Tag Archives: author_name|Lawrence Bonk

HTC is sending VR headsets to the ISS to help cheer up lonely astronauts

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Whether it's for a tour of the International Space Station (ISS) or a battle with Darth Vader, most VR enthusiasts are looking to get off this planet and into the great beyond. HTC, however, is sending VR headsets to the ISS to give lonely astronauts something to do besides staring into the star-riddled abyss.

The company partnered up with XRHealth and engineering firm Nord Space to send HTC VIVE Focus 3 headsets to the ISS as part of an ongoing effort to improve the mental health of astronauts in the midst of long assignments on the station. These headsets are pre-loaded with unique software that has been specifically designed to meet the mental health needs of literal space cadets, so they aren’t just for playing Walkabout Mini Golf during the off hours (though that’s not a bad idea.)

The headsets feature new camera tracking tech that was specially developed and adapted to work in microgravity, including eye-tracking sensors to better assess the mental health status of astronauts. These sensors are coupled with software intended to “maintain mental health while in orbit.” The headsets have also been optimized to stabilize alignment and, as such, reduce the chances of motion sickness. Can you imagine free-floating vomit in space?

Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen will be the first ISS crew member to use the VR headset for preventative mental health care during his six-month mission as commander of the space station. HTC notes that astronauts are often isolated for “months and years at a time” while stationed in space. 

This leads to the question of internet connectivity. After all, Mogensen and his fellow astronauts would likely want to connect with family and friends while wearing their brand-new VR headsets. Playing Population: One by yourself is not exactly satisfying.

The internet used to be really slow on the ISS, with speeds resembling a dial-up connection to AOL in 1995. However, recent upgrades have boosted Internet speeds to around 600 megabits-per-second (Mbps) on the station. As a comparison, the average download speed in the US is about 135 Mbps. So we’d actually be the bottleneck in this scenario, and not the astronauts. The ISS connection should allow for even the most data-hungry VR applications.

These souped-up Vive Focus 3 headsets are heading up to the space station shortly, though there’s no arrival date yet. It’s worth noting that it took some massive feats of engineering to even get these headsets to work in microgravity, as so many aspects of a VR headset depend on normal Earth gravity.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/htc-is-sending-vr-headsets-to-the-iss-to-help-cheer-up-lonely-astronauts-120019661.html?src=rss

Subaru EVs will support Tesla’s NACS chargers starting in 2025

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Subaru just announced forthcoming support for Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS), joining other big-time manufacturers like Hyundai. The company will update the charging ports of its electric vehicles for North American consumers beginning in 2025. This will give consumers access to more than 12,000 Tesla Superchargers across the country.

The company also says it will continue to advance NACS adoption for vehicles manufactured and released after 2025, so future EV owners should be in good shape. Subaru will offer an adapter for anyone that owns or leases a vehicle with the Combined Charging System (CCS), further solidifying NACS as the one to beat.

This is part of the company’s efforts to transform half of its vehicles to EVs by 2030. Subaru has a long way to go in this regard, as it currently sells just one true electric vehicle, the Solterra. This EV starts at $45,000, so it’ll have to manufacture some more budget-friendly cars to meet that 50 percent threshold.

As previously mentioned, Subaru is just the latest company to jump on the NACS bandwagon. Honda made a similar promise for 2025, as did Toyota and Lexus. As of this writing, there are around 56,000 EV charging stations in America, with many of them integrating the NACS standard in the short-term future.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/subaru-evs-will-support-teslas-nacs-chargers-starting-in-2025-185214250.html?src=rss

The AI Seinfeld show is bugging out harder than Frank Costanza on Festivus

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Twitch’s AI-generated Nothing Forever stream caused a massive sensation when it launched back in February. This is the internet, however, so it wasn’t long before the stream’s Seinfeld-like protagonist started spewing hateful anti-trans rhetoric, leading to a ban on the streaming platform. Now it’s back, but experiencing some serious bugs that could end the enterprise entirely.

It started on October 27, when viewers began noticing that the characters had stopped talking, instead standing in absolute silence for hours on end, as reported by Kotaku. After that, a strange orange man appeared to silently patrol the apartment. On October 30 things got even weirder, with 404 Media’s Jason Koebler sharing a video of two primary characters walking into one another over and over again. This continued for days.

This is ongoing, with characters sitting silently for long periods of time, sometimes staring at one another, sometimes just walking into walls or in place. Once in a while they just flail their arms for a few hours. These bizarre bugs have, unsurprisingly, ticked up the viewer count. As of this writing, the stream boasts hundreds of concurrent watchers, which is much more than last month after the shine had dulled upon returning from the depths of its hate speech time out.

The stream’s creators, Mismatch Media, haven’t responded to inquiries regarding the numerous and sometimes hilarious errors. It made some big changes to the stream after the anti-trans incident, swapping some of the characters and abandoning the stand-up routine segments. Mismatch also implemented “secondary content moderation systems as redundancies.”

Despite being primarily AI-driven, the stream likely still requires a fair amount of maintenance, and maybe the creators just don’t feel like keeping up with it. The stream has been running constantly since December, but who knows how long the “forever” part of Nothing Forever will end up lasting. It's worth noting that the stream isn't always buggy, as once in a while characters participate in a normal (ish) conversation. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai-seinfeld-show-bugging-harder-175822559.html?src=rss

Arturia releases new free version of Analog Lab synth instrument

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Arturia just released a free-to-use version of its popular Analog Lab software, called Analog Lab Play. This is a pared-down software suite with 100 presets culled from the original Analog Lab and from VSTs like the well-reviewed Pigments soft synth. There’s also a simplified interface for new users called Play View that streamlines visual cues and speeds up the preset selection process, in addition to allowing the purchase of standalone instruments. 

The available 100 presets with Analog Lab Play is much lower than the 2,000+ found with the original software, but, hey, free is free. Arturia’s new software is a good way to familiarize yourself with the company’s sound engines, just in time for those likely Black Friday discounts.

To that end, the original paid Analog Lab software is also getting a refresh. It’s now called Analog Lab Pro. It still allows access to thousands of presets captured from the renowned Arturia V Collection, Pigments and related soft synths. It costs $200 and remains mostly unchanged, but will receive the same UI refresh included with Analog Lab Play. When we reviewed the original Analog Lab, we found it to be the perfect software suite for those who like to tweak presets over creating sounds from scratch.

This isn’t the first time Arturia has thrust a free version of its software on the world. Analog Lab Intro is a similar product to Play that was offered as a free download with the purchase of select MIDI controllers and occasionally as a standalone software suite. The company also drops free instruments and effects once in a while, like 2021’s lo-fi tape plugin based on its Mellotron emulation.

Analog Lab Play is available for download right now, so hop to it. The UI refresh for Analog Lab Pro is coming at a later date. In recent months, Arturia has released an effect based on the iconic Leslie rotary speaker and an emulation of the acid house classic Roland TB-303, among other products.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/arturia-releases-new-free-version-of-analog-lab-synth-instrument-172045988.html?src=rss

Target has a one-day early Black Friday deal on the Theragun Mini 2.0 at a record low price

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Therabody’s Theragun Mini 2.0 massage device is on sale as part of Target's Black Friday sale for $170. That’s $30 off the MSRP of $200 and matches a previous record-low for the massage gun, so this early Black Friday deal could be your best chance to snag a muscle-soothing percussive therapy gadget on the cheap.

To that end, the deal’s only accessible today and requires a Target Circle membership. Don’t worry. It’s free to sign up, and once you do you’ll get a coupon code you can clip directly on the product page.

This is the second-generation Theragun Mini, with three massage speeds that offer up to 2,400 percussions per minute. It also ships with a trio of attachments designed for different muscle groups and the Mini boasts a rechargeable battery that gets two hours of use per charge. This massage gun actually made our list of the best fitness devices for college students, but you don’t need your head in a text book to appreciate vibration-based pain relief.

Despite being a smaller and more budget-friendly version of Therabody’s other products, we found that the Mini works nearly as well as its larger counterparts when it comes to easing tight muscles. We appreciated its one-handed design, decreased noise level during use and powerful motor.

This is a battery-powered wireless massage gun that gets around two hours of use per charge. It also connects to a proprietary app via Bluetooth that helps you create custom routines to treat specific ailments. It’s also worth noting that the Mini is also around 30 percent lighter than the company’s other massage guns, which helps with that whole one-handed use aspect. Now you’ll never have to admit weakness by asking someone else to help with muscle tightness.

Target is actually selling a few Therabody products at steep discounts, all of which return to their normal prices once Halloween is over. Beyond the Mini in black or tan, you can snag the company’s eye mask massaging device for 15 percent off.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-theragun-mini-20-drops-to-a-record-low-price-in-early-target-black-friday-deal-183342874.html?src=rss

Skating/murder sim Rollerdrome is coming to Xbox Game Pass

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Skating video games are always a good time, especially when paired with high-octane action and violence. Rollerdrome is no exception, allowing players to complete death-defying roller-skating tricks and death-inducing headshots all at the same time. The game’s been an absolute hit since originally releasing for PS4, PS5 and Steam back in August of last year. Now, it’s coming to Xbox as a day one Game Pass title.

Rollerdrome releases for Xbox Series X/S via Game Pass on November 28. It’s also launching as a standalone Windows PC title, which will be available for purchase on the Microsoft Store for $30. As previously mentioned, it’s already playable on PC via Steam, but additional purchase options are never a bad thing.

If you’re unfamiliar with the game, here's a quick primer. Rollerdrome was developed by Roll7, the same team behind the uber-popular skateboarding sim OlliOlli World. The game has all of the tricks and speedy movement you’d expect from a roller-skating simulation, but with a heavy emphasis on action. We called the game “endlessly replayable" and gave it a spot on our list of the best video games of 2022, emphasizing the challenge mode and online leaderboards. We also liked the dystopian vibes, making gameplay resemble the 1970s cult classic dystopian film Rollerball. This was likely intentional on the part of the developers. 

The graphics on this third-person skater/shooter are also on-point, with bright, comic-book style visuals. There are plenty of environments to skate through, like an abandoned mall and a desert canyon. Each play area is littered with ramps, gaps and breakable windows, all of which can be leveraged for tricks. There’s also plenty of baddies to murder with weapons ranging from shotguns to grenade launchers. 

This is a busy November for Game Pass. In addition to Rollerdrome, the subscription service gets the Yakuza-adjacent Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name on November 9, along with the creature-hunting sim Wild Hearts. The Stardew-alike life sim Spirittea releases on November 13 with another farming sim, Coral Island, coming on November 14.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/skatingmurder-sim-rollerdrome-is-coming-to-xbox-game-pass-171355085.html?src=rss

Amazon early Black Friday deal knocks iRobot’s Roomba 694 down to a record low of $159

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iRobot’s Roomba 694 isn’t the most feature-rich robot vacuum on the block, but it certainly gets the job done. Now, it can get that job done for cheaper, as the Roomba 694 is on sale for $159 as part of an early Black Friday deal on Amazon. This is a record-low price for the gadget, with the discount slashing $115 off the MSRP. That’s more than 40 percent off the usual price of $275.

If you've been curious about hiring a robot helper to sweep the floors, but were waiting for a good deal, now might be a great time to jump on board. After all, the Roomba 694 sits at the top of our list of the best budget robot vacuums in the world. This little jobby might be low in price, but it's high in functionality.

The cleaning power is on point and the affiliated mobile app is both useful and easy to operate. The 694 boasts a sleek all-black design, giving it an aesthetic similar to its more expensive siblings. It can spot clean or do more intensive jobs throughout the home. The app lets you control the vacuum manually or set cleaning schedules. Amazon now owns Roomba, so you can even use that famous wisecracker Alexa to set up cleaning times.

The vacuum includes an edge-sweeping brush for corners and adaptive navigation capabilities, so it won’t careen down the stairs like a little kid on Christmas morning. These navigation sensors also allow the vacuum to clean under furniture. You don’t get any replacement brushes or filters with this unit, so you’ll have to buy those on your own when the time comes.

It cleans for 90 minutes before requiring a charge, but it’ll automatically head to the dock when the power’s running low, which is a staple of most modern robo-vacs. The Roomba 694 features a three-stage cleaning system that excels on both carpets and hard floors, but you won’t be able to use this little bot to mop. That’s a feature reserved for the pricier models.

Speaking of pricier vacuums, Roomba is running a sale on multiple models right now. You can snag the flagship J9+ for $600 instead of $1,000, or the J7+ vacuum/mop hybrid for $700 instead of $1,000. Even the mop-focused Braava Jet M6 is on sale for $300. In other words, it’s a mighty good day to be very, very lazy.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/irobots-roomba-694-drops-to-a-record-low-price-of-159-154512793.html?src=rss

Amazon’s Fire Max 11 tablet just dropped to a record-low price of $150

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Amazon’s flagship Fire Max 11 tablet just dropped to a record-low price of $150, representing a savings of $80 from the MSRP of $230. That’s 35 percent off, for you math-heads out there. This deal is for the standard tablet and doesn’t include a stylus, keyboard or any other accessories. Being as this is an Amazon tablet, you also get those ads on the lockscreen, but they are fairly unobtrusive.

This is the most powerful Fire tablet out there, with an 11-inch LCD screen, a slim aluminum frame and Alexa-powered smart home controls. You get a fingerprint sensor in the power button, WiFi 6 support and split-screen/picture-in-picture features. We were impressed by the inherent value of the tablet at its full price, so we are 35 percent more impressed now.

The Fire Max 11 is also light, weighing around a pound, and is designed around multi-tasking, with an octa-core MediaTek processor that is nearly twice as fast as any other Amazon-branded tablet. In other words, this is a far cry from the kinds of affordable, kid-friendly tablets the company typically releases.

There’s a keyboard and stylus available for this device, but you’ll pay extra for the added functionality. There are bundles that include these accessories that are also on sale, ranging from $185 to $275.

Speaking of sales, this is part of a larger early Black Friday event that includes many other Amazon tablets. You can snag the Fire HD 10 for $75, which is half off, or the Fire 7 Kids edition for just $55. The Fire 10 Plus and the Fire 10 Kids Pro tablets are also both on sale for a limited time.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazons-fire-max-11-tablet-just-dropped-to-a-record-low-price-of-150-163018884.html?src=rss

Amazon Fire TV streaming devices are up to half off right now

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Amazon Fire TV streaming sticks and related devices are up to half off right now, starting at just $18. Some of these prices match record lows found during recent Prime Day events. All told, there are five devices on sale, from the entry-level Fire TV Stick Lite to the powerful Fire TV Cube.

The Fire TV Stick Lite is on sale for $18 and the standard Fire TV Stick comes in at $20. The Fire TV Stick 4K costs $30, while the beefier TV Stick Max clocks in at $45. Finally, the Borg-like TV Cube will set you back $110, a savings of over 20 percent. This is the latest Cube, with a 2GHz octa-core processor and an HDMI input connection to plug in your cable box, which lets you use voice commands to watch regular cable TV.

The Fire Stick TV Max, typically $60, is the company’s most powerful streaming stick, with 40 percent more power than the Fire TV Stick 4K. To that end, you get 4K streams, fast app boot times and fluid menu navigation. This stick integrates with WiFi 6, Dolby Vision, HDR, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos audio. Of course, you can use Alexa voice commands to do just about anything via the included voice remote.

The Fire TV Stick 4K is no slouch, offering support for WiFi 6 and 4K streams. It also ships with an Alexa remote and a 6-month subscription to one of Amazon’s many streaming platforms, MGM+. That’s the one with the Harold Perrineau-led supernatural thriller From. The standard Fire TV stick and the Lite don’t offer 4K streams, but they do ship with a voice remote.

This sale is part of an early Black Friday event and it remains unseen when prices will balloon up back to the original MSRPs. So if you’re looking to get a capable streaming stick, or cube, on the cheap you should probably be quick about it.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/amazon-fire-tv-streaming-devices-are-up-to-half-off-right-now-152416126.html?src=rss