Facebook to Overhaul News Feed With More Content From Family and Friends, Less From Publishers

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg this afternoon announced some major changes that are coming to the Facebook News Feed, which will cut down on the content displayed from publishers to instead highlight more content from family and friends.

According to Zuckerberg, feedback from Facebook users has suggested content from businesses, brands, and media is crowding out personal content from friends, something Facebook wants to correct. Rather than aiming to help Facebook users find relevant content, it will now help users find “meaningful social interactions.”

Based on this, we’re making a major change to how we build Facebook. I’m changing the goal I give our product teams from focusing on helping you find relevant content to helping you have more meaningful social interactions.

Zuckerberg says that it will take months to roll out the new focus to all of its products, but the first change will be coming to the News Feed, which will feature more content from family, friends, and groups. Less public content will be displayed, and what is displayed, should encourage meaningful interactions.

As we roll this out, you’ll see less public content like posts from businesses, brands, and media. And the public content you see more will be held to the same standard — it should encourage meaningful interactions between people.

Through implementing these changes, Zuckerberg expects to see engagement and the time people spend on Facebook go down, but the time that is spent on Facebook “will be more valuable.” Doing the right thing, he says, will be “good for the community” and Facebook’s business over the long term.

Tag: Facebook
Discuss this article in our forums

Sharp and Japan Display to Compete for iPhone OLED Panel Orders in 2018

More OLED panel makers are gearing up to compete with Samsung and LG for orders from Apple as soon as this year, according to industry sources (via DigiTimes).

Thanks to its existing production capability, Samsung was the sole supplier of OLED display panels for Apple’s iPhone X in 2017, which left LG Display under pressure from Apple and scrambling to invest billions in its OLED manufacturing facilities in time to compete for the next round of orders.

That investment appears to be paying off already, with LG Display reportedly in line to supply some OLED panels to this year’s new range of iPhones, which is expected to include two new 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhone models with OLED displays. LG Display will supply Apple with the 6.5-inch OLED panels, while Samsung will supply the 5.8-inch panels, according to one report.

Other suppliers now said to be jostling for third and fourth position in the OLED pecking order include Sharp, now a Foxconn Electronics company, and Japan Display (JDI). Both companies are preparing to churn out OLED screens as early as the second quarter of 2018, according to sources, citing Japan-based media reports. Sharp also aims to mount the flexible OLED screens on some of its own premium smartphone models set to launch in 2018, the sources added.

In stark contrast with the state of play early last year, the accelerating trend of Asian suppliers investing in OLED production facilities will “definitely” lead to an excess supply of the panels in the coming years, according to DigiTimes’ sources.

China currently has a total of 13 fabs capable of rolling out small- to medium-sized OLED panels. The combined production capacity of these 13 fabs will reportedly reach 350,000 substrates a month if all of them come online, said sources.

The adverse impact of any excess supply is expected to be offset by the increasing adoption of OLED panels in other “premier” models of consumer electronics products, although no examples were offered.

Today’s report follows news on Thursday that instead of competing for OLED display supply against Apple, some China-based smartphone makers are turning towards mini LED this year. Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi have reportedly asked Taiwan-based suppliers to begin producing mini LED backlighting in June in anticipation of products that would debut in the second half of 2018.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTags: Sharp, Japan DisplayBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Sharp and Japan Display to Compete for iPhone OLED Panel Orders in 2018

More OLED panel makers are gearing up to compete with Samsung and LG for orders from Apple as soon as this year, according to industry sources (via DigiTimes).

Thanks to its existing production capability, Samsung was the sole supplier of OLED display panels for Apple’s iPhone X in 2017, which left LG Display under pressure from Apple and scrambling to invest billions in its OLED manufacturing facilities in time to compete for the next round of orders.

That investment appears to be paying off already, with LG Display reportedly in line to supply some OLED panels to this year’s new range of iPhones, which is expected to include two new 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch iPhone models with OLED displays. LG Display will supply Apple with the 6.5-inch OLED panels, while Samsung will supply the 5.8-inch panels, according to one report.

Other suppliers now said to be jostling for third and fourth position in the OLED pecking order include Sharp, now a Foxconn Electronics company, and Japan Display (JDI). Both companies are preparing to churn out OLED screens as early as the second quarter of 2018, according to sources, citing Japan-based media reports. Sharp also aims to mount the flexible OLED screens on some of its own premium smartphone models set to launch in 2018, the sources added.

In stark contrast with the state of play early last year, the accelerating trend of Asian suppliers investing in OLED production facilities will “definitely” lead to an excess supply of the panels in the coming years, according to DigiTimes’ sources.

China currently has a total of 13 fabs capable of rolling out small- to medium-sized OLED panels. The combined production capacity of these 13 fabs will reportedly reach 350,000 substrates a month if all of them come online, said sources.

The adverse impact of any excess supply is expected to be offset by the increasing adoption of OLED panels in other “premier” models of consumer electronics products, although no examples were offered.

Today’s report follows news on Thursday that instead of competing for OLED display supply against Apple, some China-based smartphone makers are turning towards mini LED this year. Huawei, Oppo, and Xiaomi have reportedly asked Taiwan-based suppliers to begin producing mini LED backlighting in June in anticipation of products that would debut in the second half of 2018.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTags: Sharp, Japan DisplayBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

Goal Zero’s next-gen Yeti Lithium power stations are packed with new features

At CES 2017, Goal Zero’s Yeti Lithium 3000, a portable power station with plenty of convenient features, impressed us enough to win our Top Tech of CES Award for Outdoor Gear. Goal Zero made an appearance at CES 2018, and Digital Trends checked in to see the current status of the Yeti 3000, which is now available for purchase.

The new edition of the Yeti 3000 has USB-C ports, a USB-PD spec, and Wi-Fi. That last bit is crucial, as it allows you to control the Yeti from anywhere as long as you have a connection, so you can monitor the status of the battery, adjust setting to save power, or just crank up the juice.

“The cool thing about the 3000 is it comes with a really handy roll cart, an extendable handle, it’s got great wheels,” Lisa Janssen of Goal Zero said. “So you can really take it anywhere with you. I can have it at home, I can have it wired in, and then I can take it with me. Say I want to go camping, I want to throw it in the truck for an awesome tailgating party, it’s really mobile power, on demand, whenever, wherever you need it, without any sort of gasoline, without any sort of noise, and without the maintenance that comes with a traditional gas inverter.”

The battery will live for an estimated five years, and Goal Zero offers replacement batteries if the need arises. How much time does a single charge get you? Janssen estimated that with a full-sized refrigerator plugged in, a single charge would last about 40 hours.

As the name implies, the Yeti Lithium line marks the company’s first foray into the use of lithium power cells in its products. This delivers significant improvements in terms of both size and weight over the previous generation, which used lead-acid batteries instead. In comparison, the new Goal Zero Yeti Lithium 1000 weighs just 40 pounds — that’s 63 pounds lighter than the Yeti 1250, which has been on the market for several years. The new model is also more compact, shaving several inches off of its predecessor’s dimensions.

In addition to making strides in reducing the size of these portable generators, Goal Zero has also improved the way they work with other devices. The new AC inverter found on the Yeti Lithium models is now capable of putting out more than 1,500 watts of pure sine wave power, which translates to better compatibility with a wider variety of devices. In addition to charging smartphones, tablets, and laptops, these new batteries are also capable of running a portable refrigerator, space heaters,  power tools, and other high-capacity devices, all without creating excess noise or fumes, as a traditional gas-powered generator would.

This being a Goal Zero product, the new Yeti Lithium line can be recharged using a solar panel, or it can be plugged into a wall outlet at home or 12-volt port in your car. The next-generation generators also feature pass-through charging, which allows users to power up their mobile devices while continuing to charge the battery pack at the same time.

A new smart screen integrated onto the front of the Yeti Lithium provides constant monitoring of power consumption, showing how much is being drained by the gadgets that are plugged into it at any given time. That same screen also displays the time remaining until it’s full or empty, as well as an easy-to-read battery indicator for the current charge level. In other words, it helps take all of the guesswork out of knowing just how much power you still have at your disposal.

The Yeti 3000 is currently available from Goal Zero for $3,000. If you’re in the market for a power station, we’ve rounded up the best of them.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Stay powered up on the go with the best portable power stations
• Goal Zero adds Wi-Fi and mobile app compatibility to Yeti power stations
• 2018 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid first drive
• 2019 Porsche Cayenne S first drive review
• The best gaming laptops you can buy

Western Digital’s USB-C storage stick may be tiny, but it’s capacity is huge

Western Digital introduced new SanDisk-branded products during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, including the world’s smallest USB-C external storage stick, which has a not-so-small capacity of 1TB. Western Digital said the device was just a prototype, so the company couldn’t commit to a release date or price. But given that Dell’s just-revealed Thunderbolt 3-based storage stick with a 1TB capacity will set you back $799, this tiny USB-C drive could cost a pretty penny, too. 

The benefits of the SanDisk prototype are twofold. The drive will be compatible with mobile devices, laptops, and desktops that are now adopting USB-C connectivity. The capacity is also incredibly huge for the drive’s physical size, eliminating the need to carry a wallet-size external drive in your pocket. Unfortunately, we don’t know the read and write speeds of this device. although the USB-C port supports up to 5Gbps transfer speeds. 

The prototype’s eventual retail pricing will likely depend on the type of flash technology used in the stick. There are plenty of external SSDs sold on the market with 1TB of storage for around $350, such as the Samsung T5 Portable SSD with read and write speeds of up to 540MB/s. It measures 2.3 x 0.4 x 3.0 inches, which isn’t exactly monstrous in your pocket, but nowhere near as slim as the SanDisk prototype. 

The upcoming stick-shaped Dell Portable Thunderbolt SSD relies on the same storage technology used in its desktops and laptops, and promises up to 2,650MB/s read and write rates. But it’s also backed by Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, supporting data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, or 5,000MB/s. That means it has access to a PC’s internal fast lanes to provide internal-like speeds in an external device. 

That said, there’s a good chance SanDisk’s 1TB USB-C stick could cost somewhere between the larger $350 units, and Dell’s Thunderbolt 3-based stick. Given SanDisk is Western Digital’s mainstream-focused arm, the company will likely shoot for a mainstream-friendly price that won’t break the bank. But it’s still just a prototype, after all, and may never even see a store shelf despite the hype. 

SanDisk already serves up several storage drives supporting USB-C connectivity, such as the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive with four capacities ranging from 16GB to 128GB. It supports USB 3.1 Gen1, meaning the connection is theoretically capable of transfer speeds of up to five gigabits per second (Gbps), which translates to 625 megabytes per second (625MB/s). The drives have a read speed of up to 150MB/s (130MB/s on the 16GB model) despite the USB-C connectivity, and a starting price of just $10. 

Another SanDisk-branded USB-C storage solution is the Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C, with five capacities ranging from 16GB to 256GB. The write speeds are identical to the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive collection, only this family of storage sticks includes an additional USB-A connector (3.1 Gen1) mounted at the other end. This group is rather inexpensive as well, with a starting price of a mere $17. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Dell’s stick-sized external Thunderbolt 3 SSDs are extremely fast, but expensive
• Intel finally soothes the PC gamer crowd with high-capacity SSDs
• Dell’s refreshed Latitude laptops get to work with 8th-gen Intel Core, 4G LTE
• Lenovo’s updated ThinkPads include T480s with Nvidia MX150, affordable X-Series
• The most expensive iMac Pro costs over $13,000, and here’s what you could get on a PC

Western Digital’s USB-C storage stick may be tiny, but it’s capacity is huge

Western Digital introduced new SanDisk-branded products during the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show, including the world’s smallest USB-C external storage stick, which has a not-so-small capacity of 1TB. Western Digital said the device was just a prototype, so the company couldn’t commit to a release date or price. But given that Dell’s just-revealed Thunderbolt 3-based storage stick with a 1TB capacity will set you back $799, this tiny USB-C drive could cost a pretty penny, too. 

The benefits of the SanDisk prototype are twofold. The drive will be compatible with mobile devices, laptops, and desktops that are now adopting USB-C connectivity. The capacity is also incredibly huge for the drive’s physical size, eliminating the need to carry a wallet-size external drive in your pocket. Unfortunately, we don’t know the read and write speeds of this device. although the USB-C port supports up to 5Gbps transfer speeds. 

The prototype’s eventual retail pricing will likely depend on the type of flash technology used in the stick. There are plenty of external SSDs sold on the market with 1TB of storage for around $350, such as the Samsung T5 Portable SSD with read and write speeds of up to 540MB/s. It measures 2.3 x 0.4 x 3.0 inches, which isn’t exactly monstrous in your pocket, but nowhere near as slim as the SanDisk prototype. 

The upcoming stick-shaped Dell Portable Thunderbolt SSD relies on the same storage technology used in its desktops and laptops, and promises up to 2,650MB/s read and write rates. But it’s also backed by Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, supporting data transfer speeds of up to 40Gbps, or 5,000MB/s. That means it has access to a PC’s internal fast lanes to provide internal-like speeds in an external device. 

That said, there’s a good chance SanDisk’s 1TB USB-C stick could cost somewhere between the larger $350 units, and Dell’s Thunderbolt 3-based stick. Given SanDisk is Western Digital’s mainstream-focused arm, the company will likely shoot for a mainstream-friendly price that won’t break the bank. But it’s still just a prototype, after all, and may never even see a store shelf despite the hype. 

SanDisk already serves up several storage drives supporting USB-C connectivity, such as the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive with four capacities ranging from 16GB to 128GB. It supports USB 3.1 Gen1, meaning the connection is theoretically capable of transfer speeds of up to five gigabits per second (Gbps), which translates to 625 megabytes per second (625MB/s). The drives have a read speed of up to 150MB/s (130MB/s on the 16GB model) despite the USB-C connectivity, and a starting price of just $10. 

Another SanDisk-branded USB-C storage solution is the Ultra Dual Drive USB Type-C, with five capacities ranging from 16GB to 256GB. The write speeds are identical to the Ultra USB Type-C Flash Drive collection, only this family of storage sticks includes an additional USB-A connector (3.1 Gen1) mounted at the other end. This group is rather inexpensive as well, with a starting price of a mere $17. 

Editors’ Recommendations

• Dell’s stick-sized external Thunderbolt 3 SSDs are extremely fast, but expensive
• Intel finally soothes the PC gamer crowd with high-capacity SSDs
• Dell’s refreshed Latitude laptops get to work with 8th-gen Intel Core, 4G LTE
• Lenovo’s updated ThinkPads include T480s with Nvidia MX150, affordable X-Series
• The most expensive iMac Pro costs over $13,000, and here’s what you could get on a PC

Full-body Teslasuit allows virtual reality to reach out and touch you

Virtual reality is a feast for the eyes and ears, but what about the rest of your body? Companies are experimenting with ways to incorporate touch into VR experiences, and while products like the Sense Glove are cool, the Teslasuit is an effort to more fully immerse people in virtual environments by providing (almost) every inch of your body with haptic feedback. At CES 2018, Digital Trends talked to Teslasuit CEO Dimitri Mikhalchuk about the suit’s progress.

The suit uses an “electro-tactile haptic feedback system” to really put you inside the games you’re playing. “It covers the entire body. Currently we have 68 channels, we’re going to expand to even more by the time we hit the consumer level,” Mikhalchuk said. “It provides the sensations, anything from stroke to hard impact … but the hard impact we’ve specifically limited to the own wearer’s strength, not to damage any tissue or anything, to keep it safe.”

In theory, you’ll be able to feel when you bump into walls, or reach out to touch something in-game.

“Our electro-tactile haptic feedback system gives you the ability to touch and feel objects inside the virtual world,” says the project’s Kickstarter page.

The haptic feedback system, which stimulates your nerves directly with electricity so you can “feel” things in the virtual environment, is already common in the world of physical therapy. It’s likely the suit could be useful in those contexts, but for now the marketing seems focused squarely on the virtual reality market, a market that Mikhalchuk thinks is slowly reaching its potential.

“For the consumer market, we think there’s not enough headsets yet …” he said. “VR is getting untethered. Compared to Teslasuit, Teslasuit has been untethered from the very beginning. It’s built with multiplayer in mind straightaway, so we can have multiple users in the same area, or across the internet.”

The Teslasuit has started shipping out developer kits for game designers (since VR equipment lives or dies based on the software available), and hopes to have consumer models available in 2019. Full-body haptic feedback is one of the missing links between virtual reality as we know it today and a completely immersive “holodeck” experience, so we doubt the company will have trouble finding VR pioneers willing to pony up the cash.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The Sense Glove enables users to get a grip on virtual reality
• The best VR headset you can buy
• HTC Vive Tracker Review
• CryptoKitties lets you buy, sell, breed virtual cats using real digital currency
• The ZephVR blows air in your face, which might actually make VR better

Full-body Teslasuit allows virtual reality to reach out and touch you

Virtual reality is a feast for the eyes and ears, but what about the rest of your body? Companies are experimenting with ways to incorporate touch into VR experiences, and while products like the Sense Glove are cool, the Teslasuit is an effort to more fully immerse people in virtual environments by providing (almost) every inch of your body with haptic feedback. At CES 2018, Digital Trends talked to Teslasuit CEO Dimitri Mikhalchuk about the suit’s progress.

The suit uses an “electro-tactile haptic feedback system” to really put you inside the games you’re playing. “It covers the entire body. Currently we have 68 channels, we’re going to expand to even more by the time we hit the consumer level,” Mikhalchuk said. “It provides the sensations, anything from stroke to hard impact … but the hard impact we’ve specifically limited to the own wearer’s strength, not to damage any tissue or anything, to keep it safe.”

In theory, you’ll be able to feel when you bump into walls, or reach out to touch something in-game.

“Our electro-tactile haptic feedback system gives you the ability to touch and feel objects inside the virtual world,” says the project’s Kickstarter page.

The haptic feedback system, which stimulates your nerves directly with electricity so you can “feel” things in the virtual environment, is already common in the world of physical therapy. It’s likely the suit could be useful in those contexts, but for now the marketing seems focused squarely on the virtual reality market, a market that Mikhalchuk thinks is slowly reaching its potential.

“For the consumer market, we think there’s not enough headsets yet …” he said. “VR is getting untethered. Compared to Teslasuit, Teslasuit has been untethered from the very beginning. It’s built with multiplayer in mind straightaway, so we can have multiple users in the same area, or across the internet.”

The Teslasuit has started shipping out developer kits for game designers (since VR equipment lives or dies based on the software available), and hopes to have consumer models available in 2019. Full-body haptic feedback is one of the missing links between virtual reality as we know it today and a completely immersive “holodeck” experience, so we doubt the company will have trouble finding VR pioneers willing to pony up the cash.

Editors’ Recommendations

• The Sense Glove enables users to get a grip on virtual reality
• The best VR headset you can buy
• HTC Vive Tracker Review
• CryptoKitties lets you buy, sell, breed virtual cats using real digital currency
• The ZephVR blows air in your face, which might actually make VR better

Displaylink is ready to make wireless virtual reality setups, well, a reality

It isn’t CES without virtual reality, and this year we saw the first steps toward making wireless VR a reality. At its CES booth, VR company Displaylink explained to us how it aims to bring a fully wireless VR experience to both single and multiplayer VR gaming setups in the near future.

The Displaylink XR setup is designed from the ground up to offer total freedom of movement — no cables, no toppling over furniture, or accidentally yanking over your PC. It’s also the technology powering HTC’s official Vive Wireless Adapter, which works with both the upcoming Vive Pro and legacy Vive headsets.

So, how does Displaylink make this possible? After all, most high-end VR headsets have been notorious for being a tangle of cords, tethering you down to small play areas near your PC, and presenting potential hazards and obstacles to playing. Including a wireless option would require a very quick wireless connection, because of the massive amount of data streaming from the PC to the headset and back again.

“Enabling the very best wireless VR user experience requires a combination of the best technology and partnerships,” said Frank Soqui, general manager of VR and gaming at Intel. “Intel 802.11ad WiGig radios working in conjunction with DisplayLink’s XR codec take HTC’s Vive to a whole new level.”

To do that, the Displaylink technology uses Intel’s WiGig technology — think of a typical WiFi connection on steroids. Connectivity runs over the 60GHz frequency band, which is great for preventing interference with existing Wi-Fi networks. Bandwidth fluctuations are bad for graphics, but Display link’s codec dynamically adjusts the bandwidth in real time, to deliver 90 frames per second with its current build, and up to 120 fps in the future.

You’ll have to wait a little while before you get your hands on one of these wireless adapters — they won’t hit store shelves until the third quarter of 2018. Still, keep an eye out — pre-orders will likely open in advance of the official launch date.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Acer Windows Mixed Reality Headset review
• Windows Mixed Reality news: Here’s everything you need to know
• Killing friction: How Khronos’ OpenXR will standardize virtual reality
• Swing and a miss: Why virtual reality is striking out with sports fans
• Watch 2018 Winter Olympics events in virtual reality thanks to NBC and Intel

Ultrawings VR Review: Become the Pilot You’ve Always Wanted to

A flight simulator comfortable for the whole family

Gaming in VR is all about immersion, and one of the best ways to take advantage of that sensation is to climb into vehicles you otherwise wouldn’t. One of the best examples of this for PlayStation VR is UltraWings.

Here you can put on your aviator helmet and hop into one of three aircraft of your choosing. The controls aren’t as intricate as they are in games like Aerofly FS 2, but in my opinion that’s preferred as it will feel less like a job to play. The bright, smooth and cartoon-like graphics make this ideal for lighthearted flying time with the friends and family.

A bit slow to progress

I’d like to get into the cons first, because surprisingly enough aren’t many. The game play and tests you must complete while flying your aircraft are difficult, but also fun. The problem, however, resided in the fact that all the tests were all pretty much the same and the progression of the game was remarkably slow.

So, while I don’t see this being a game you’ll play on a day-to-day basis, I imagine it being quite a fun time to bust out on game nights. Besides, a flight simulator should be on every VR consumer’s game library to experience in a first-person 3D setting.

See at PlayStation Store
See at Oculus Store
See on Steam

Experience

The main menu resides in the office of an airport and, throughout the game, you can unlock more islands and airports to explore!
There are two different types of “Flight Controls” that change your gameplay type. I personally prefer “Simulator”, but if you are prone to motion sickness when playing VR you should definitely sick to “Arcade” version or have a light blowing fan on you to help.

Besides Flight Controls, you have the option to adjust your Comfort Mode as well. These options will change the way your cockpit looks. Comfortable is the default mode that makes it seem as if you are in a real cockpit. The Clear option lets you keep the frame of your cockpit, but opens the view to make it easier to see the scenery around you! And, finally, the last option is to have “None” which eliminates the view of the frame almost entirely.

If I’m being perfectly honest when it comes to adjusting your Comfort Mode it makes no difference regarding motion sickness. Seeing more of a drop-down in view might be a little more visually terrifying but it’s rather simple to get used to. Since the art is not hyper-realistic it’s actually pretty easy for your brain to remember it’s just a game.

Dealing with nausea in virtual reality

Controls

Ultrawings has a more laid-back touch to it than other flight simulator games like Aerofly FS 2. Now, there are still a few dashboard controls to help make your gameplay more intricate compared to others, but most are only used when starting your plane. The only switch relevant during flight is the one that controls the angles of your aircrafts wings.

While I appreciate not having to memorize a thousand different buttons and switches in the cockpit I found the overall controls were kind of difficult. After 3 hours of playing I was still not able to lift off my plane in even a semi-straight line. Once you’re in the air the controls get easier, but it surely takes some getting used to.

As for consoles, I recommend using the Oculus above all. This game was truly meant for the Touch controllers. It’s not terrible to play on the other consoles, so don’t worry if the Oculus is not an option for you!

Graphic

As mentioned above, the artwork of this game doesn’t even try to be hyper realistic, and that’s not a bad thing. The smooth cartoon graphics are like the type of graphics that Job Simulator uses and it works pretty good. Now, the islands could use more animals or something to add to the visuals. Even if they were little cubes with animal faces, let’s face it that would be hilarious, anything would have been better than just trees and rocks.

Speaking of visuals, each plane comes complete with a small VR tablet. The tablet, located somewhere obvious on each aircraft, is capable of being removed and used to take pictures. Of, you know, you can just take the easy way out and use your PlayStation VR to take a screenshot and upload it to your friends from there. Which is absolutely recommended considering how much glitchy complications you’ll deal with while using that tablet.

Fear of crashing?

One of your fears while playing a flight simulator in virtual reality is probably how terrifying crashing might be, right? Well, in my opinion I believe that Ultawings has handles this graphic well. Don’t get me wrong falling to the ground is still pretty terrifying, but the animation they use makes it quite bearable.

There is about a .5 second delay before the crash scene where the screen goes entirely black that really makes a difference. Then, instead of a crash simulator of broken glass and other terrifying things, you are shown cartoon knockout stars as the hue of what you are seeing changes color.

It’s safe to say while your stomach might drop, your heart won’t skip a beat and that’s amazing.

Hopes for the future

Chris Stockman, game developer for Bit Planet Games, has expressed an interest in adding a multiplayer option to a future sequel of the game. Without getting anyone’s hopes up I want to mention his quote states “if” they do one, so there is a possibility for either outcome. One thing that has been confirmed they are adding a new aircraft and new island, so at least we have that to look forward to!

See at PlayStation Store
See at Oculus Store
See on Steam

Thoughts?

Have you tried out Ultrawings? Do you have any awesome screen captures or videos to share with us? Tell us in the comments below!