Aquatic drone swarms are coming to a body of water near you

We haven’t heard the “Aquabotix” name in awhile, but that doesn’t mean the company’s been resting on its laurels. The aquatic drone company has been working on SwarmDivers, which as the name suggests, is a cluster of drones that can “function simultaneously as a single coordinated entity, be easily controlled via one operator on the surface, and perform dives on command” according to a press release.

The main focus is military/defense applications for now. The press release only mentions other applications briefly, and right at the end, saying that the drones are capable of research, harbor management and oceanography too.

As far as the intended applications go, the first one mentioned is reconnaissance. The system is apparently capable of “sophisticated, coordinated assaults” by tracking, trailing and overwhelming targets, as well. The drones can dive up to 50 meters, weigh 1.7kg (3.7 pounds) and at 75cm (29.5 inches) are relatively tiny. Wanna see them in action? That’s what the video below is for.

Via: ZDNet

Source: PR Newswire

Mac Shipments Remain Steady in Q1 2018 Amid Continuing Worldwide PC Decline

Amid a continuing decline in worldwide PC shipments, Apple’s Mac sales have remained steady in the first quarter of 2018, according to new PC shipping estimates shared this afternoon by Gartner.

Apple shipped an estimated 4.26 million Macs during the first quarter of 2018, up from 4.2 million Macs in the year-ago quarter, marking 1.5 percent growth.

Apple’s market share for the quarter comes in at 6.9 percent, up from 6.7 percent in Q1 2017. Apple was ranked as the number four PC vendor worldwide during the quarter, coming in after HP, Lenovo, and Dell, and ahead of Asus and Acer. Apple was ranked the number five vendor during the same quarter last year, but this year, it surpassed Asus.

Gartner’s Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q18 (Thousands of Units)
Most vendors saw shipments remain steady during the quarter. HP, the number one worldwide PC vendor, shipped 12.9 million PCs during the quarter for 20.8 percent market share, while Lenovo, a close competitor, shipped 12.4 million for 20 percent market share. Dell came in third with 9.9 million shipments and 16 percent market share, while Asus and Acer brought up the rear with 3.9 and 3.8 million shipments, respectively.

The overall worldwide PC market, however, declined 1.4 percent year over year. In total, there were an estimated 61.7 million PC shipments during the quarter, down from 62.6 million in the year-ago quarter and the 14th consecutive quarter of decline.

Apple saw less growth in the United States. During Q1 2018, Apple shipped an estimated 1.49 million Macs, a 0.5 percent increase from the 1.48 million Macs it shipped in the year-ago quarter. Apple was also ranked the number four PC vendor in the U.S., trailing behind Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

Gartner’s Preliminary U.S. Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q18 (Thousands of Units)

Dell was the top U.S. PC vendor 3.44 million shipments, while HP shipped 3.35 million machines and Lenovo shipped 1.63 million. The overall PC market in the U.S. saw a 2.9 percent decline compared to Q1 2017.

Apple’s Market Share Trend: 1Q06–1Q18 (Gartner)
IDC also released its own shipment estimates this afternoon, and as is often the case, IDC’s shipping estimates are quite a bit different from Gartner’s. IDC and Gartner’s data often varies due to the different ways each firm makes its shipment calculations.

The IDC numbers suggest overall worldwide PC shipments remained flat, with 60.38 million PCs shipped during Q1 2018, down just slightly from 60.39 million in the year-ago quarter.

IDC says Apple was the number five worldwide PC vendor with just 4 million Macs shipped, a 4.8 percent decline from the 4.2 million shipped in the year-ago quarter. While Gartner ranks Apple above Acer, IDC does not.

It’s important to note that data from Gartner and IDC is preliminary and the numbers can shift, sometimes dramatically and sometimes less so. Last year, for example, Gartner estimated shipments of 4.217 million Macs in Q1 2017, while the actual number was 4.199 million.

It’s been several months since Apple last refreshed the bulk of its Mac lineup, with the exception of the iMac Pro, so it’s not surprising to see little growth in shipments. Apple is expected to introduce refreshed MacBook, MacBook Pro, and iMac models at some point this year, perhaps at the Worldwide Developers Conference in June.

Tags: IDC, Gartner
Discuss this article in our forums

StarTech Launches New DisplayPort and HDMI Thunderbolt 3 Mini Docking Stations

StarTech today announced the launch of a new line of bus-powered Thunderbolt 3 Mini Docking Stations designed to be used with the latest Apple Macs equipped with Thunderbolt 3 support.

StarTech is offering two TB3 dock variations — the Mini Thunderbolt 3 Dock with Dual HDMI, priced at $183, and the Mini Thunderbolt 3 Dock with Dual DisplayPort, priced at $164.

With the dual HDMI dock, two HDMI monitors with 4K resolution can be connected to a Mac, while the dual DisplayPort dock allows two 4K DisplayPort monitors or one 5K monitor to be connected to a TB3 Mac. Each dock comes equipped with an integrated 20cm Thunderbolt 3 cable and because they’re bus-powered, there’s no need for a power cable.

Both of the docks are small in size making them ideal for use when traveling or in spaces where desk real estate is limited, and both come equipped with a Gigabit Ethernet port. The HDMI dock features two USB-A ports (one USB 3.0 and one USB 2.0), while the DisplayPort dock features a single extra USB-A (3.0) port for plugging in peripheral devices.

StarTech says the two new docks will be available for purchase soon through Amazon.com, Newegg.com, and other retailers.
Discuss this article in our forums

Glow Hockey 2 gives you more of the same (review)

Glow Hockey 2, the all-ages sequel game from developer Natenai Ariyatrakool, offers a similar air hockey experience to the original Glow Hockey game. If you’ve tried the original title, you’ll love the continued experience here. If you’re new to the title, you’ll likely find a little fun here. Let’s take a look at it.

Setup

Setup is simple; simply download from the Play Store. Once downloaded you are greeted with a pretty simple menu. Here you can choose to play 1-player or 2-player air hockey. You can also enter the Settings. In Settings, you can toggle visual and sound/vibration. You can also tweak the color palette of the board, paddles, and/or puck. If you wish, you can also launch out of the game to explore the developer’s other game lineup.

Main menu.

Change it up!

Make it look your way.

Gameplay

If you’ve ever played air hockey before, then you can handle this game. Holding your device, you’re on one end of a miniature hockey table. Your opponent is at the other. Your objective is two-fold: knock the puck into your opponent’s goal, and protect your goal in return. The puck moves pretty quick as it’s riding on a cushion of air coming up from the table (hence “air hockey”).

Time to play some hockey!

Yes!

Noooo!!!!!

It’s a game of speed and angles, as you slap the puck forward and to the side, trying to bounce it around your opponent’s paddle into their goal. Of course, they’re trying to do the exact same thing right back at ya. Scoring is a race-to-seven affair; first one there wins. Once you win, it’s back to the menu.

There are multiple levels available, Easy, Medium, Hard, and “Insane”. They are pretty much what you’d expect; each level takes up the difficulty a notch. “Insane” level is just that….good luck trying to beat it.

Like vs. Dislike

Glow Hockey 2 offers a fun and colorful air hockey simulator experience. It’s an extremely

Xmas theme.

easy-to-pick-up title, that lets you start out as a total newbie, gain experience, and then quickly graduate to more and more difficult competition.

Visually, Glow Hockey sticks to its name, providing a bright but not garish look to it. The whimsical Christmas themes give you a change-up once in a while as you play.

The audio is just okay; the effects are fairly metallic, sounding like they’re being played on a cheap set of computer speakers. But it’s fine, did I mention you can toggle them off? The sound just isn’t necessary; you can play all you want without the audio and it’s just fine.

If there is a problem with Glow Hockey 2, it’s likely with you. And me. And probably most other players. I’m talking about our fingers; namely the sweat that builds as you play and the pressure mounts. As you play, the combination of the game pressure combined with your natural oils almost always makes it harder to move your finger across the screen. It almost gets sticky, and it will cost you games. This was frustrating, and there’s probably not a whole lot you can do about it. It was enough to make me stop playing several times; just put it down and walk away.

Conclusion

Glow Hockey 2 will give you a quick and easy air hockey experience. There is enough variety and color to pull you, entertain you, and challenge you. Unfortunately, the fun doesn’t last forever. After playing for a while, you may find that the game loses its luster. Plus you may get frustrated with the “sticky screen” issue.

Still, if you’re looking for an easy game for you or your kiddos to pick up and play without a lot of investment; Glow Hockey 2 is worth a look.

Download Glow Hockey 2 from the Play Store here.

Telus plans – a closer look at your options

Telus is one of Canada’s biggest telecommunications companies in Canada. As the incumbent local exchange carrier in British Columbia and Alberta, it still holds an enormous share of the market in the western provinces, and is still quite active in the rest of Canada.

Services do vary from province to province, so you’ll want to have a look at which of these services can be set up in your area. With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at some of the different type of Telus plans out there.

Telus mobile rates

Telus offers a number of options to meet your needs. You can get plans that come with a phone, bring-your-own phone plans, family plans, and international plans. The company runs on HSPA+ and LTE networks.

Bring-your-own-phone plans

Having your own phone always makes things easier. You can leave a plan if it’s not working for you without worrying about an outstanding balance.

Telus’ bring-your-own-phone plans still aren’t all that cheap though.

For $80 per month, you get unlimited local calling and nationwide texting, along with 1GB of data.

That number splits the voice and data features, so you can add some data if you need it. 1GB represents $25 worth of monthly data. You can bump that up to 2GB for $30 per month and 5GB for $45 per month, and keep moving up to a maximum of 80GB for $350 per month.

Family plans

You can also make those plans more appealing by putting together a family plan. The options stay the same, but you’ll be sharing whichever data plan you choose. And you save some cash while you’re at it. A two-person family plan knocks $10 off your monthly bill — so that’s $5 off each user’s bill, on top of the savings that come with sharing data.

Every additional family member means another $10 in savings, up to five family members. Jump up to three people, and you’re savings jump to $20. Four people makes it a $30 discount. And five brings you up to $40 off.

So, for example, if you, your spouse, and one child get a family bundle with 8GB of shared data, you’re looking at a total monthly bill of $235, or $78.33 per person, which means you’re paying just a little less than you would alone, but have more than twice the data per family member.

Smartphone-included plans

If you need a plan that also gets you a phone, Telus has options there too. For an extra $5 per month on your voice plan, Telus offers up discounted devices, and even a few for free. The only catch is you’ll be locked into a two-year contract.

For example, you can get the same basic plan mentioned above, with unlimited local calling and nationwide texting, along with 1GB of data, for $85 per month (up from $80 when you bring your own phone).

But with that extra $5 per month, you can get a Samsung galaxy S9 for $250, or an S8 for free.

If you’re more comfortable with an Apple device, Telus also offers iPhones with their contract plans. The same deal mentioned above gives you access to an iPhone X for $600 — not cheap, but you pay more than double that at the Apple store — or an iPhone 8 for free.

International plans

Telus plans are pretty simple. The basic features carry over from plan to plan. Your modular voice and data options work the same way with an international plan — but it’s obviously a little pricier. Your bare-bones international plan starts at $95 per month, and that includes unlimited calls and texting in Canada and the the U.S. ($70) and 1GB of data ($25).

You can make your calls to and from the U.S. and keep using your plan as-is anytime you travel south of the border.

As with every other plan above, data on international plans can be upgraded. 2GB go for $30, 5GB for $45, 8GB for $60, and so on.

International plans are available for families and can be customized depending on whether you have your own device or need one from Telus.

Public Mobile

In 2015, Telus purchased discount mobile brand Public Mobile.

Bring in your own phone to enjoy contract-free service on the Telus network for as little as $30 per month.

Telus internet rates

Telus offers different internet plans based on the level of commitment you’re willing to make. With a two-year contract, you stand to save some money. At least in the short term.

Every home internet comes with promotional pricing when you sign on. With a month-to-month plan, you get three months of service at a discounted rate. With a two-year plan, you get the exact same discount, but for six months.

In either case, you get a selection of speeds and data options.

If you have a large home, you can also purchase a Telus Wi-Fi booster for a one-time cost of $120.

Telus TV

Still not ready to cut the cord? Telus can hook you up.

Optik TV is Telus’ showcase TV option. It offers a wide selection of HD and 4K channels, access to YouTube and Netflix from any TV set, a large on-demand library, and more.

Again, you’ll save money on the first few months with a two-year term. With Optik, you can build your own channel package, or let Telus set you up with popular channels. The starting rate is $60 per month, but that’s cut in half for the first six months if you sign on for two years. A premium bundle will run you up to $135 per month..

With a two-year contract for Optik TV and internet, you can also get a free 49″ LG 4K TV and a $200 credit on your bill if you order online (for a limited time).

Telus’ Pik TV plan uses Android TV and requires a $100 media box. 23 basic channels come included, and you get to pick an additional five channels from a list that includes AMC, the Comedy Network, Space, Showcase, Discovery, Bravo, CNN, and more, all for $65 per month. Additional channels cost $4 each.

The catch is that the service runs on your internet connection, but you can get a boost to unlimited data for $10 per month.

Final thoughts

If you’re looking for a cheap plan, Telus probably shouldn’t be your first stop. But if you want the reliability of one of the major Canadian providers, have a look.

Bundling your services and signing a two-year contract could save you enough money to make it worth your while too.

Any Telus subscribers think we’ve missed anything? Any satisfied (or angry) customers? Chime in in the comments below.

Not sure Telus is right for you? Be sure to check out our other guides on Roger, Bell, and Fido.

A temporary tattoo may be able to track your alcohol levels

A new monitoring device could help people discreetly measure their alcohol intake by transmitting alcohol levels to a connected cell phone. The tech, developed by engineers at the University of California, San Diego, is a small wearable, comparable to a temporary tattoo, that sits directly on the skin. According to Science Daily, it works by stimulating perspiration, which the device can then use to measure the level of alcohol in the person’s system.

“It resembles a temporary tattoo, but is actually a biosensor patch that is embedded with several flexible wireless components,” Seila Selimovic, the director of the program that helped develop this tech, told Science Daily. “One component releases a chemical that stimulates perspiration on the skin below the patch. Another component senses changes in the electrical current flowing through the generated sweat, which measures alcohol levels and sends them to the user’s cell phone.”

The real key here is that the measurement takes just minutes, not hours. “Measuring alcohol in sweat has been attempted before, but those technologies took 2-3 hours to measure alcohol levels,” said Patrick Mercier, one of the senior authors on the article. “Our patch sends alcohol levels to your smartphone in just 8 minutes, making real-time alcohol monitoring possible, practical, and personal.”

Efforts to create wearables and at-home breathalyzers that effectively measure alcohol levels have been mixed. The fact that this particular device is discreet, works quickly and appears to be accurate bodes very well for the future of this product.

Via: ZDNet

Source: Science Daily

T-Mobile Introduces Support for Business Chat in Messages

T-Mobile today announced support for Business Chat in the Messages app on iOS devices, a feature Apple introduced in a beta capacity with the release of iOS 11.3 and macOS 10.13.4.

Apple Business Chat is available for all T-Mobile customers, allowing them to interact with T-Mobile’s support staff directly in the Messages app.

T-Mobile says that its customers can access Apple Business Chat by searching for T-Mobile and tapping on the “chat” or “message” icon either through the iPhone’s main search window or in Apple Maps.

Business Chat can be used to change a rate plan, change an address, purchase a new smartphone, ask questions, make payments, check plan details, and more. T-Mobile says customers can also send screenshots for “quickly and easily” troubleshooting issues.

Business Chat can also be used across devices, so customer support chats can be conducted and resumed on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch.

At the current time, Apple’s Business Chat feature is limited to the United States. Many other companies have previously announced support for Business Chat, including Zendesk, Lowe’s, Discover, Hilton, and Wells Fargo.

Tags: T-Mobile, iMessage, Business Chat
Discuss this article in our forums

Amazon Fire TV Stick vs. Fire TV 4K: Which should you buy?

Two streaming solutions, both alike in dignity, from fair Amazon, where we make our choice. … Which should you buy? We’ve got your answer.

When it comes to plugging into your television, Amazon has two options that’ll tempt you to open your wallet. OK, three. Sort of. Do a quick search for “Fire TV” on Amazon and you’ll find the “Fire TV Stick,” and the new “All-New Fire TV with 4K Ultra HD and Alexa Voice Remote.” (I’ll be referring to it as the “Fire TV dongle.” The latter is the latest model, released in October 2017, and normally runs $69. (If you can get it on sale, do it! The former was released in 2016 (there was a new model for 2017 for use outside the U.S.) and is $39.

None of this is going to bust your budget. And both streamers do pretty much the same thing, and are nearly identical on screen. They give you access to Amazon’s Appstore (and Amazon Music, let you watch all sorts of streaming video, and play all kinds of games. (Because, again, apps.)

But you still need to make a choice. Do you go for the new $69 Fire TV dongle? Or the $39 Fire TV Stick? Seems like a no-brainer, right? Well, it’s not.

Let’s take a look at the differences.

See what’s new this month on Amazon Prime Video!

Fire TV Stick vs. Fire TV — the specs

Category | Fire TV Stick | Fire TV 4K

Fire TV Stick vs. Fire TV — what you need to know

The specs tell a pretty clear story. The new Fire TV dongle adds support for HDR10, but doesn’t have expandable storage, or an ethernet port. (While it’s not yet announced, those are both things I’d expect to see in a refresh to the old Fire TV box.)

All of these models do the same things. They plug into your TV, connect to the Internet and your Amazon account, and let you download apps and watch videos and stuff.

But one of them does it better than the other. That’s something you can glean from the specs — the new Fire TV dongle has more powerful internals and updated software compared to the older and less expensive Fire TV Stick

What you’ll find is that both of them get the job done. What you’ll also find is that the Fire TV dongle does it better, with the addition of HDR.

Why you should get the Fire TV dongle over the Fire TV Stick

The Amazon Fire TV dongle. ($69 at Amazon)

For my money — and let’s be clear here, while $69 isn’t nothing, it’s not a whole lot of money — I’d get the Fire TV dongle.

A couple reasons why:

First: I like the dongle form factor. Yeah, you lose a couple of important features in expandable storage and ethernet. And if those two things are deal-breakers for you, the Fire TV box still works great, or you could wait for a refresh.

Second: HDR is a big deal. It takes what otherwise is a ho-hum stream and makes it better. When you’re talking about upscaling streamed content on a 4K TV, bytes need every little bit of help they can get. While it’s disappointing to not have Dolby Vision on board — it’s a proprietary, better version of HDR and simply isn’t supported by the processor in this case — it’s also not available on any of Amazon’s Fire TV devices yet. So that’s a wash.

You can get by with the Fire TV Stick, but get more out of the box for that extra $30.

The Fire TV dongle also has better hardware. And when it comes to this sort of thing — decoding video and running apps — better hardware almost always leads to a better experience. That’s definitely true when it comes to the Fire TV. It won’t blow the doors off other streaming devices. But when it comes to these two, it’s definitely the victor. Better processor, better GPU. That means better performance.

Also: If you’ve got a 4K television — that’s the newfangled resolution that’s also referred to as UHD — then the Fire TV dongle also is the right call, as it’s the only one here that handles that many pixels. The Fire TV stick is limited to a 1080p resolution.

There are a few other minor differences, but those are the big ones you should worry about.

And moreover, when given a choice that’s within my budget I always get as much tech as I can. It won’t necessarily future-proof the device. For as much better as Fire TV is over the stick, it’s still not the same as getting a couple hundred dollars worth of hardware.

But in this case, the new $69 Fire TV dongle is the right decision.

See at Amazon

Updated April 2018: It’s time for the OG Fire TV box to disappear, and so it has.

Amazon Fire TV

• What’s new on Amazon Prime Video
• Read our full review!
• Get the latest news
• Join the discussion

Buy at Amazon

PlayStation VR vs. Oculus Rift: Virtually comparable

Where will you turn for VR in your house?

While Oculus is without a doubt one of the largest brands in the VR world, there’s plenty of competition nowadays. Sony’s PlayStation VR (PSVR) has sold a ton of units since its launch and is an interesting offer for those who want to enjoy VR from their couch. How does it really stand up against the Oculus Rift? More importantly, if you’re looking to pick one up this year, which is going to offer the better overall experience?

• See Oculus Rift at Microsoft Store
• See PlayStation VR at Amazon

PlayStation VR vs. Oculus Rift: Hardware

On a high level, Oculus Rift and PSVR function in the same way. It’s a display you wear on your head, with lights emitted from the display picked up by a camera in front of you. The cameras track the movement of your head by tracking how the lights coming from the headset move, and the display inside the headset adjusts the image you see based on that head tracking. As you look around, you can see a 360-degree world through a pair of lenses that warp the image on the display into something that feels as though it’s really in front of you.

There are a couple of details that make a significant difference when comparing the design of these two headsets. For starters, Oculus Rift uses infrared light from the headset instead of the bright blue, glowing light strips Sony uses for PSVR. This means you can’t see the light coming from Rift, so the headset is a lot more muted in design. It also means Oculus Rift will work better in brightly lit rooms or in direct sunlight. PSVR offers plenty of warnings to be careful with using your headset in bright rooms, and requires recalibration when the light changes dramatically in your room. Oculus Rift has almost none of those concerns.

The way you attach the headset to your head is another significant detail, especially when it comes to overall comfort. Oculus uses an elastic rail so you can pull the headset onto your head and securely fasten the display to your face with the help of Velcro. Once attached, the headset won’t move around as you dive and jump in VR. It’s not exactly comfortable for more than an hour, and the narrow display port means those with prescription glasses will be a little cramped, but it works.

PSVR is wildly different; it has a display that doesn’t actually touch your face. A simple, halo-like band wraps around the back of your head and creates an anchor that feels much lighter than Rift and doesn’t interfere with glasses. There’s no “VR face” from having the headset pressed against your skin, and you can move around just as much without worrying about the headset slipping or sliding around. PlayStation VR is easily one of the most comfortable VR headset you can wear today.

Oculus Rift boasts a pair of displays that create a 2160×1600 resolution experience, while Sony has a single 1920×1080 display that spans the whole headset. This looks like Oculus has a significant advantage in display resolution which would typically mean things look nicer and more detailed in the Rift headset. In reality, the display resolution in PSVR is actually 1920xRBGx1080, and that middle “RGB” value makes it so Sony’s display is actually much denser than what you get with Oculus Rift.

A quick way to visually identify this is through what is called the screen-door effect. Through Oculus Rift lenses, you can frequently see a grid of tiny black lines dividing up the display. On PlayStation VR, this effect is far less noticeable. You do get a little less detail in PlayStation VR, but the offset by little to no screen-door effect means the detail you can see isn’t interrupted.

PlayStation VR: Why there’s no screen-door effect

Both PSVR and Oculus Rift have shifted their focus to motion controllers for most games, using either PlayStation Move or Oculus Touch. Both of these systems make it possible for you to reach out with your real arms and interact with the virtual world or point a virtual gun where you feel the enemy really is. This is a lot of fun on both systems, but you’ll find that PlayStation Move controllers are less accurate and less engaging, which is what happens when you resurrect controllers from 2010 without updating them at all.

Oculus crafted a unique headset aimed at technical superiority, while Sony offers a fun, comfortable experience you can make your own.

Audio is an incredibly important part of the VR experience, and that challenge is approached quite differently by Sony and Oculus. Headphones are built into the Rift headset, making it so you can dive in as soon as you put the headset on and start playing. PSVR offers a headphone jack on the cable that leads from the headset to the PlayStation 4 and includes a set of generic earbuds in the box. While it’s a big deal that you can use whatever headphones you want with PSVR — aside from wireless headphones, of course — having the headphones included is way more convenient than reaching for headphones after you’ve covered your eyes up with VR.

As you can see, these headsets are quite different. Oculus crafted a unique headset aimed at technical superiority, while Sony offers a fun, comfortable experience you can make your own. There’s a lot to like from both systems, but currently PSVR has the more compelling headset out of the box.

PlayStation VR vs. Oculus Rift: Gameplay

Oculus and Sony have worked hard to secure lots of VR experiences for every kind of player to enjoy. Temporary exclusives aside, you can find a lot of the same games across these headsets. When inside Rift and PSVR, what really sets the experience apart is full immersion.

As soon as you put the headset on, Oculus Rift immerses you in VR. Thanks to recent updates in Rift Core 2.0, your entire time spent in the headset feels distinctly and seamlessly virtual. Sony keeps you grounded in the standard PlayStation OS menu system, floating in front of you with nothing but black surrounding the rest. It’s a menu system every PlayStation owner is familiar with, but that initial “wow” when someone puts on Oculus Rift for the first time is significant. You don’t get the same feel in PSVR until you start playing a game.

Games that exist on both platforms play pretty much exactly the same, which is significant when you think about how much more powerful your average gaming PC is compared to the PlayStation 4. Eve: Valkyrie is a great example of something you can play on both systems where you’re not really able to say which one is better than the other when finished. Windlands is another title that’s equally impressive on both systems. As both systems have aged a bit and we’ve seen games like Skyrim VR make an appearance on both, it becomes clear that the Rift is still ready to deliver a better looking game overall (especially when you factor in the plethora of mods).

There are a few ways you can play Skyrim in VR; which one is best?

Sony is no stranger to exclusive games, but neither is Oculus. You can find plenty of quality titles on either side not available on the other, like the Rift’s Robo Recall, Lone Echo and Echo Arena. The same is true for PSVR, with titles like Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Farpoint, and Moss.

The push at Oculus for social networking is interesting, and the Rift Core 2.0 update has further developed those areas. Being able to customize a Home area and invite friends to hang out is a big deal, and there’s currently not something on the same level from PSVR.

The bottom line is these systems are a lot of fun and will continue to get more interesting over time. It’s possible Oculus’s social efforts will pay off in ways we don’t really see yet, which would mean the more compelling overall experience is going to be on the Rift.

Oculus has put an end to the ‘no games for VR’ argument

PlayStation VR vs. Oculus Rift: Which should you buy?

You can’t get far in the VR world without talking about pricing, and with good reason. To power the $400 Oculus Rift (including Touch controllers), you need at minimum a $700-$800 computer. It’s a great experience if you can afford it, but at the point in which you’re asking about $1100-$1300 for a great VR experience, you’re going to run into plenty of people who will just say no and move on.

The big feature for PSVR is that you only need a PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 4 Pro to power it, and unlike a powerful gaming PC, a lot of people really do already own this console. Assuming you don’t, however, you still only need a $280 PlayStation 4 to power the $350 PSVR that comes with PlayStation Move controllers, PS Camera, and Skyrim VR.

Asking between $600 and $700 is still quite a bit for good VR, but it’s less than what you pay for Oculus Rift and that’s significant. Oculus Rift is the more capable VR experience, and Oculus Touch controllers are in a class by themselves right now, but the question quickly becomes whether Oculus Rift is almost twice as good as PlayStation VR. Plain and simple, it isn’t. Sony did a lot of things right with PSVR, and while we may find ourselves regularly wishing for an update to the aging PlayStation Move controllers, the rest of the experience is dangerously close to being as good as Oculus Rift.

• See Oculus Rift at Microsoft Store
• See PlayStation VR at Amazon

Updated April 10, 2018: This article has been updated to ensure you’re still getting an accurate comparison between the two VR systems.

PlayStation 4

• PS4 vs. PS4 Slim vs. PS4 Pro: Which should you buy?
• PlayStation VR Review
• Playing PS4 games through your phone is awesome

Amazon

Today’s best deals you won’t want to miss

Whether you’re looking for new tech gear or household items, we’ve got you covered.

Today you can get big discounts on the MX Ergo trackball mouse, Instant Pot pressure cookers, rechargeable batteries, and more! Don’t pass these up.

View the rest of the deals

If you want to know about the deals as soon as they are happening, you’ll want to follow Thrifter on Twitter, and sign up for the newsletter, because missing out on a great deal stinks!