Best Qualcomm-powered laptops of CES 2018

A new breed of laptop debuted just before CES 2018, powered not by Intel or AMD, but Qualcomm. These new ultra-mobile laptops are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors, and that means they’re engineered for longevity, reliability, and mobility. At CES 2018, we’re all getting a closer look at this new breed of laptop, and here are some of our favorites.

HP Envy X2

The HP Envy X2 is a luxurious little 2-in-1 with one of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 processors purring away inside a slick glass and aluminum chassis. The body itself immediately dispels fears that these Qualcomm laptops would just be a new type of Chromebook — inexpensive devices designed for expedience rather than experience. The HP Envy X2, wrapped in a blue leather case that doubles as a stand and a keyboard, certainly lives up to its name. It features a 1,920 x 1,200 resolution display, LTE connectivity, 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of SSD storage space.

Asus NovaGo

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

Don’t you hate when a laptop can’t see you through an entire workday? When you have to go dig out your charger and hang out near an outlet for the last few hours of your day? Well, the Asus NovaGo might change that for you. This thing is designed, like the other Qualcomm-powered laptops, to be a mobile workhorse, but this one takes mobility to the extreme. This thing is designed to keep you going for 22 hours on a single charge, with 30 days of standby time. Naturally these are manufacturer estimates so they might be a bit inflated, but still, if you get even half that out of the NovaGo that would place it among the best in its class. The NovaGo will start at $600 for the model with 4GB of RAM and a 64GB SSD, while the $800 model will feature 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage space.

Lenovo Miix 630

Matt Smith/Digital Trends

What about 20 hours of battery life and internet access no matter where you are? That’s what you get out of the Lenovo Miix 630, according to Lenovo that is. The Miix builds on the example set by the Surface Pro, delivering 2-in-1 functionality with a soft-touch case and integrated keyboard. It features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor and comes in a few different flavors, depending on your needs: It can feature 4GB of RAM or 8GB, and between 64GB and 256GB of SSD storage space.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Lenovo Miix 630 hands-on review
• Lenovo has its own Qualcomm-powered 2-in-1, claims 20 hours of battery life
• Super-efficient Windows laptops powered by Qualcomm phone chips are here
• Asus NovaGo, the first gigabit LTE-capable laptop, promises fast download speeds
• HP’s Envy x2 claims longest battery life of any detachable Windows PC

Xbox One adds ‘do not disturb’ mode for distraction-free gaming

Just over four years later and Microsoft is still adding features to the Xbox One that existed on its predecessor, the Xbox 360. Next up is a do not disturb mode that will “suppress” notifications and tells your friends list you don’t want to be bothered, according to a post on Xbox Wire. This should be especially nice for when you just want to kick back and watch a movie or video, or hell even play a game, in peace.

Other incoming features include new ways of tracking Achievement progress and changes to commenting on social feed posts. More granularity for auto-shutdown timing is en route as well, with options that will turn the console off after two, three, four and five hours.

The update is rolling out today for folks who are in the Alpha ring of the Xbox Insider program, and there are further experimental updates coming as well. Everyone else should see the new features over the next few weeks. Maybe game defaults are next so we don’t have to select things like manual transmissions in racing games or inverted Y-axis in every single title — a feature the Xbox 360 launched with over 12 years ago.

Source: Xbox Wire

GoBreath makes fixing your lung capacity fun

If you have issues with breathing after chest trauma, surgery or anesthesia, then there are breathing exercises designed to help. Normally, your ability to breathe is calculated by using a Spirometer, which isn’t that interactive, or accurate. That’s what prompted a team of Korean designers to begin working on GoBreath, a digital spirometer that tries to make breathing exercises fun. It’s another one of Samsung’s C-Lab projects to try and spin out neat product ideas from the Korean behemoth.

The small, white device connects to a smartphone over Bluetooth, and then you breathe into it in the normal way. But on screen, rather than a dull metric of how well you’re doing or a figure of your peak flow, the data is represented visually. For respiration, you need to follow a dot running along a graph, Flappy Bird-style, while coughing requires you to cough loud enough to shake the leaves from a cartoon tree.

Right now, it’s just a demonstration, and the team doesn’t — yet — have a clear road to turning this device into a product. But, you never know, in a couple of years, we may see Samsung-branded digital spirometers in use to help folks with damaged lungs get back on their feet.

Nicole Lee contributed to this report.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Have a need for speed? Learn to race drones with Fat Shark’s 101 training kit

Most of us have played a racing video game at some point, and whether it was a full-on simulator like Forza Motorsport 7 or one of those ridiculous snowmobile arcade games with the vibrating seat, you probably felt the thrill of what it’s like to go fast.

Actually going fast is dangerous, though, and expensive if you want to do it safely. Thanks to Fat Shark, you can learn to race with two feet planted on the ground — by utilizing a first-person view (FPV) headset and a microdrone from the Fat Shark 101 drone training system.

At this year’s CES Drone Rodeo in Las Vegas, we spoke with Grant Martin (see above), vice president of marketing for Fat Shark, who gave us some insight into the thought process behind the training kit: “A lot of people have seen drone racing on ESPN or CBS, and they wonder, ‘How do I get into drone racing?’ This is the kit that does that. … It lowers the barrier for entry so you can easily understand [drones] and that you can do it at an affordable price point.”

The hook here is an upgradable system where users can beef up their kit piece by piece. “The Recon headset comes with [the kit], but you can upgrade to a pro-grade headset (Fat Shark offers several different options, which vary when it comes to form factor, display ratio, and field of view) … [The Recon] is the Ford Taurus of headsets, but you can upgrade to a BMW M3,” the company said. Users can upgrade their cameras, quadcopters, and controllers individually (though Fat Shark doesn’t sell copters or radios à la carte), which opens the possibility of incremental upgrades at a few hundred dollars per piece, rather than spending thousands on a new drone all at once.

The system offers three different modes, depending upon the user’s level of expertise. “Easy mode,” for example, automatically stabilizes the quadcopter so you can learn the ropes without fear of the drone accidentally flying away (or crashing and burning). Although the kit is designed specifically for drone racing, beginners could easily have fun just flying around.

We also spoke with Fat Shark CEO Allan Evans, who was nice enough to stop by the Digital Trends CES booth for a quick interview. While drone classes are available, they’re typically aimed at professionals, and can cost thousands of dollars. Evans says that the company saw a need for a simple and comprehensive package aimed at teaching consumers how to fly drones safely and affordably. “It’s important to go through that educational process, because historically it’s been very hard,” he said. The company has invested in step-by-step instruction videos, which Evans sees as vital to making drone flying accessible.

Fat Shark 101 retails for $249 and is available via Fat Shark, as well as online retailers, including GetFPV, Horizon Hobby, and Ready Made RC.

Editors’ Recommendations

• Quadcopter kit from Fat Shark has wannabe drone racers in its sights
• During the Drone Rodeo at CES, the fastest pilots race for aerial supremacy
• The top 10 most expensive drones that you (a civilian) can buy
• AirSelfie debuts second-gen selfie drone with loads more memory and flight time
• Researchers wreck hundreds of drones in the name of safety

During the Drone Rodeo at CES, the fastest pilots race for aerial supremacy

Roughly 45 minutes from the Las Vegas strip, amid the sprawling sands and sparse flora of the desert, lies the Aerodrome, the premier location for drone enthusiasts to come and learn how to fly. It’s a place where drone pilots can fly without fear of breaking regulations. For years now, when CES rolls around, drone crowds descend on the aerodrome for the Drone Rodeo, an event where manufacturers can show off the latest in drone technology, where hobbyists can learn all about the next generation of drones, and perhaps most impressively, where drone racers flaunt their skills in dazzling displays of drone maneuvering.

“We’re super excited to be out here again,” Skyfire Consulting CEO Ben Kroll told Digital Trends. “This year we’ve got a lot of stuff going on. We’ve got drone racing, we’ve got MultiGP, which is an international organization that’s done drone races all over the place. And then we’ve got several different vendors that are out here, showing off new technology.”

That new technology should excite maverick drone racers who feel the need for speed. This year, according to Kroll, “We’ve got a couple of folks that are proclaiming to have the fastest production racing drone in the world right now.”

To the uninitiated, drone racing may not sound all that impressive, but compared to ordinary drone flying, it’s another world entirely. Racing drones can exceed speeds of 100mph and require constant, precise control to avoid crashing. Making things even more challenging, racers wear headsets during the race, seeing the world through their drone’s camera lenses.

Drone racing can be an intimidating scene, given the equipment and skill involved, but one of the companies involved with the Drone Rodeo, Fat Shark, has designed an entry-level racing drone (complete with headset) in the hopes of easing novices into the high-octane world.

Drone racers may have competition in the future — from the drones themselves. Among the trends in the drone world in 2018 is the development of autonomous drones. “One of the things that’s been difficult,” Kroll said, “is to develop an indoor autonomous flying drone that can learn as it flies, and learn its surroundings as it flies.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• Watch NASA’s A.I. race a pro drone pilot — you’ll never guess who wins
• Have a need for speed? Learn to race drones with Fat Shark’s 101 training kit
• A drone you can’t crash? It’s finally here, thanks to AR and smart glasses
• The top 10 most expensive drones that you (a civilian) can buy
• Yuneec unveils three new drones, including updated Typhoon H Plus

Swallow this ingestible gas sensor to spill the secrets of your angry gut

It may look like some strange artifact out of a steampunk novel, but a new and tiny pill-sized device developed by researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia,  is actually a functioning ingestible gas sensor that could one day help save you from a severe gut-related problem.

“We have developed an electronic capsule that measures gas biomarkers as it travels through your gut,” Dr. Kyle Berean, a research fellow in RMIT’s School of Engineering, told Digital Trends. “The gases are generally produced by the microbial communities that live inside you, your microbiome. Our capsule can sense how these communities are interacting with the food your feed them, the environment they are living in, and how they are working together as a community. The capsule itself is a standard 000 size — [making it the equivalent of a] fish oil tablet — and measures H2, CO2 and O2. It transmits this data out of the body to a handheld receiver. This receiver is then Bluetooth-linked to a mobile phone application that is both giving feedback to the user, as well as updating the cloud, giving the practitioner access to the data in real time.”

At present, there are very few diagnostic tools at hand for a gastroenterologist, a physician who specializes in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and liver. There are endoscopies and colonoscopies, but these cannot help if there are no visual markers present to indicate a problem. Another approach focuses on analyzing gases generated in the gut — although a method based on breath tests can yield lots of false positives and negatives because the few relevant molecules present in the lungs, in concentrations of just a few parts per million, are diluted by the breath.

The team’s new ingestible gas sensor aims to change the game by measuring these gases at the point of production to increase accuracy. The swallowable device consists of two gas sensors, a temperature sensor, microcontroller, radio-frequency transmitter, and silver-oxide batteries — all contained inside an inch-long polyethylene shell. The disorders it could help diagnose include irritable bowel syndrome , small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and general motility problems, as well as inflammatory bowel disease. It could even conceivably be used to indicate potentially fatal diseases such as colon cancer.

“Currently we have just completed the phase 1 trial on 26 healthy individuals proving the capsules’ safety and efficacy,” Berean said. “We have created a commercial vehicle, Atmo Biosciences, where we are currently looking for capital to start our phase 2 trials. These trials will take place on approximately 300 patients to prove the clinical significance. As someone who suffers from gut disorders myself, I feel quite strongly about getting this to patients as quickly as possible.”

Editors’ Recommendations

• The next thing for treating Parkinson’s symptoms could be … laser shoes?
• Sleep apnea patients may find some relief with the Go2Sleep wearable
• New disease-finding electronic nose sniffs poop so scientists don’t have to
• Diabetics can control their blood sugar with a smartphone and artificial pancreas
• Assistive tech is progressing faster than ever, and these 7 devices prove it

Western Digital launches wireless SSD, ‘world’s fastest’ 256GB flash drive at CES

Under both its WD and SanDisk brands, Western Digital has released three new products at CES, including a wireless SSD, a compact rugged SSD, and a high-capacity USB drive.

First up is Western Digital’s new WD My Passport Wireless SSD. Taking inspiration from its past SSDs, this version ups the ante with an integrated SD card slot. Capable of read speeds up to 65MB/s, the device features a one-touch copy button for easy off-loading of photos and videos from cameras.

Once safely backed up onto the device, photos, videos, and other content can be accessed wirelessly using its 802.11ac WiFi connection. Once connected to your mobile device, you can access, edit, and save photos and video directly from the My Passport without the need for a cable.

Western Digital claims a 10-hour battery life when used continuously, which should be more than enough for a day of heavy activity. If you’re in a pinch, you can also use the 6,700mAh battery inside as a means to charge your smartphone or tablet using the integrated USB 3.0 port.

Pricing ranges from $250 for the 250GB model to $800 for the 2TB model.

The next product on the docket is the USB-C SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD. This pocket-sized SSD features read speeds up to 550MB/s and capacities ranging from 250GB to 2TB. The device has an IP55 rating, which essentially means it can take abuse in the form of light rain, dust, and drops without skipping a beat. Prices start at $100 for the 250GB version and top out at $700 for the 2TB version.

Last up is the SanDisk Ultra Fit. Western Digital claims this is the world’s smallest 256GB USB flash drive. Barely large enough to see when plugged in, the Ultra Fit has read speeds up to 130MB/s and works with both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports.

It comes in various prices and capacities, ranging from $22 for the 16GB model and up to $150 for the 256GB model. There’s also a 1TB prototype model of the Ultra Fit floating around at CES, but there’s no information on when it will see the light of day.

Editors’ Recommendations

• This microwave-based hard drive will offer 40 terabytes of storage
• In the battle of SSD vs. HDD storage, the winner is clear
• Dell’s stick-sized external Thunderbolt 3 SSDs are extremely fast, but expensive
• Acer Swift 3 review
• Are enterprise hard drives more reliable than mainstream models? Report says no

Lenovo Mirage Solo is the first Daydream headset that doesn’t need a phone

The next phase in Google’s VR strategy starts today.

You can do a lot with Daydream today, but it has been clear since Google’s last developer conference that the company had greater ambitions for its nascent VR platform. Using a lot of the spatial logic the company gained from Project Tango, Google announced an expansion called Daydream Standalone. The goal was a headset that didn’t need a phone because it had its own hardware inside, and instead of standing still like you would with Daydream this headset would allow you to safely walk around.

We learned recently the first Daydream Standalone headset would be made by Lenovo instead of HTC, and now those plans have turned into something real. Meet the Lenovo Mirage Solo, the first Daydream Standalone headset.

Lenovo’s design for the Mirage Solo is wildly different from the all fabric all the time design Google has taken with Daydream up tot his point, and with good reason. This headset contains its own display, battery, cameras, and controls on the side of the headset. That means it needs to distribute weight a little differently in order to avoid feeling too front-heavy.

This is accomplished with a halo-style head strap, similar to what is used with a PlayStation VR and most Windows Mixed Reality headsets. Because the headset is a little larger and heavier than a Daydream headset, this more structured head strap makes the Mirage Solo much more comfortable. And best of all, the is design doesn’t apply any pressure around your eyes.

This particular Daydream Standalone headset is almost entirely white plastic, including the inside. The white plastic on the inside isn’t usually done with VR headsets, because the white can reflect light that sneaks in through the nose gap or through the sides. With black material that light is a lot less noticeable, which is why it is more commonly used. In our brief time with the headset it was clear the white amplified the light leak enough to be noticeable, but the seal against your face is enough that we didn’t experience it much even in a brightly lit room.

Like those other halo-style headsets, you can quickly put the Mirage Solo on and move around without worrying about the headset sliding around. That’s a big deal in this case, because you’re going to want to move around a lot more than you would with a normal Daydream headset. Google’s “WorldSense” capabilities in Daydream Standalone means you are going to be dodging, jumping, and ducking as you interact with new games design for this all-new experience.

The Mirage Solo promises PC-class tracking, but in the demos being offered right now, you’re not doing much in the way of walking around. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to; in fact, in our tests, it was clear Daydream had a sort of boundary system where you needed to recalibrate if you stepped out of bounds. It’s not quite as safety-focused as the digital walls you see in a Rift or a Vive, so questions remain about what the software will do to keep you from walking into walls.

If you’ve been waiting for something a step above Daydream without sacrificing portability, this is it.

Not every app and game you explore in this headset is going to offer that WorldSense capability, at least not initially. Google promises all 250+ Daydream apps and games from the existing headsets will be available to use in this headset at launch, complete with a Daydream Controller to explore those apps, but those are not WorldSense experiences. For that, Google promises a showcase will be available at launch. Since the headset is powered by the Snapdragon 835 with 4GB of RAM, it’s clear these new WorldSense experiences are going to be quite different from what we’re used to seeing in Daydream.

While headphone jacks are disappearing on phones, making the latest version of Daydream through the Pixel 2 a little more complicated in the process, Mirage Solo comes with a jack on the side. It sits opposite the USB-C port used for charging. You’re going to need headphones, since there are no speakers on the headset, and if you decide wireless is the way to go it supports Bluetooth 5.0 as well. One thing you won’t need to worry about is storage; Lenovo has included 64GB on board like you’d expect with any decent phone, and there’s a Micro-USB slot onboard to expand as high as you like. Combined with the USB-C port, you will also be able to add videos to your headset whenever you choose.

Finally, the battery. Google’s whole vision for Daydream has been to make it possible for people to enjoy VR for longer than you would a simple Cardboard experience. With a phone, you’re still limited by the desire to use your phone as an actual phone either before or after a VR experience. Mirage Solo packs a 4,000mAh battery, larger than you’ll find in most phones, and with the supposedly lightweight Daydream OS version of Android, that battery is expected to deliver up to seven hours of use.

If you’ve been waiting for something a step above Daydream without sacrificing portability, this is it. Google and Lenovo plan to make the Mirage Solo available for under $400 in the second quarter of 2018, and so far it looks like the headset will only be available in the one color.

Google Daydream

• Daydream View review
• The ultimate guide to Daydream
• These phones support Daydream VR
• Every Daydream app you can download
• Catch up with Daydream in the forums!

Google

Google is focusing on 180-degree video for VR headsets

Depth is more important than the sphere.

For several years now, 360-degree cameras have been seen as the best way for consumers to capture something for VR. It started with Photospheres, and slowly the cost of multi-sensor fisheye sphere cameras came down enough that it was reasonable for people to pick them up for fun. And it’s true, you can have a lot of fun capturing a 360-degree photo or video to share on Facebook.

Sharing on Facebook or streaming live to Twitter are very different experiences from recording something that is fully enjoyable in a VR headset. To do that well, you need depth. To capture depth, at least in video, you need a second camera to act as the other eye. This year Google is working with multiple manufacturers to make capturing for VR in the less common 180-degree format much, much easier.

Meet VR180

Lots of VR events are recorded professionally now with special 180-degree cameras, including NFL and NBA games through companies like NextVR. These cameras fully immerse the viewer in what is happening directly in front of them, but there’s typically nothing going on when you turn around with the VR headset on. The advantage here is you can sit still and become absorbed in what you are watching, instead on constantly being on the edge of your seat in case you need to turn around to follow the action.

Google has worked with several camera manufacturers to offer several options for VR180 capture later this year, offering a special app that works with many of these cameras out of the box. This new VR180 app will make it easy to connect to the cameras and share what you’ve captured quickly. These cameras are all designed to be held almost like a phone or rested on a tripod, and when you hit record everything on the sensor side of the camera is recorded. This allows the camera operator to hide a little, eliminating those awkward super up-close selfies and constant shots of the knuckles of whoever is holding the camera.

You can expect to see these cameras later this year:

Lenovo Mirage Camera

This camera is designed to be highly portable and very easy to use, with single-button activation for photo, video, and live broadvcasting. Wi-Fi Direct is built in so you don’t need to connect to your phone to upload or share your photos or videos, but you can and the connection will be faster and more stable than Bluetooth. If you do choose to connect to your phone, you’ll be able to use Google’s new VR180 app to act as the viewfinder.

Lenovo boasts this camera weighs in at just 139 grams, and small enough to fit in your pocket. Expect to see it on shelves in Q2 of this year for under $300.

YI Horizon VR180 Camera

The second consumer-focused VR180 camera working with Google makes it easy to interact with the new VR180 app for quick sharing and livestreaming. This camera is expected to be available later this spring, and we’ll add more details as we get them.

Google is also working with LG, Panasonic, and the Z Cam K1 Pro for a few different options for every kind of videographer, all expected to be ready later this year.

Lenovo Mirage Solo vs Oculus Go

Google and Oculus are competing like never before.

As cool as it is to be able to put your phone in a simple headset and be transported to another world, sometimes you need your phone to be a phone. It’s inconvenient to get to the end of the day and be unable to enjoy VR because your phone is nearly dead, or to have to take the protective case off of your phone every time you want to enjoy VR.

The solution, according to Google and Oculus, is to make headsets which have the hardware baked in. Google’s platform, called Daydream Standalone, allows multiple manufacturers to build headsets free from using your phone as a brain. Lenovo’s Mirage Solo is a prime example. The same can be said of the upcoming Oculus Go, which was announced late last year during the Oculus Connect conference. With both of these headsets expected to land later this year, it’s a good idea to see exactly how they compare side-by-side before considering a purchase. Here’s what you need to know!

Hardware compared

At first glance, Oculus Go is immediately recognizable as an Oculus product. The straps designed to hold the computer-y bits to your face are distinctly Oculus, and that’s a good thing because we already know they work well. The back straps are designed to hug the back of your head from multiple angles, while the front sides of the straps sit on rails that make sliding the headset on and off your face nice and easy. Unlike the Oculus Rift headset, which has separate headphones you pull down over your ears, Go has a pair of small spatial audio speakers on these rails designed to give you sound wherever you are. You can still use headphones if you choose, but this other option is always there.

Lenovo’s Mirage Solo more closely resembles its Windows Mixed Reality headset than it does either of the original Google-made Daydream headsets. There’s no fabric anywhere — using plastic instead — and the single halo-style strap for the headset is designed to be tightened onto your head with the adjustment wheel in the back of the headset. The advantage of this design is a better distribution of weight and less pressure directly on your face, which is nice when you want to use the headset for a long time. Mirage Solo includes a pair of cameras on the front of the headset for Google’s WorldSense features, which allow you to move around in a room instead of the typical seated VR experiences expected from phone-based VR experiences.

Here’s a quick look at how the specs break down:

While it’s clear we don’t currently have all of the Oculus Go details, in a lot of important areas the Lenovo Mirage Solo is a more capable headset (at least on paper). In particular, the limitation to Three Degrees of Freedom (3DoF) on the Oculus Go means you’re not going to be walking around with the headset on. In fact, with no camera on the front like you get with the Samsung Gear VR you’re likely to only want to use this headset while seated.

Software compared

While it’s true both of these headsets are going to offer some of the first phone-free, truly wireless VR setups, the software is going to be very different. Not just because Oculus and Google maintain their own digital stores, but because the approach to how both of these headsets will function is going to be very different.

Oculus Go is being built to be its own platform with its own games, but Oculus is also making it possible for developers who wrote Samsung Gear VR apps to port those apps to this new headset. Since Oculus Go is Android-based, it’s expected that this process will be very easy. That means you can expect many Gear VR apps to eventually make their way to Oculus Go, but there will also be lots of new apps made specifically for Oculus Go. When you go to actually play these games, it will become quickly clear there is very little difference between the Gear VR experience and the Oculus Go experience. In effect, Oculus is making a Gear VR that can be used anywhere without your phone.

Daydream Standalone is functionally more capable than the standard Daydream experience. The addition of Google’s WorldSense capabilities means there will be games that directly encourage you to jump around and duck like you would a PC-based VR system. Google also plans to make all 250+ of the current Daydream apps and games available on the Mirage Solo at launch, but the long-term plan allows developers to build apps and games with physical space in mind. Eventually, it’s likely there will be more Daydream Standalone apps than standard Daydream apps, and while these experiences won’t be visually superior to your average Daydream experience they will allow for a lot more interactivity.

It’ll be a while before anyone is able to say which headset is going to offer the best games, but it’s clear the plan for Daydream Standalone is considerably more advanced. That having been said, Oculus has a long history of scoring amazing games as exclusives for its platforms.

Which is best?

If you’re looking to spend money on a phone-free VR headset this year, both the Mirage Solo and Oculus Go are going to offer some great experiences for two very different kinds of users.

Oculus Go is clearly focused on delivering the existing Gear VR experience without needing a Samsung phone, and Oculus folks have said repeatedly this headset was priced to make it easy for anyone to jump in and enjoy VR. There’s no doubt this is going to be the best standalone VR headset you can get for $199 this year.

What Google is offering with Daydream Standalone through the Lenovo Mirage Solo is something more than what you can already get with a Daydream headset and your phone. WorldSense is all about being able to walk around in your VR world and move as though you are a part of it. You can’t do that with a Daydream headset right now, and you won’t be able to do it with an Oculus Go, either. That tech comes at a price, which is why the Lenovo Mirage Solo is going to be priced “under $400” when it is available later this year.

Choosing which headset is for you really depends on the kind of experiences you want. If all you want is a way to watch VR video and play simple games from your chair, Oculus Go is going to be great. There’s a good chance I won’t ever get on an airplane again without one of these headsets. If you’re looking for something a little more interactive, and you don’t have the space or the cash for a full PC or PS4 VR system, you’re going to want to take a closer look at the Mirage Solo.