Author Archives: Will Shanklin

Everything Announced at Meta Connect 2024: Quest 3S, Orion AR glasses and Meta AI updates

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Although Meta Connect 2024 lacked a marquee high-end product for the holiday season, it still included a new budget VR headset and a tease of the “magic glasses” Meta’s XR gurus have been talking about for the better part of a decade. In addition, the company keeps plowing forward with new AI tools for its Ray-Ban glasses and social platforms. Here’s everything the company announced at Meta Connect 2024.

A person wearing Meta’s Orion AR glasses.
Meta

Today’s best mixed reality gear — like Apple’s Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 — are headsets with passthrough video capabilities. But the tech industry eventually wants to squeeze that tech into something resembling a pair of prescription glasses. We’ll let you judge whether the Orion AR glasses pictured above pass that test, but they’re certainly closer than other full-fledged AR devices we’ve seen.

First, the bad news. These puppies won’t be available this year and don’t have an official release date. A leaked roadmap from last year suggested they’d arrive in 2027. However, Meta said on Wednesday that Orion would launch “in the near future,” so take what you will from that. For its part, Meta says the full-fledged product prototype is “truly representative of something that could ship to consumers” rather than a research device that’s decades away from shipping.

The glasses include tiny projectors to display holograms onto the lenses. Meta describes them as having a large field of view and immersive capabilities. Sensors can track voice, eye gaze, hand tracking and electromyography (EMG) wristband input.

The glasses combine that sensory input with AI capabilities. Meta gave the example of looking in a refrigerator and asking the onboard AI to spit out a recipe based on your ingredients. It will also support video calls, the ability to send messages on Meta’s platforms and spatial versions of Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest apps.

The Meta Quest 3S VR headset against a white background.
Meta

This year’s new VR headset focuses on the entry-level rather than early adopters wanting the latest cutting-edge tech. The Meta Quest 3S is a $300 baby sibling to last year’s Quest 3, shaving money off the higher-end model’s entry fee in exchange for cheaper lenses, a resolution dip and skimpier storage.

The headset includes Fresnel lenses, which are familiar to Quest 2 owners, instead of the higher-end pancake ones in Quest 3. It has a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution (20 pixels per degree), a drop from the 2,064 x 2,208 (25 PPD) in the Quest 3. Meta says the budget model’s field of view is also slightly lower.

The Quest 3S starts with a mere 128GB of storage, which could fill up quickly after installing a few of the platform’s biggest games. But if you’re willing to shell out $400, you can bump that up to a more respectable 256GB. (Alongside the announcement, Meta also dropped the 512GB Quest 3 price to $500 from $650.)

The headset may outlast the Quest 3 in one respect: battery life. Meta estimates the Quest 3S will last 2.5 hours, while the Quest 3 is rated for 2.2 hours.

Those ordering the headset will get a special Bat-bonus. Quest 3S (and Quest 3) orders between now and April 2025 will receive a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, the VR action game coming next month.

The Quest 3S is now available for pre-order. It begins shipping on October 15.

To celebrate the arrival of the Meta Quest 3S, Meta is kicking two older models to the curb. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be discontinued by the end of the year. The company says sales will continue until inventory runs out or the end of the year, whichever comes first.

The company now views the Quest 3S, with its much better mixed reality capabilities, as the new budget model, so the $200 Quest 2 no longer has a place. The Quest Pro, which never gained much traction with consumers, has inferior cameras and passthrough video than the two Quest 3-tier models. The Pro launched two years ago as a Metaverse-centric device — back when the industry was pounding that word as hard as it’s pushing “AI” now. The headset launched at a whopping $1,500 and was later reduced to $1,000.

Glasses on a table.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Although the hardware stays the same, Meta is adding new AI features to its tech-filled sunglasses. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will get an updated AI assistant.

The assistant will now let you set reminders based on objects you see. For example, you could say, “Hey Meta, remind me to buy that book next Monday” to set an alert for something you see in the library. The glasses can also scan QR codes and dial phone numbers from text it recognizes.

Meta’s assistant should also respond to more natural commands. You’ll need to worry less about remembering formal prompts to trigger it (“Hey Meta, look and tell me”). It will let you use more casual phrasing like “What am I looking at?” The AI can also handle complex follow-up questions for more fluid chats with the robot friend living in your sunglasses.

According to Meta, the glasses’ live translation is also getting better. While last year’s version struggled with longer text, the company says the software will now translate larger chunks more effectively. Live translations will arrive in English, French, Italian and Spanish by the end of 2024.

A phone showing Meta AI, with a surfing goat.
Meta

The company said Met AI now supports voice chats. Although this capability existed before, it was limited to the Ray-Ban glasses.

Meta also partnered with celebrities to help draw customers into its chatbots. That’s right, folks: You can now hear Meta’s chatbot responses in the dulcet tones of the one and only John Cena! Other celebrity voices include Dame Judi Dench, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell.

Meta’s AI can now edit photos with text prompts, performing tasks like adding or removing objects or changing details like backgrounds or clothes. AI photo editing will be available on Meta’s social apps, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, Meta’s Llama 3.2 AI model introduces vision capabilities. It can analyze and describe images, competing with similar features in ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/everything-announced-at-meta-connect-2024-202733568.html?src=rss

Everything Announced at Meta Connect 2024: Quest 3S, Orion AR glasses and Meta AI updates

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Although Meta Connect 2024 lacked a marquee high-end product for the holiday season, it still included a new budget VR headset and a tease of the “magic glasses” Meta’s XR gurus have been talking about for the better part of a decade. In addition, the company keeps plowing forward with new AI tools for its Ray-Ban glasses and social platforms. Here’s everything the company announced at Meta Connect 2024.

A person wearing Meta’s Orion AR glasses.
Meta

Today’s best mixed reality gear — like Apple’s Vision Pro and the Meta Quest 3 — are headsets with passthrough video capabilities. But the tech industry eventually wants to squeeze that tech into something resembling a pair of prescription glasses. We’ll let you judge whether the Orion AR glasses pictured above pass that test, but they’re certainly closer than other full-fledged AR devices we’ve seen.

First, the bad news. These puppies won’t be available this year and don’t have an official release date. A leaked roadmap from last year suggested they’d arrive in 2027. However, Meta said on Wednesday that Orion would launch “in the near future,” so take what you will from that. For its part, Meta says the full-fledged product prototype is “truly representative of something that could ship to consumers” rather than a research device that’s decades away from shipping.

The glasses include tiny projectors to display holograms onto the lenses. Meta describes them as having a large field of view and immersive capabilities. Sensors can track voice, eye gaze, hand tracking and electromyography (EMG) wristband input.

The glasses combine that sensory input with AI capabilities. Meta gave the example of looking in a refrigerator and asking the onboard AI to spit out a recipe based on your ingredients. It will also support video calls, the ability to send messages on Meta’s platforms and spatial versions of Spotify, YouTube and Pinterest apps.

The Meta Quest 3S VR headset against a white background.
Meta

This year’s new VR headset focuses on the entry-level rather than early adopters wanting the latest cutting-edge tech. The Meta Quest 3S is a $300 baby sibling to last year’s Quest 3, shaving money off the higher-end model’s entry fee in exchange for cheaper lenses, a resolution dip and skimpier storage.

The headset includes Fresnel lenses, which are familiar to Quest 2 owners, instead of the higher-end pancake ones in Quest 3. It has a 1,832 x 1,920 resolution (20 pixels per degree), a drop from the 2,064 x 2,208 (25 PPD) in the Quest 3. Meta says the budget model’s field of view is also slightly lower.

The Quest 3S starts with a mere 128GB of storage, which could fill up quickly after installing a few of the platform’s biggest games. But if you’re willing to shell out $400, you can bump that up to a more respectable 256GB. (Alongside the announcement, Meta also dropped the 512GB Quest 3 price to $500 from $650.)

The headset may outlast the Quest 3 in one respect: battery life. Meta estimates the Quest 3S will last 2.5 hours, while the Quest 3 is rated for 2.2 hours.

Those ordering the headset will get a special Bat-bonus. Quest 3S (and Quest 3) orders between now and April 2025 will receive a free copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow, the VR action game coming next month.

The Quest 3S is now available for pre-order. It begins shipping on October 15.

To celebrate the arrival of the Meta Quest 3S, Meta is kicking two older models to the curb. The Quest 2 and Quest Pro will be discontinued by the end of the year. The company says sales will continue until inventory runs out or the end of the year, whichever comes first.

The company now views the Quest 3S, with its much better mixed reality capabilities, as the new budget model, so the $200 Quest 2 no longer has a place. The Quest Pro, which never gained much traction with consumers, has inferior cameras and passthrough video than the two Quest 3-tier models. The Pro launched two years ago as a Metaverse-centric device — back when the industry was pounding that word as hard as it’s pushing “AI” now. The headset launched at a whopping $1,500 and was later reduced to $1,000.

Glasses on a table.
Sam Rutherford for Engadget

Although the hardware stays the same, Meta is adding new AI features to its tech-filled sunglasses. The Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will get an updated AI assistant.

The assistant will now let you set reminders based on objects you see. For example, you could say, “Hey Meta, remind me to buy that book next Monday” to set an alert for something you see in the library. The glasses can also scan QR codes and dial phone numbers from text it recognizes.

Meta’s assistant should also respond to more natural commands. You’ll need to worry less about remembering formal prompts to trigger it (“Hey Meta, look and tell me”). It will let you use more casual phrasing like “What am I looking at?” The AI can also handle complex follow-up questions for more fluid chats with the robot friend living in your sunglasses.

According to Meta, the glasses’ live translation is also getting better. While last year’s version struggled with longer text, the company says the software will now translate larger chunks more effectively. Live translations will arrive in English, French, Italian and Spanish by the end of 2024.

A phone showing Meta AI, with a surfing goat.
Meta

The company said Met AI now supports voice chats. Although this capability existed before, it was limited to the Ray-Ban glasses.

Meta also partnered with celebrities to help draw customers into its chatbots. That’s right, folks: You can now hear Meta’s chatbot responses in the dulcet tones of the one and only John Cena! Other celebrity voices include Dame Judi Dench, Awkwafina, Keegan Michael Key and Kristen Bell.

Meta’s AI can now edit photos with text prompts, performing tasks like adding or removing objects or changing details like backgrounds or clothes. AI photo editing will be available on Meta’s social apps, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp.

Meanwhile, Meta’s Llama 3.2 AI model introduces vision capabilities. It can analyze and describe images, competing with similar features in ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude.

Catch up on all the news from Meta Connect 2024!

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/everything-announced-at-meta-connect-2024-202733568.html?src=rss

Google files EU antitrust complaint against Microsoft

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Google filed a complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission on Wednesday. In it, Google accused Microsoft of making it prohibitively expensive for cloud customers to move their work from Azure to other providers, like Google Cloud.

Google claims Microsoft’s cloud licensing terms restrict European customers from switching to competing cloud platforms despite “no technical barriers to doing so.” In a blog post explaining its complaint, Google wrote that Microsoft’s practices have “significantly harmed European companies and governments,” costing European businesses €1 billion ($1.1 billion) annually, wasting taxpayer money and stifling competition.

Amazon’s AWS leads Europe’s cloud market. Microsoft’s Azure is second, followed by Google in third. Oracle, Salesforce and IBM rounded out the top six in Q2 2024.

On Wednesday, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the EU governing body received Google’s complaint. “We will assess it according to our standard procedures,” EC spokesperson Lea Zuber wrote.

Google’s complaint referred to a settlement this summer between Microsoft and CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), the trade body for Europe’s cloud industry. The latter filed a complaint against Microsoft in late 2022, accusing the company of anti-competitive practices with Azure (strikingly similar to Google’s complaints from today). The full details of the settlement, which led to CISPE withdrawing its complaint, weren’t made public. CISPE wrote in July that Microsoft would make changes to address its concerns. Those included releasing an enhanced version of the Azure Stack HCI, which would bring features that Microsoft's customers enjoy to European cloud providers.

In a statement to Engadget, Microsoft was optimistic that the EC would dismiss Google’s complaint. “Microsoft settled amicably similar concerns raised by European cloud providers, even after Google hoped they would keep litigating,” a Microsoft spokesperson wrote, referring to a Bloomberg report that Google offered a $500 million alternative deal to keep the antitrust complaint alive. “Having failed to persuade European companies, we expect Google similarly will fail to persuade the European Commission,” Microsoft’s spokesperson wrote.

Google says Windows Server is at the heart of its complaint. Describing it as “a must-have workhorse in many IT environments,” the company says Microsoft changed its practices after cloud computing became a more lucrative business. “But as Azure faced more competition, Microsoft introduced new rules that severely limited customer choice,” Google wrote.

Google said the licensing terms Microsoft adopted in 2019 “imposed extreme financial penalties” on companies who wanted to use Windows Server software with Azure competitors like AWS and Google Cloud. “Microsoft’s own statements indicate that customers who want to move their workloads to these competitors would need to pay up to five times more,” Google wrote, citing an archived 2023 webpage comparing Azure pricing to that of AWS. Google said Microsoft also limited security patches and created other barriers to choice in cloud providers.

Google also linked to research from Professor Frédéric Jenny, a French economist and chair of the OECD Competition Committee. The study claims that European companies and government organizations pay “unfair, additional costs” to customers who license software to run on cloud infrastructure from independent service providers. Professor Jenny claimed those choosing non-Microsoft cloud providers “sucked an additional €1,010,394,489 out of the European economy in 2022.”

Google Cloud’s Head of Platform Amit Zavery wrote on Wednesday that Microsoft’s practices lock customers into Azure, hurt cybersecurity and limit innovation. Zavery also spoke with CNBC, advocating for a more open market for cloud providers. “Today the restrictions [do] not allow choice for customers,” he said. Zavery wants Microsoft’s restrictions “to be removed and allow customers to have and choose whatever cloud provider they think is best for them commercially and technically.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-microsoft-183050473.html?src=rss

Google files EU antitrust complaint against Microsoft

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Google filed a complaint against Microsoft with the European Commission on Wednesday. In it, Google accused Microsoft of making it prohibitively expensive for cloud customers to move their work from Azure to other providers, like Google Cloud.

Google claims Microsoft’s cloud licensing terms restrict European customers from switching to competing cloud platforms despite “no technical barriers to doing so.” In a blog post explaining its complaint, Google wrote that Microsoft’s practices have “significantly harmed European companies and governments,” costing European businesses €1 billion ($1.1 billion) annually, wasting taxpayer money and stifling competition.

Amazon’s AWS leads Europe’s cloud market. Microsoft’s Azure is second, followed by Google in third. Oracle, Salesforce and IBM rounded out the top six in Q2 2024.

On Wednesday, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed to Engadget that the EU governing body received Google’s complaint. “We will assess it according to our standard procedures,” EC spokesperson Lea Zuber wrote.

Google’s complaint referred to a settlement this summer between Microsoft and CISPE (Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe), the trade body for Europe’s cloud industry. The latter filed a complaint against Microsoft in late 2022, accusing the company of anti-competitive practices with Azure (strikingly similar to Google’s complaints from today). The full details of the settlement, which led to CISPE withdrawing its complaint, weren’t made public. CISPE wrote in July that Microsoft would make changes to address its concerns. Those included releasing an enhanced version of the Azure Stack HCI, which would bring features that Microsoft's customers enjoy to European cloud providers.

In a statement to Engadget, Microsoft was optimistic that the EC would dismiss Google’s complaint. “Microsoft settled amicably similar concerns raised by European cloud providers, even after Google hoped they would keep litigating,” a Microsoft spokesperson wrote, referring to a Bloomberg report that Google offered a $500 million alternative deal to keep the antitrust complaint alive. “Having failed to persuade European companies, we expect Google similarly will fail to persuade the European Commission,” Microsoft’s spokesperson wrote.

Google says Windows Server is at the heart of its complaint. Describing it as “a must-have workhorse in many IT environments,” the company says Microsoft changed its practices after cloud computing became a more lucrative business. “But as Azure faced more competition, Microsoft introduced new rules that severely limited customer choice,” Google wrote.

Google said the licensing terms Microsoft adopted in 2019 “imposed extreme financial penalties” on companies who wanted to use Windows Server software with Azure competitors like AWS and Google Cloud. “Microsoft’s own statements indicate that customers who want to move their workloads to these competitors would need to pay up to five times more,” Google wrote, citing an archived 2023 webpage comparing Azure pricing to that of AWS. Google said Microsoft also limited security patches and created other barriers to choice in cloud providers.

Google also linked to research from Professor Frédéric Jenny, a French economist and chair of the OECD Competition Committee. The study claims that European companies and government organizations pay “unfair, additional costs” to customers who license software to run on cloud infrastructure from independent service providers. Professor Jenny claimed those choosing non-Microsoft cloud providers “sucked an additional €1,010,394,489 out of the European economy in 2022.”

Google Cloud’s Head of Platform Amit Zavery wrote on Wednesday that Microsoft’s practices lock customers into Azure, hurt cybersecurity and limit innovation. Zavery also spoke with CNBC, advocating for a more open market for cloud providers. “Today the restrictions [do] not allow choice for customers,” he said. Zavery wants Microsoft’s restrictions “to be removed and allow customers to have and choose whatever cloud provider they think is best for them commercially and technically.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-files-eu-antitrust-complaint-against-microsoft-183050473.html?src=rss

HP’s Omnibook Ultra Flip 14-inch is its first 2-in-1 AI PC

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On Tuesday, HP unveiled its first 2-in-1 AI PC, the OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch. The device has a 3K OLED display, a haptic touchpad and Intel's 200V Core Ultra series processors with a dedicated AI engine. Starting in late November, the PC will get Microsoft’s Copilot+ capabilities as an update.

The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch has a 2,880 x 1,800 touch-sensitive OLED display with a maximum 120Hz variable refresh rate. With a 90 percent screen-to-body ratio, the PC is only 0.59 inches (15mm) thick and weighs 2.97 lbs (1.35kg).

The OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch starts at 512GB of storage, with 1TB and 2TB options also available. 16GB of RAM is standard, but more expensive tiers will boost that to 32GB. The 2-in-1 is rated for up to 20 hours of battery life, and it can fast-charge to about 50 percent in 45 minutes using its bundled 65W USB-C adapter. Its Intel AI processor can be configured with anything from an Ultra 5 226V up to an Ultra 9 288V.

A person sitting on a couch, sketching with a stylus on the HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch.
HP

The device includes a 9MP camera with hardware-level low-light adjustments and Auto Switch HDR, which determines when HDR is needed (based on lighting conditions) and switches on the fly. Onboard AI features using the Intel chip’s NPU include hand gesture support for scrolling through documents or webpages, adjusting volume levels and controlling media playback. The PC can also automatically lock when you leave and wake when you return.

Once the Copilot+ update for Intel PCs is available, features like AI image generation and editing tools, live captions, Windows Studio effects, and Recall will be added.

The HP OmniBook Ultra Flip 14-inch is available today on HP’s website. It starts at $1,450.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/laptops/hps-omnibook-ultra-flip-14-inch-is-its-first-2-in-1-ai-pc-162558218.html?src=rss

Spotify’s AI Playlists are rolling out for Premium users in the US

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Spotify’s beta AI Playlist feature is now rolling out for Premium users in the US, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand. It lets you create and refine custom playlists using text prompts. It initially arrived in April in the UK and Australia.

The company describes it as a tool “to effortlessly turn your most creative ideas into playlists.” Spotify provided several examples, including “Upbeat folk music for a scenic fall road trip” and “2000 era hype jams for the tailgate.” If its initial results don’t quite hit the mark, you can refine the playlist with further prompts, such as “less peppy” or “hold the Nickelback.”

Four phone screens showing the steps to create an AI Playlist in Spotify mobile.
Spotify

Spotify says the feature leans on personalization, choosing tracks it thinks you’ll like based on your listening habits. The company says the AI produces the best results with prompts about genre, mood or artists. But you can try topics like animals, activities, movie characters, colors and emojis, too.

Premium subscribers will find AI Playlists in the Spotify mobile app. (Spotify appears to be rolling out the feature gradually, so you may need to wait for it to arrive.) Navigate to Your Library, tap the + button and choose “AI Playlist.” Then, use the pop-up chat tool to start generating your custom tracklists.

Update, September 24, 2024, 4:05PM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that the feature is rolling out gradually and may not appear yet for all Premium subscribers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/spotifys-ai-playlists-are-now-available-for-premium-users-in-the-us-130008423.html?src=rss

A PS5 system update squashes those pesky Final Fantasy XVI bugs

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Sony pushed a PS5 system update on Friday that Square Enix says is a response to Final Fantasy XVI bugs created by the console’s last firmware update. The publisher addressed the update on X (Twitter). “In response to the crashes and graphical bugs that were occurring on the PlayStation5 version of Final Fantasy XVI, [Sony Interactive Entertainment] have released a new system update,” the account posted. “Please try downloading and installing this update.”

Before today’s alleged fix, users reported that last week’s PS5 system update (24.06-10.00.00) triggered Final Fantasy XVI crashes while loading saves or fast-traveling. It could also add annoying black squares obstructing the in-game camera.

Sony has kept things vague, only describing the update with the alleged fix (24.06-10.01.00) as improving “system software performance and stability.” Earlier this week, IGN reported similar bugs in Star Wars Outlaws, Death Stranding and No Man’s Sky. It isn’t yet clear if the update fixes those games’ glitches.

Users on Reddit claimed today’s update has fixed the problems with Final Fantasy XVI. “Played for an hour post update with no issues,” u/AdSweaty411 wrote. “Yup no issues so far,” Redditor u/Icy-Confection-312 added. (We’ll update this story if any additional bug reports arise.)

You can update your PS5 by heading to Settings > System, then System Software > System Software Update and Settings. After the update appears, choose Update System Software. If you don’t see the available update (and haven’t already installed it), restart your console and try again.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/a-ps5-system-update-squashes-those-pesky-final-fantasy-xvi-bugs-175832092.html?src=rss

Elgato’s Stream Deck+ drops to a record low of $170 in this early Prime Day deal

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You can save big today on the Elgato Stream Deck+ with $30 off the control panel on Amazon. Great for streamers or anyone who wants tactile shortcuts and dials for their workflow, the Stream Deck+ drops from its usual $200 to $170 with a discount and a clickable coupon.

Although the Stream Deck+ sacrifices some buttons compared to the cheaper Stream Deck MK.2, this model makes up for it with four dials and a touch strip. Each dial is customizable and clickable, allowing you to layer different dial shortcuts with each press inward. You can twist them to adjust things like volume, smart lights and in-game settings.

Its eight buttons are backlit and fully customizable. Streamers can use the Stream Deck desktop app to assign functions for things like muting mics, activating effects or triggering transitions. But you don’t need to be a YouTuber or Twitch streamer for it to be helpful. For example, I’m neither and use a Stream Deck daily to toggle preset macOS window arrangements through the third-party app Moom. It’s also handy for text expansion shortcuts or emojis.

The 4.2 x 0.5-inch touch strip displays labels and levels for each knob, giving you a clear visual cue about what you’re controlling with each twist. The touch-sensitive bar also supports custom long presses and page swipes.

Amazon’s sale covers both the black and white Stream Deck+ models. Make sure you click on the $10 coupon box on the product page to bring it down to $170.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice in the lead up to October Prime Day 2024.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/accessories/elgatos-stream-deck-drops-to-a-record-low-of-170-in-this-early-prime-day-deal-163729012.html?src=rss

The Immersed Visor aims for spatial computing’s sweet spot

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An Austin-based startup best known for its VR and mixed reality workspace software for other companies’ headsets now has hardware of its own. The Immersed Visor appears to sit somewhere between a Vision Pro Lite and Xreal Plus: a lightweight head-worn device that creates a high-resolution spatial computing environment on the cheap (well, relatively speaking).

Teased to death for months, Immersed founder Renji Bijoy finally unveiled the Visor at an Austin event on Thursday. The device, a bit more than glasses but much less than a full headset, gives each eye the equivalent of a 4K OLED screen. It has a solid 100-degree field of view. It supports 6DoF tracking (meaning it responds to motion on different axes, not just simple head rotations), and it offers hand and eye tracking and support for over five screens in a virtual or mixed reality environment.

Simulated view of virtual screens while wearing Immersed Visor.
Immersed

In the presentation, Bijoy revealed that the Immersed Visor only weighs 186g, slightly less than an iPhone 16 Pro. It’s 64 percent lighter than the Meta Quest 3 (515g) and around 70 percent lighter than the Apple Vision Pro (600 to 650g). Weight and ergonomics have been drawbacks for many early adopters of VR and mixed-reality tech. (That includes some customers of the $3,500 Vision Pro.) So, trimming the Visor’s weight to about the same as a high-end smartphone could, in theory, help it succeed where competitors struggled. Part of that comes from (in borrowing a trick from Apple) a wired battery pack you stash in your pocket.

But unlike those devices, the Immersed Visor doesn’t include an app store or onboard experiences like games. Instead, it’s tailored for work: link it to your Windows, macOS or Linux computer (wirelessly or wired), and get stuff done on its immersive array of virtual screens. Its 6DoF tracking means you can stand up, lean or twist, and the virtual screens will remain planted where you put them, rather than awkwardly following you through space.

Like the company’s workspace app for Meta Quest and Vision Pro, you can operate either in a passthrough view of your space or an entirely virtual one. (It includes pleasant virtual environments like a mountaintop ski resort by a cozy fire.) You can also work with others in a shared space.

The device runs on the Qualcomm XR2+ Gen 2 chip, which debuted at CES 2024. The chip supports up to 4.3K per-eye resolution and can handle content up to 90fps.

The Immersed Visor on a table.
Immersed

Immersed has chosen an unconventional pricing scheme. The device starts at $1,050 to buy outright. But you can get it for $400 upfront if you agree to a subscription model: $40 monthly for 24 months or $60 monthly for a 12-month term. Oh, and that model doesn’t ship until “six months after” October, meaning April 2025. If you want a device that starts shipping next month — i.e., the “Founder’s Edition” — that price increases to $1,350 outright or $700 plus the monthly subscription fee (same prices as the later-shipping version).

In theory, the Immersed Visor could hit a sweet spot for many spatial computing-curious folks who want something cheaper than the Vision Pro, with a higher resolution than the Meta Quest 3 and that’s (perhaps) less like a beta product than Xreal’s AR glasses. Whether it succeeds on those points, well, we won’t have a clue until we get some hands-on time. As far as I can see, no major media outlets (including Engadget) have shared hands-on demos of the device. As this year’s wave of absurdly hyped AI gadgets reminded us, big promises mean nothing if you end up with a $1,000 paperweight.

You can watch the presentation below and, if it tickles your fancy, pre-order from Immersed’s website.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/the-immersed-visor-aims-for-spatial-computings-sweet-spot-201031456.html?src=rss

Watch the Game Devs of Color Expo Direct livestream here at 4PM ET

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The Game Devs of Color Expo 2024 kicks off on Wednesday. Now in its ninth year (and fourth as an all-virtual conference), the event celebrates and highlights the game industry’s creators of color. The event's Direct livestream today will include over 30 new game announcements and updates (and there will be a corresponding Steam sale!) You can watch the stream here at 4PM ET.

Today’s Direct will include “exclusive reveals, the latest launches, and more updates” and will highlight a diverse group of industry creators from around the world.

The event is orchestrated by Game Devs of Color, a nonprofit that has run the annual conference since its 2016 debut. The group aims to amplify the creative power people of color hold in games. “Creators of color make great games but are often pushed to the margins,” the nonprofit’s webpage states. “We fight to create a better games industry that is intersectional and equitable.”

The event runs from Wednesday through Saturday. Tickets are still available for the whole week of discussions, panels and interviews. Standard pass pricing starts at $50, but a $20 option is available for those who can’t afford the regular ticket cost.

You can check out the kickoff stream below at 4PM ET:

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/watch-the-game-devs-of-color-expo-direct-livestream-here-at-4pm-et-193040011.html?src=rss