Pokémon chief says Nintendo’s NX is both handheld and console
The head of The Pokémon Company has let slip that his outfit is working on a pocketable monster title for Nintendo’s NX. Given that TPC is part-owned by the Japanese gaming giant, he’s probably seen the new handheld/console/tablet hybrid up close and personal. The Wall Street Journal quotes Tsunekazu Ishihara as saying that “the NX is trying to change the concept of what it means to be a home console device or a hand-held device.”
Like the fable of the blind men holding an elephant, there’s been a lot of conflicting reports about what the NX will be. At this point, it looks like the device will be some sort of handheld device that has a TV component, or the other way around. Given that Nintendo has already developed a tablet-based console which, you know, didn’t do so well, it’s enough to be concerned about history repeating.
Our own Sean Buckley has gone deep into what Nintendo’s NX could look like, and how it would work up close and personal. His feeling is that the device will operate like Razer’s old Edge tablet, with hardware controls (and a TV link) at home, detaching to offer a lesser experience while out and about.
Ishihara, the naughty tease, declined to mention anything about the Nintendo NX, or when Pokémon NX would land. He did mention, however, that the obscure, niche mobile title Pokémon Go, has sent sales of related titles and merchandise through the roof. In addition, plans are underway to bring Go to China and South Korea, where mapping still needs to be enhanced.
Source: WSJ
Fujifilm and Michael Kors made a fashionable instant camera
Fashion designer Michael Kors wants to make a mark on the tech world. Less than a month after the debut of his brand’s Access Android Wear watches, a new product is being born from partnership with a popular camera maker. Meet the Michael Kors x Fujifilm Instax Mini 70, an instant film shooter that’s geared toward fashionistas everywhere. Or, really, anyone who feels nostalgic and wants a camera that reminds them of the good ol’ days. The MK edition of Fujifilm’s Instax Mini 70 features gold tones, a 60mm lens, flash and viewfinder — nothing shocking there.
Now, we do wish the device came with a rechargeable battery, as opposed to the pair of Cr2 lithium batteries that are required. Sure, you can buy a rechargeable set, but not from a known brand. Back to the design, you’ll also find Michael Kors’ replica signature on the back of the Instax Mini 70, as well as some additional branding on the front of it. It’s definitely more appealing than other Fujifilm instant models, such as the retro-looking Mini 90.
For all of that, though, you’re going to want to use the camera only on special occasions. While there is a film pack (10 shots) included in the box, extras go for around $15 in packs of two. That can add up when you consider that the camera alone is $149. There’s also no digital connectivity here, meaning you can’t share your pictures to a smartphone over Bluetooth or WiFi. You can, however, be extra meta and take a snap of your instant film shots and then post them on Instagram. Because why not.
The Michael Kors x Fujifilm Instax Mini 70 will be available for a limited time, from October 20th through the end of this holiday season. Fujifilm says it’s set to only hit Michael Kors retail stores and website at launch, though that could change later on.
The CoWatch brings Amazon’s Alexa to your wrist starting today
Amazon hasn’t dared to make a smartwatch of its own yet, but it might not have to when companies like iMCO have shoehorned Alexa into a wearable themselves. See, iMCO and the ex-Googlers working on the Cronologics OS have successfully turned what could’ve been another bit of crowdfunded vaporware into an actual product — the CoWatch — complete with blessings from Amazon. At last, you’ll be able to order multiple pairs of shoes straight from your wrist. Isn’t the future grand?
The CoWatch goes on sale on Amazon today with prices starting at $279, but we got to put a near-final model through its paces ahead of the company’s big day. Spoiler alert: having Alexa with you everywhere you go can be very cool, but the CoWatch definitely isn’t for everyone.
In fact, that becomes clear almost right off the bat. The CoWatch team managed to squeeze a lot into this stainless steel body: there’s an Ingenic dual-core chipset, 1GB of RAM, a screen running at 400×400 and 8GB of storage, the most I’ve ever seen in a wearable. While the whole thing is lighter than it looks, the watch’s thick body and high lug placement make things feel a little cumbersome. Even so, there’s enough horsepower here to keep things moving at a pretty reasonable clip — swiping through long notifications and launching apps to monitor your heart rate proved to be no problem for this chipset I’ve never heard of. The screen’s pretty bright too, though there doesn’t seem to be a raise-to-wake option; you’ll have to hit the crown button to do anything beyond glancing at the time. We need to spend more time with the watch to pass any serious judgments, but the hardware seems adequate so far.
The software loaded onto the CoWatch holds more promise. Instead of embracing the rigidity of Android Wear, iMCO went with an upstart Android-based OS from an outfit called Cronologics. Navigating it is simple enough: swiping down on the clock screen reveals your notifications, and swiping up brings up quick actions like toggling airplane mode and a battery meter. There’s technically a separate page for your apps, but you’re not going to use it much — Cronologics designed the interface so app shortcuts appear as complications on the watch face itself. Easy, no?
The Cronologics OS is actually built on top of Android Lollipop, and that’s where the extra flexibility comes from. The watch can technically run any standard Android app, though there doesn’t appear to be away to sideload them. (That’s probably for the best since most Android apps obviously aren’t meant to run on screens this small.) It works just fine with both iOS and Android devices, too. The real magic lies in how the OS can connect to web-based services like IFTTT for one-touch actions and yes, Amazon’s Alexa.
Using Alexa on your wrist is about as straightforward as you’d expect — you invoke her either by holding down the crown button or tapping an Alexa complication on the screen. From there, the usual hijinks apply: the watch was able to tell me how old Jeff Bezos is and the distance from the earth to the moon, and it helped me order some socks too. The process felt far from instantaneous, though. In general it took a while for the watch to interpret my questions, pass it along to the Alexa web service and give me the appropriate response. Setting the feature up can also be a little tricky since it requires the watch to be tethered to your phone — a no-go on old, grandfathered unlimited data plans like the one attached to my iPhone.
Once I paired the CoWatch with another Android phone though, it only took a few moments to get acquainted with Alexa — not bad, especially since I don’t have an Amazon Echo at home. Then again, I’m already well known among by colleagues for having poor impulse control, so the ability to buy just about anything from Amazon without even having to look at a screen seems troubling for my bank account. It appears the age of the always-connected shopping assistant is upon us, though: the Omate Rise is getting Alexa support as well.
While we’re not ready to deliver a verdict on the CoWatch just yet, the level of promise here is tough to ignore. I could personally take or leave the hardware, but if Cronologics pushes to get developers onboard and keeps hooking the OS into web services we all use anyway, the CoWatch just might become a contender. Alexa is just the tip of the iceberg, friends — there’s still plenty of smartwatch envelope-pushing to be done
Popular Weather App ‘Dark Sky’ Expands to the Web
Weather forecast app Dark Sky has expanded its services to the web, with a full-featured browser site that offers much of the main app’s pinpoint-accurate weather predictions and data (via Wired). Dark Sky co-founder Adam Grossman said the reasoning behind introducing a desktop site for Dark Sky was for people who preferred not to take out their phone when sitting at their computer, but still wanted Dark Sky’s accurate readings.
On DarkSky.net, the first pieces of data showcase the temperature, a brief incoming warning about potential bad weather (“Light rain starting in the evening,” for example), along with a 24-hour forecast. Wind, Humidity, Dew Point, UV Index, Visibility, and Pressure are also all listed at the top of the website. A large local map takes up the center of the page, and can be customized to show visuals like Temperature, Precipitation, Wind Gusts, and more.
“We really needed that companion website to Dark Sky,” says Dark Sky co-Founder Adam Grossman. “If you’re on your desktop, maybe you don’t want to pull the phone out of your pocket.”
The bottom of the site houses the weekly forecast, where users can click on each upcoming day for a more in-depth breakdown of the coming week. There’s even a “Time Machine” feature below the weekly forecast that lets users jump back or ahead to a specific day and check out all of the expected weather data that happened, or will happen, in its 24-hour span.
Grossman said it’s easier to experiment with things on the web, so the company has thrown in a few new aspects of Dark Sky, like microclimates, which could potentially come to the iOS and Android apps one day. If users check out the Grand Canyon, for instance, they can zoom down and see how the temperature changes as they descend. The website does lack the mobile app’s well-known notifications — which give weather warnings ahead of time — due to “less reliable” notification data and GPS location tracking that’s “harder to pin down.”
Image via Wired
Some additions that are downright clever. Whereas Forecast.io only showed a precipitation map, the Dark Sky site’s maps are situationally aware. If you head there on a potentially snowy day, for instance, it will automatically know to serve you an accumulation map. Even the precipitation maps have gotten more refined. If it’s going to rain soon, you’ll get a detailed radar view. If there’s rain nearby potentially heading your way, Dark Sky will load a bigger picture view.
The new site is said to be a bolstered version of the company’s previous desktop site Forecast.io, although Grossman admits that they “made it as an experiment,” and the new site is a better version. Also beneficial to users is Dark Sky’s adherence to a no-advertisement policy, because Grossman and the team wanted to avoid pratfalls of other big weather websites that are “filled with ads top to bottom, and crusty links to other articles.”
You can check out DarkSky.net now, and the mobile version of Dark Sky can be downloaded for $3.99 from the iOS App Store. [Direct Link]
Tag: Dark Sky
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Allo and phone numbers: Everything you need to know
How Google’s chat app handles phone numbers, multiple devices and switching phones.
Allo is tied to both your Google account — for intelligent predictions and Google Assistant — and your phone number, for helping friends and other contacts find each other. But the phone number requirement also introduces a few limitations in the way you can use Allo.
Here’s a thorough breakdown of how things currently work.
Can I use Allo without a phone number?
No. Allo is tied to your Google account, but it also uses your phone number to discover contacts. You’ll need to activate Allo by receiving an authentication code by text message during the setup process
Can I use Allo on more than one phone at once?
No. Right now signing into Allo on a second phone signs you out on the first. You’ll see a message like this:
What happens to my chat history and group chat memberships when I switch phones?
When you sign into Allo on a new phone, your group chat memberships — but not your chat history — will go with you. Allo chats live on your device, not in Google’s cloud, and there’s currently no way to back up chat history, like there is with WhatsApp. (Any undelivered messages will appear on your new device, however.)
It’s a pretty major oversight, and a feature we’d expect to be added to Allo before long.
Can I use Allo on tablets?
Android tablets appear to be unsupported through the Google Play Store at present. Google lists iPad support on its official site, so it’s likely Android tablets will be coming soon to the platform. However, if and when this happens, the same phone number restrictions are likely to apply.
Can I use Allo on desktop, Chromebooks or the web?
There’s no desktop app or web interface for Allo yet. In theory you could use Chrome OS’s Android app support, when it launches, to use the app on your Chromebook, but even then you’d have the same phone number restricitons. (Logging in on your Chromebook would sign you out on your phone.)
What if my phone number changes?
You can unregister your phone number through the Settings menu. Unregistering your phone number will remove you from any groups, and permanently delete your chats. Your Google Assistant interactions won’t be deleted, so long as you’ve also added a Google account.
If you’re changing phone numbers permanently — for example changing carriers — you’ll want to make sure you unregister your number beforehand. That’s because Allo messages are tied to your phone number, and in theory your old number could be allocated to someone else in future.
There’s currently no way to port chat history or group chat memberships between numbers, as there is for WhatsApp. (Because right now there’s no way to transfer or back up chat history at all.)
Allo can send you messages on Android even if you don’t install it
On Android, friends with Allo can bug you even if you haven’t installed the app yet.
Google has built a unique trick into its new messaging app, Allo, which it surely hopes will help spread its reach throughout the vast Android user base. Allo can send messages to your Android friends, even if they don’t have the app installed.
It’ll look a little something like this:
Be prepared for confused responses from your friends.
The notification lets you respond through text along (as opposed to stickers, photos or anything like that), or alternatively ignore it altogether. There’s also a button taking you straight to the Play Store install page for Allo.
How can Google do this? The notification is generated by Google Play Services, which is installed on just about every Android phone, and updates silently in the background.
For that reason, there’s a good chance your Allo contact list will contain a good few people who don’t have the app installed yet. And so be prepared for confusion when messaging people for the first time. The feature does seem to be a bit flaky, though. Some people without Allo installed who are on our contact lists aren’t getting these “introductory” messages through Play Services, while others are.
Google, as a platform holder, has a unique advantage over other chat apps in that it can allow Allo to reach anyone running the latest version of Play Services. Whether that’s fair is debatable, but it’s certainly a powerful way to drive installs of a new app.
Anyone receiving (or sending!) random Allo messages this morning? Getting confused replies back? Shout out in the comments!
Morning brief: Allo arrives, HTC is up to something, and Xiaomi wants us to be healthy
You can now play around with Google Assistant, HTC is working a couple of interesting phones, and LeEco’s Snapdragon 821 monster is here.
Today’s turning out to be a wacky Wednesday, in large part thanks to the launch of Allo. The messaging service is giving us a first look at what’s capable with the Google Assistant, and thus far, I’m liking what’s on offer. In other Google news, Maps and Drive have received usability updates, and the company has managed to secure an extra three weeks to respond to EU’s antitrust charges.
It looks like HTC is readying a tweaked variant of the HTC 10 for Sprint called the Bolt, which will likely make its debut next month. Another leak reveals that HTC is working on three new phones containing the Ocean codename. Meanwhile in China, LeEco unveiled the Le Pro 3, which is the second handset (after the ZenFone 3) to be powered by the Snapdragon 821 SoC.
Xiaomi is finally bringing its Mi Ecosystem products to India, starting with the Mi Air Purifier 2. Considering the deteriorating air quality levels in most parts of the country, the product could not have come at a better time. It’s time for the news!
Allo is here!
Allo is now available for download from the Play Store. Based on your region, the service may not be available just yet, but in the meantime, you can take a look at our coverage to see what you’re getting with the service.
HTC Bolt revealed, headed to Sprint next month
Evan Blass has posted a render of what appears to be a slightly modified HTC 10 dressed in Sprint’s branding. A previous tweet by Blass points to an October release window. As for likely launch dates, the clock in the screenshot reads October 18.
More ‘HTC Ocean’ codenames emerge
Adding fuel to recent ‘HTC 11’ leaks, prominent HTC leaker LlabTooFeR tweets that the device codenamed “Ocean” actually consists of three variants: Ocean Master, Ocean Note and Ocean Smart. Of the three, “Ocean Note” hints at a larger form factor HTC phone, something we haven’t really seen since 2013’s One Max.
Xiaomi brings its air purifier to India
Xiaomi’s Mi Air Purifier 2 is all set to go on sale in India from September 26 on Mi.com. The device features a triple-layered filter that consists of a PET pre-filter, an EPA filter, and an activated carbon filter. The air purifier has a built-in air quality monitor, and can be controlled through the Mi Home app. It’ll be available for ₹9,999 ($150).
Xiaomi’s latest fitness band also coming to India
Xiaomi has also launched its latest fitness tracker in India. The Mi Band 2 will be available for ₹1,999 ($30), and will go on sale from September 27. Unlike the first-gen Mi Band, the latest iteration of the budget fitness tracker sports a 0.74-inch OLED screen and a heart rate sensor. The 70mAh battery is touted to last 20 days, and the band syncs with your phone over Bluetooth LE.
Google Maps now shows the direction you’re facing
Google is making it easier to orient yourself in Maps. The direction arrow is gone, and in its place you’ll find a shrinking blue beam on your blue dot that shows the direction you’re facing. The narrower the beam, the more accurate your direction. Oh, and Google says that you should move your phone in a figure 8 motion a few times to improve the compass calibration.
Google Drive search gets a lot smarter
Google has added its search smarts to Drive. The service now supports Natural Language Processing queries, which means that you can search for things like “find my budget spreadsheet from last December,” and Drive will surface the relevant results. Search also gets autocorrect, and Google is adding new features into Drive as well: you’ll be able to split your document into multiple columns, and when you edit edit non-Google files, a copy of the original is saved.
LeEco Le Pro 3 unveiled with Snapdragon 821, 6GB RAM
After a spate of rumors, the LeEco Le Pro 3 is now official in China. The handset eschews the 3.5mm port (much like the Le Max 2), and features a 5.5-inch Full HD display. It comes with a Snapdragon 821 SoC, 6GB of RAM, 64GB storage, 16MP camera, 8MP front shooter, and a 4070mAh battery. No word on international availability yet.
Google has until Oct. 7 to respond to EU antitrust charge
Google has been given a three-week extension to respond to the EU’s antitrust charges. The company now has until October 7 to show that it has not misused its dominant position with Android by pre-installing its own services like Google Search and Chrome. If found guilty, Google could face a €3 billion fine.
How to download and share movies, music, and books on Google Play
Google Play is more than just an app store.
We know that Google Play is where you’re downloading most, if not all, of your apps, but there’s much more that they offer. There are millions of books and movies for you to escape into, and music for every taste and time. While it may still seem odd to some of us to buy movies on your phone, or to buy an album that doesn’t come in a sleeve, there’s plenty here to love and enjoy, and we’re here to help you make the most of the entertainment side of Google Play.
- How to search for movies and TV
- How to browse movies and TV
- How to buy movies and TV
- How to share movies and TV shows with your family
- How to browse music
- How to buy music
- How to tell if music in Google Play is on All Access
- How to browse for books
- How to buy books
- How to share books with your family
How to search for movies and TV
If you already know what show or film you’re looking for, you can search for it by name rather than browsing through the different genres of Google Play.
Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap Entertainment, in the green bar next to Apps & games.
Tap the white search bar at the top of the screen.
Enter the name of the movie or show you’re looking for and Tap the search icon on the keyboard (should be in the place of the Enter key).
The search results will show anything available related to your search term. Tap MORE to browse only movies and TV shows.
Everything will be organized for you into different categories to help you find what you’re looking for.
If you don’t see the film you’re looking for, it might not be available in Google Play yet. If you’re not sure what exactly you’re after, you can browse Google Play a few ways for movies and TV shows.
How to browse movies and TV
If you’re looking for popular films, you can browse the top charts in Google Play
Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap Entertainment, in the green bar next to Apps & games.
Tap Movies & TV, the red bubble in the carousel below the Entertainment button.
Tap Top Selling in the carousel at the top of the screen.
You can see the top selling movies and shows, each in their own tab. We can also browse new releases in the carousel next to Top Selling, but if you’re looking for something a little more specific, we can browse movies by genre or studio.
Tap Entertainment, in the green bar next to Apps & games.
Tap Movies & TV, the red bubble in the carousel below the Entertainment button.
Swipe left to slide the carousel and tap Genre or Studio, and select the genre or studio you wish to browse.
Some genres have subgenres and deals for you to browse, but even if they don’t all, genres will at least have a Top Selling and Top Rating list for you to peruse. You can browse TV shows the same way, simply tap the TV option in the carousel and browse by genre or network.
How to buy movies and TV shows
Once you’ve found a movie or episode to buy, we have a few options for payments. Before we get started with those, if you are part of a Google Play Family Library and wish to share the media you’re about to buy with that Family Library, you first have to purchase it with the family payment option or your Google Play credit.
Tap the Buy button. If an SD version is available, the box will read “Buy from $XX.XX,” if not, the box will read “Buy HD $XX.XX.”
If an SD option is available, select either SD or HD. (Note that higher-quality HD content can take up a lot of storage space!)
The payment window will appear. If you wish to select another means of payment, tap the price or title to reveal the Payment methods button.
Tap the preferred payment option you wish to use.
Tap Buy.
Tap Confirm your purchase using your Google account password, or fingerprint if available.
Payment will be processed and a “Payment successful” window will appear, asking you if you would like to watch your new purchase in the Google Play Movies & TV app. If you bought a season of a TV show that is in progress, the current episodes will be added to your library immediately and new episodes will be added as they’re available.
How to share movies and TV shows with your family
If you’ve purchased an eligible movie using your family payment option and wish to share it with your Family Library, you can do so after purchase by sliding the Family Library toggle directly below the Play button in the movie’s listing.
If you want to make sure a movie or show you’re purchasing is eligible for Family Library, look below the summary. Where the icons for Rotten Tomatoes, subtitles and audio language are will be a house icon with a heart in it, with the title Eligible for Family Library.
How to browse music
For music, we can browse by genres and by popularity. If you’re looking for newer songs, or older songs that are trending again, the top charts will be the place to look.
Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap Entertainment, in the green bar next to Apps & games.
Tap Music, the orange bubble in the carousel below the Entertainment button.
Swipe left on the carousel to browse through the different music categories in the Google Play Music section. Your options are: Top Songs, Top Albums, New Releases, Genres, and Pre-Orders.
Tap Top Songs, Top Albums, or New Releases to see the latest charting music on Google Play Music.
Tap Genres to browse through all the genres available. Some smaller genres such as Soundtracks will only show the Top Albums, New Releases, and Top Songs charts, but larger genres like Pop and Rock will feature subgenres, highlighted collections, and discounted albums in addition to the genre’s top charts.
The Pre-Orders section is where you can learn about future releases coming to Google Play Music soon, and buy them in advance so you can listen to them as soon as they’re available.
How to buy music
Once you’ve found an album or song you want to purchase, buying it is a breeze. Remember that music purchases in Google Play go to your Google Play Music library and are encrypted by the app. If you’re buying a song and wanting to listen to it in another music player, you’ll have to download it on a computer from the Google Play Music website or using Google Play Music Manager.
Tap the album or song price.
The payment window will appear. If you wish to select another means of payment, tap the price or title to reveal the Payment methods option.
Select the payment method you wish to use.
Tap Buy.
Confirm your purchase using your Google account password.
A “Payment successful” window will appear after your payment is processed and your purchase will be added to your Google Play Music library. You’ll be invited to listen to your new purchase in the Google Play Music, which will open the app and start a new queue your newly purchased music.
How to tell if music in Google Play is on All Access
Google Play Music All Access, Google’s music subscription service, can be a great value, especially as it includes YouTube Music and YouTube Red which eliminates ads on YouTube. If you’re an All Access subscriber, you may not need to buy music already included in your subscription. Fortunately, finding out which music is included with All Access is simple.
If an album is available in All Access, there will be a Listen button next to the orange Buy button on that album’s Google Play listing. Also, a caption below the Listen and Buy buttons reads This album is available to stream with a Google Play Music subscription.
How to browse for books
When looking for a new book to escape into, we have the “specials” and “featured” sections in the main Books section, and then we have the various genres and top charts. To see which books have been popular lately, we can check out the top sellers.
Tap the Google Play icon on your home screen.
Tap Entertainment, in the green bar next to Apps & games.
Tap Books, the blue bubble in the carousel below the Entertainment button.
Swipe left on the carousel to scroll through the different book categories: Top Selling, New Releases, Genres, Comics, Children’s Books, Top Free.
Tap Top Selling, New Releases or Top Free to see that specific chart of book releases on Google Play.
Tap Genres to continue to browse for a book based on your preferred genre.
You can also browse the top free books by swiping all the way over in that top carousel. If you want to narrow things down by type, you can tap Genres in that same carousel. Most genres will also feature subgenres to help narrow things down even more, while also showing featured collections and series in addition to the top charts for that particular genre.
How to buy books
Once you’ve found a book worth your buck, it’s time to buy and get reading. Again, if you are part of a Google Play Family Library and wish to share the book you’re about to buy with your family, you have to buy it with the family payment option or Google Play credit.
Tap Buy $XX.XX.
The payment window will appear. If you want to select another means of payment, tap the price or title to reveal the Payment methods button.
Select the payment option you wish to use.
Tap Buy.
Confirm your purchase using your Google account password.
How to share books with your family
If you’ve purchased an eligible book using your family payment option and wish to share it with your Family Library, you can do so after it is purchased by sliding the Family Library toggle directly below the Read button in the book’s listing to the right.
If you want to make sure a book you’re purchasing is eligible for Family Library, look below the summary. Where the icon for the Bubble Zoom preview is will be a house icon with a heart in it, with the title Eligible for Family Library.
That’s it. Happy listening, viewing and reading!
Huawei Mate 9 now due in November?
It was only last week we reported the Huawei Mate 9 would be released in December. The news came from Chinese site Weibo, but now a week on and the same site is speculating a November release instead.
And if the rumours are to be believed, Huawei will actually have three versions of the phone to release, the most expensive one being bundled with a Huawei Watch smartwatch.
- Huawei Mate 9 all but confirmed for December release
Fortunately, the Kirin 960 processor is still predicted, but the different versions will come with different amounts of RAM and internal storage. The cheapest of the three phones will come with 4GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of storage while the most expensive will have 6GB of RAM and 256GB of storage.
The cheapest model is expected to just be rolled out in Europe, with an estimated cost of 699 euros.
The user on Weibo also states the three phones will be available in nine different colour choices: Amber Gold, Ceramic White, Amber Gray, Rose Gold, Moonlight Silver, Sky Gray, Mocha Gold, Champagne Gold and Enamel Gloss Black.
Elsewhere things are just as we’ve seen before; a dual lens rear camera, with both sensors being 20-megapixels, 5.9-inch full HD display and Android 7.0 or 7.1. While the actual release month is a little up in the air at the moment, we can be safe in the knowledge we’ll see the Huawei Mate 9 before the year is out.
Oculus Touch controllers price revealed, prepare to take a sharp breath
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset went on sale in UK stores yesterday, and with it came pricing details for the long-awaited Oculus Touch controllers that are to be made available before Christmas.
Pocket-lint has had the pleasure of using the Touch controllers on several occasions and they make for a better, more natural VR experience than the Xbox One controller or Oculus remote that are packaged with the Rift.
Like with the HTC Vive wands, you can use them to manipulate objects in the virtual world, with individual controls for your fingers and thumbs. They enable you to grasp virtual items or even pull the trigger of a gun – all tracked by external sensors.
- Oculus Rift now available in UK stores, get a demo in John Lewis and other shops
- Best VR headsets to buy in 2016, whatever your budget
- Oculus Rift: Price, shipping date and everything you need to know
- Oculus Rift preview: The VR revolution begins here
- Minecraft on Oculus Rift preview: VR heaven or just a load of old blocks?
However, as much as they affect the way you use your hands in VR games and software, they also have great significance to your pockets; they make them considerably lighter.
A banner in a Game story in the UK, as posted on Twitter by Engadget reporter Nick Summers, revealed that the Oculus Touch controllers will cost a staggering £189.99. Add that to the current, post-Brexit price of the Rift itself, which is now £549, and you’re looking at just shy of £740 for the full VR experience.
Oculus Touch controllers to cost £190 in the UK. Crikey. pic.twitter.com/zg9JTNiCg8
— Nick Summers (@nisummers) September 20, 2016
We originally baulked at the price of the HTC Vive, which costs £759 these days, but considering it comes with motion controllers already we can see why it was so costly.
The Oculus Connect developers conference starts on 5 October in the States, so we’ll find out more about the Oculus Touch controllers then, no doubt – a release date, perhaps. Pocket-lint will be in attendance to bring you all the further news as it happens.
AIVAnet 