Sep 22
Yale aims to keep up with the times by releasing new products integrated with Matter, a system that’s meant to future-proof smart home electronics of all sorts.
Sep 22
Blame electrification, poor sales, or just questionable automaker decisions, but plenty of cars and SUVs were axed in 2022. Is your favorite on the list?
Sep 22
Optoma's New Short-Throw 4K Projector Needs Just Four Feet to Fill a 100-inch Screen
Posted in: Today's Chili
Once a feature exclusive to million dollar homes and properties featured on MTV’s Cribs, a decent home theater is now far more attainable thanks to companies like Optoma churning out well-spec’d 4K projectors like its new UHD35STx, which delivers space-saving short throw performance at a relatively affordable price…
Sep 22
Anyone who has been to a wedding totally understood why the sixth episode of She-Hulk was so on the money. Last week, things ended with She-Hulk getting her very own super suit and a tease of an exciting cameo in Daredevil. So just when you thought the show was about to get all “Marvel” on us, a wedding invite…
Sep 22
MyPillow CEO Is Under Federal Investigation for Potential Ties to Colorado Election Security Breach
Posted in: Today's Chili
Sep 22
NASA and Hideo Kojima have teamed up for a project, and it’s not the partnership itself that’s unusual. Kojima Productions’ mascot, after all, is a character called Ludens, who wears an extravehicular activity spacesuit and is meant to be an astronaut exploring digital space. No, it’s the fact that they’ve collaborated on a watch. It’s not even a smartwatch — it’s an actual wristwatch called Space Ludens that’s based on the gaming developer’s mascot.
The watch was designed and will be sold by creative studio and watchmaker Anicorn, which previously worked with NASA on other watches and merch. As IGN notes, it’s based on the visual style of Ludens’ spacesuit, with its gray/silver coloring and gold screws and accents. The NASA logo adorns its watchface, along with the words “Extra-Vehicular Creative Activity Suit.” Underneath, the Kojima Productions logo is stamped on the transparent case showing the watch’s gears.
While a watch is most likely not the first thing that’ll come to mind when you hear that Kojima teamed up with NASA, it does look pretty cool and could appeal to fans of either party. The Space Ludens watch will be released in limited quantities on September 27th. Only 600 pieces will be available for purchase, and 100 of which will ship with a skull mask based on the one that’s prominently featured in the Kojima Productions logo. Anicorn has yet to reveal how much it will cost, but its previous NASA watches don’t come cheap and will set you back over $1,000.
SPACE LUDENS by KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS × NASA × ANICORN WATCHES
The correlation of Time, Space and Homo Ludens@Kojima_Hideo@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN@KojiPro2015@KojiPro2015_ENComing soon – 27 Sep 2022
Exclusively on https://t.co/ItVupBWStv
___
Animation by Morning Giants Studio pic.twitter.com/XTgePvHXYv— ANICORN (@Anicorn_Watch) September 21, 2022
Sep 22
ByteDance's Pico reveals its latest VR headset as it aims to compete with Meta Quest 2
Posted in: Today's ChiliByteDance subsidiary Pico has unveiled its latest virtual reality headset. The Pico 4 will initially be available in Japan, South Korea, the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and eight other European countries. Pico hasn’t revealed US release plans as yet, but it aims to bring the device to Singapore and Malaysia by the end of the year, and China at a later date.
The headset — which has a Qualcomm XR2 processor, an Adreno 650 GPU and 8GB of RAM — can be used as a standalone device. Pico claims the battery, which is in the rear strap to help keep things balanced, offers around three hours of use on a single charge, as The Verge notes. The device weighs 295 grams without the strap and 586 grams when it’s attached.
Imagination, the only limitation #PICO4
PICO 4 is well-equipped to provide an enhanced #VR experience without compromising comfort.
Let us know which features you love the most!
Click https://t.co/JNkeOROcNo to learn more! pic.twitter.com/ywu4gt8iRN
— PICO XR (@PICOXR) September 22, 2022
You can also connect Pico 4 to a gaming PC for higher-end VR experiences. That might be necessary to make full use of the dual displays, which offer higher than 4K resolution at 4,320 x 2,160 resolution for each eye. The displays have a 90Hz refresh rate and 105-degree field of view, according to Pocket-lint.
The Pico 4 uses inside-out tracking with no need for external beacons. It comes with Pico 4 motion controllers (which have vibration features) and there are four external cameras, as Road to VR points out. According to the Pico website, the device will offer full-color passthrough — something Meta is working on for its Project Cambria headset.
Pico
Given that ByteDance also owns TikTok, it shouldn’t be surprising that there’s a way to view videos from that app. You’ll be able to share VR experiences to TikTok as well. There will be hundreds more things to watch in VR and 360 formats. Pico is working to bring live sports and “avatar-based concerts” to the platform as well.
As for games, there are 165 of them in the Pico store and more being added each week. The headset will support the likes of Peaky Blinders: The King’s Ransom, Demeo, The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, All-in-One Summer Sports VR and Just Dance VR (which will arrive in 2023 as a Pico exclusive). There will also be SteamVR support.
Meanwhile, there are plans to launch a metaverse-style experience called Pico Worlds next year. Unlike in Meta’s Horizon Worlds, Pico’s avatars appear to have legs.
Considering the price and specs, it’s Pico is trying to compete with Meta Quest 2 (Meta recently bumped up the price of that product). Whether the brand can hang with Meta on the content front remains to be seen. Users are unlikely to be able to play Beat Saber, for instance. Pico also revealed its latest device just a few weeks before Meta will show off at least one VR headset, likely to be the higher-end Project Cambria model, at Connect.
A Pico 4 with 128GB of storage costs €429 (around $422). A model with double the storage capacity will run you €499 (approximately $491). Preorders open next month and the headset will ship on October 18th. Pico also plans to release some accessories next year. A more accurate fitness tracker, a wireless dongle for PC connectivity and a carrying case will each cost €50 (or around $49).
Sep 22
The app will require verification for accounts belonging to governments, politicians and political parties in the U.S. until the November midterm elections.
Sep 22
The ongoing chess cheating scandal won’t die out, and it’s starting to seem like the rest of us are just pawns being shuffled from one accusation to the next.
Sep 22
Knock at the Cabin Gives M. Night Shyamalan the End of the World to Deal With
Posted in: Today's Chili
Knock at the Cabin is not, in fact a comedy. It’s not even a satire (at least, I don’t think it is…). I’ll admit I was fooled by both the initial cast announcement, the jaunty opening soundtrack, and the kind of absurd mishmash title, complete with ‘broken’ font, that might all point to some kind of tongue-in-cheek…
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