and rose gold color options to be a bit gaudy in press renders, it is worth noting that the color is much lighter in person to the point where one could easily mistake the gold for silver in some environments. I was slightly disappointed with the phone’s vibration motor, as it did seem a tad rattly and weak during my testing, which was noticeable primarily when typing. I do not consider this to be a major issue, but it is something to keep in mind, especially if you are coming from a higher-end smartphone.
Unfortunately, the three capacitive keys on the front of the V3Max are not illuminated, and the choice to use the first button for the general menu instead of the multitasking menu did seem odd, initially. It was not until I learned that vivo’s FunTouch OS integrates multitasking into its control center, which can be accessed with a simple swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
I do think that this implementation could be improved, however, with a single physical home button that would double as a back button, in which the user would tap to go back and press to go home. Meizu has followed this design for a while now, and it does seem more appropriate in this case as the general menu is oftentimes no longer accessed via a capacitive key.
Display
The V3Max is sporting a 5.5″ 1080P display, which looks pretty good with a good amount of saturation and great viewing angles. It does seem a tad lacking in contrast, however, and sunlight readability leaves something to be desired. I found it to be very challenging to view the V3Max’s display in direct sunlight, which could be incredibly problematic, depending on how you intend to use the device.
Overall, the display on the V3Max is simply not as good as displays found on similar smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 5 or much cheaper Meizu M2 Note. I was also fairly surprised to find that the display’s material feels more like plastic than glass, which made it much more susceptible to fingerprints and scratches in my testing. Since the material is not as smooth as the glass used on many other competing smartphones, the display can be fairly resistant to simple gestures like swiping.
Performance
It’s evident that vivo has focused on delivering a speedy experience with the V3Max
Despite its seemingly mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor, the V3Max is a great performer. With 4 GB of RAM and the “faster than faster” advertising slogan, it’s evident that vivo has focused on delivering a speedy experience with the V3Max. Fortunately, it delivers in that regard.
I also had no trouble playing higher-end games like Asphalt 8, thanks to the phone’s modern Adreno 510 GPU.
Hardware
As is the case for many other smartphones intended for sale outside of the United States, the vivo V3Max does not support U.S. 4G LTE networks, and you’ll be limited to HSPA+ on AT&T in all areas and HSPA+ on T-Mobile in some areas.
FDD-LTE B2, B3, B5, B8 TD-LTE B40 WCDMA B2, B3, B5, B8 GSM B2, B3, B5, B8
With that said, the phone does support AT&T’s legacy band 5 for LTE, which I was able to utilize only in a rural area. Do keep in mind, however, that this frequency has been mostly phased out, hence its legacy status.
Call quality was pretty good, and many consumers will be happy to know that the device is both unlocked and supports dual-SIM cards. If you’re willing to give up one of V3 Max’s SIM card slots, you can take advantage of expandable storage with a microSD card, up to 128GB.
See Also: High capacity microSD cards and Android – Gary explains37
I found the V3Max’s rear-facing fingerprint reader to be incredibly fast and very accurate, easily beating out the Huawei Nexus 6P and Xiaomi Mi 5 in virtually every test. Combined with its great overall performance, the V3Max is one of the few mid-range smartphones to keep up when wanting to quickly check content-heavy apps like Twitter or YouTube.
The V3Max offers a superior audio experience relative to competing mid-range smartphones
With its AKM AK4375 Hi-Fi audio chip, the V3Max offers a superior audio experience relative to competing mid-range smartphones. However, it’s difficult to notice anything beyond a minor difference day-to-day unless audio is streamed at a higher bitrate or listened to through higher-quality headphones.
The phone’s external side-firing speaker, however, exceeded my expectations with its loud volume and low distortion. Although it is not a front-facing speaker, it is one of the highest quality speakers on a mid-range device that we’ve seen.
Battery life on the V3Max was also impressive, and I had no trouble reaching six hours of screen on time with variable usage, in addition to long standby times, sometimes even more than twenty-four hours. Although the battery capacity is a somewhat small 3000mAh, vivo appears to have made significant efficiency gains with software optimization. And if you do need the V3Max to last just a bit longer, there are several power consumption profiles available for use within the iManager app.
Camera
The V3Max’s 13 MP rear camera with phase detection autofocus produced very nice looking images in good lighting conditions. Most images appear to be sharp and detailed with good color reproduction and a great amount of dynamic range. While I did notice that the built-in camera app tended to underexpose, especially when shooting outdoors, the compensation slider proved to be a godsend.
The camera struggles to provide satisfactory results in low-light environments
Unfortunately, this performance is not met when shooting photos in low-light. Put simply, the camera struggles to provide satisfactory results in low-light environments, as photos appear noisy and distorted. While it is certainly possible to capture a good image in near-dark conditions, the camera here would definitely not be my first choice, even if I was limited to mid-range devices.
It is also important to note that the V3Max does not support 4K video recording, which was disappointing considering similarly priced smartphones like the Xiaomi Mi 5 do. Its 8 MP front-facing camera did perform well in my quick testing, however, and should be more than suitable in most environments. Although vivo has included a camera app which can be easily likened to Apple’s camera app, it is fairly easy to use while still remaining functional.
There are many different modes as well, all of which are easily accessible and include first time use explanations. There’s even a “PPT mode,” which automatically crops and scales an image shown on a projector or screen, which could be very handy for those wishing to capture important details from a slideshow.
Software
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the V3Max is its custom software. It’s running vivo’s FunTouch OS 2.5 on top of Android 5.1 Lollipop. The latter is disappointing enough, considering the latest version of Android, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, has been out for eight-months now. Sadly, this means that certain features like Google Now On Tap and fingerprint reader access for third party apps are not available with the vivo V3Max.
It’s fairly easy to see how the V3Max’s software could be a deal breaker
Even if you come to accept the older version of Android, vivo’s custom skin is sure to seem jarring at first, especially for those coming from stock or lightly skinned versions of Android. iOS-inspired changes like a control center and app names like iManager, iMusic, and iTheme are oftentimes simply not appealing to Westerns, and it’s fairly easy to see how the V3Max’s software could be a deal breaker.
Despite the strong departure from what we have come to expect from Android, there are many great features that FunTouch brings to the table. Features like S Capture, which give you a multitude of different options when wanting to share your screen, and wakeup gestures are commendable additions.
Gallery
Price
Vivo has released the V3Max globally in gold and rose gold variants, each with 32 GB of internal storage. If you’re in India, you can pick up the V3Max for Rs. 23,980, or about $355.
Conclusion
The vivo V3Max gets a lot of things right. It has a nice design, offers fast performance, Hi-Fi audio, and excellent battery life. However, its flaws cannot be ignored. The lack of U.S. availability and U.S. 4G LTE support, poor image quality in low-light, and likely jarring iOS-like software experience are enough to be deal breakers for some.
Quite frankly, it is difficult to recommend the V3Max over phones like the Xiaomi Mi 5, which is simply a more well-rounded option for about the same price. Unless you need the even better battery life, better speaker, or prefer the V3Max’s design, you may find the Mi 5 to be a much better option. With that said, vivo’s efforts are not to be diluted, and we must note that this is still a great mid-range smartphone, but with today’s highly competitive market, great only goes so far.
More vivo coverage:
- vivo X6Plus Review
- vivo X6 First Look
- vivo XPlay 5 Announced
So, what do you think of the vivo V3Max? Would you buy it over other mid-range smartphones? We would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below!
Microsoft has just what VR needs
In a move we should have seen coming from a mile away, Microsoft announced that it will be opening up the Windows Holographic platform, which powers HoloLens, to other companies. Those partners will be able to build AR headsets like HoloLens, full-fledged VR headsets like the HTC Vive, as well as components powering those devices. It’s similar to Microsoft’s original approach to PCs with Windows — build the operating system and let others go wild with hardware — as well as its push for new form-factors with the Surface. With the VR market still feeling like the Wild West, a bit of stability from Microsoft could be a huge help.
Just as we’ve seen with desktops and mobile, the virtual reality market boils down to a few big platforms vying for dominance. Facebook has Oculus; Valve and HTC are betting on SteamVR for the Vive; Sony has its upcoming PlayStation VR; and Google is focusing on its DayDream platform for Android. At this point, Oculus and Sony are practically Apple-like, refined pieces of consumer hardware on platforms that nothing else can run on. Valve’s SteamVR and Google’s DayDream, on the other hand, are open to a variety VR headsets (you can already run some SteamVR games with an Oculus Rift). And Windows Holographic is … well, Windows.
“Nobody has built an operating system for this generation,” Microsoft’s Terry Myerson, executive vice president of its Windows and devices group, said during a Computex press conference. That alone makes Microsoft’s platform more compelling than the competition. While its partners likely won’t have nearly the amount of freedom as they would with something like SteamVR, there’s a certain amount of confidence in building for Windows. And until standalone Android VR headsets hit the market, Windows is the only platform that can power an AR/VR device on its own.
Surprisingly, Myerson told us that a third-party company might even make a consumer HoloLens before Microsoft. “Either way, that’s fantastic,” he said. While we’ve been impressed by HoloLens demos, the hardware still has some issues, particularly its very narrow field of view. If another company manages to come up with a better solution before Microsoft, that’s ultimately a good thing for the entire Windows Holographic platform.
At the moment, Microsoft has a decent stranglehold on VR. Both the Vive and Rift can only run on Windows, much to the chagrin of Apple fans. But it’s another thing entirely to own the entire VR pipeline, so that developers can build using Windows Holographic tools and consumers will be able to have VR experiences without juggling other storefronts from Oculus and Valve. Simplicity is what virtual reality needs at the moment, and Microsoft has a good shot at making that happen.
The biggest benefit of Microsoft opening up Windows Holographic? We’ll see plenty more companies getting into the VR game, which will hopefully lead to more innovative products. Ultimately, it’ll be far better for consumers if VR isn’t something that only a handful of companies like Facebook control. Partners already onboard with Microsoft’s vision include Intel, AMD, Qualcomm, Acer, ASUS, Dell, Falcon Northwest, HP, Lenovo, MSI and others.
There are reasons to be skeptical: Microsoft’s attempt to bring Windows to the mobile world has been fraught with failure, to the point where it’s basically given up on smartphones. There was no mention of mobile at the Build developer conference, and I’ve heard from Microsoft reps that it’s just not something they’re thinking about in 2016. Microsoft has also backtracked from its Nokia acquisition in major ways, after laying off nearly 10,000 employees, writing down $8.5 billion from the deal (between this year and last year), and selling off Nokia’s feature phone business.
The difference with VR and AR, though, is that Microsoft isn’t several years late to the party. With HoloLens, it’s actually ahead of the curve — it’s a product that likely won’t have many consumer applications for years, and at $3,000 for the developer edition, it’s more expensive than today’s VR headsets. HoloLens is more comparable to Magic Leap’s mysterious augmented reality technology, which still hasn’t been publicly shown.
Microsoft has previously said that Windows Holographic is fully VR-capable, we just haven’t seen any examples of that yet. We might not have to wait long, though. At Computex, Myerson teased that it’s been working closely with HTC on a consumer VR product. And during its keynote and demo videos, Microsoft showed off people wearing the HTC Vive running Windows Holographic.
The idea of having VR and AR devices working on a single platform is pretty compelling. Microsoft gave us a glimpse of how it’s envisioning the evolution of the HoloLens platform in the video above. It shows someone wearing a HoloLens headset collaborating with a colleague wearing an HTC Vive, and another colleague wearing HoloLens in another part of the world. Together, they were able to design a retail space virtually, almost as if they were in the same room with each other.
Sure, it’ll be years before that sort of collaboration is possible, but what’s important now is that Microsoft is building towards that future. And hopefully, that’ll mean cheaper and better access to virtual worlds for everyone.
Stay on top of all the latest news from Computex 2016 right here.
Instagram rolls out its Facebook-style algorithmic feed
Back in March, Instagram announced plans to re-order the feed of accounts you follow based on what you’re likely to care about most. The idea is similar to with Facebook does with the News Feed: displaying posts that might interest you the most rather than showing content in chronological order. A few days after the announcement, Instagram took to Twitter to let us know the algorithm-driven approach wasn’t in place yet, but this week the company announced the feature is now rolling out to all users.
In a short blog post the company revealed that in the time since the March announcement, the small group of users who’ve been privy to the re-ordering were much more active in the app. Instagram says that “portion of the community” has been liking more photos and posting more comments. If you haven’t already noticed the new order of posts when you log in, you will soon as its rolling out to everyone now. Instagram vows to continue to approve the feature as well, which should mean the snapshots and videos you want to see most will rise to the top of your feed.
Source: Instagram
Computex highlighted VR’s growing pains
2016 is the year of virtual reality. Consumer versions of three major VR headsets — the Oculus Rift, HTC’s Vive and the PlayStation VR — have or are about to hit store shelves, while smartphone-based models like the Gear VR are growing in popularity. But even as VR gains momentum, it’s still an enigma for most people. This was never more apparent than in the halls of this year’s Computex in Taipei. VR was front and center, but instead of traditional game demos, we saw examples of curious and niche applications that suggest the use case for VR is still evolving.
Take the VR rower I tried a few days ago, which had me wearing a HTC Vive while using an ergometer. I do like the idea of pretending you’re paddling in a kayak rather than on a stationary rower, but it doesn’t seem very practical for most consumers as it requires the investment of not just VR headset but a specialized computer. How many people will buy this? Will gyms and fitness centers cough up the cash for it? If they do, how will they solve the issue of the sweaty headset? (Believe me, it’s a real issue.)
The same goes for the Birdly flight simulator. It’s admittedly pretty cool to flap your arms as wings, but the use case seems extremely niche — it’s just for the one game! And if a consumer like you and me isn’t going to buy it, who will? Arcades? Luxury health clubs? Will they then offer rentable headsets for each customer? This is an example of hardware looking for an audience.
Besides, the technology itself doesn’t seem to be fully baked. The most glaring example of this are VR backpacks, which aim to solve the wire nest problem of current headsets. I tried out the MSI Backpack PC here at the show, but HP released something similar last week as well. Another company, Zotac, didn’t even bother creating a special chassis for the PC; it simply crammed one of its VR-ready mini PCs into what looks like a regular canvas backpack and then connected a Vive to it.
The whole concept is extremely silly and impractical, with the clunky setup making virtual reality look even dorkier than it already is. Plus, these VR backpacks are really just stopgap measures until companies like Oculus and HTC figure out a wireless solution.
It all seems as if the VR industry is still messing around with half-baked ideas. And this is a problem because right now we’re here (thousand-dollar gaming PCs and bulky VR headsets connected with inch-thick wires), when we need to get to there (seamless, VR entertainment that’s as immersive as Star Trek’s Holodeck).
Despite the barriers, however, it’s clear that VR has momentum. Google announced its Daydream platform a couple of weeks ago, which could lead to a whole new generation of VR-compatible smartphones. Microsoft entered the fray as well earlier this week by opening up its Windows Holographic technology to VR use cases.
And even though virtual reality is expensive right now, it’ll get more affordable — and accessible — in the future. AMD, for example, just announced a $200 VR-ready GPU, which is far cheaper than anything else currently on the market. Of course, the technology will have to improve too.
But while we wait for the future to arrive, I guess we’ll have to live with awkward PC backpacks and strange flapping-bird contraptions at technology trade shows.
Stay on top of all the latest news from Computex 2016 right here.
Sega classic ‘Wonder Boy III’ remake is decidedly modern
The Wonder Boy series originally debuted in arcades in 1986, spawning five sequels over the next few years, namely Wonder Boy III: The Dragon’s Trap. That platformer made its way to the Sega Master System in 1989, featuring colorful and rich gameplay with “Metroidvania” elements and rave reviews from critics upon its release.
Now, developer Lizardcube and publisher DotEmu are looking to bring the classic to life once more for modern players with a drastic facelift. The new Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap is a gorgeous, hand-drawn affair with a new soundtrack to match its stunning looks. While the core gameplay is said to remain the same, taking players through a complex world as the shape-shifting protagonist Lizard Man, it looks to be introducing several new elements along the way.
Lizardcube will be releasing the game for both PC and consoles, though there’s no concrete date just yet.
Via: Polygon
AIVAnet 