If Elon Musk is actively trying to drive advertisers away from his floundering social media site X, then he’s doing a really fantastic job of it. Fresh off spurring a maelstrom of criticism over a tweet that was broadly decried as antisemitic (and which led to an outflux of advertisers), Musk has now decided to dip…
Many companies give away free plugins in honor of the holiday season, but Universal Audio is taking things a step further. The audio giant is giving away free Volt 2 hardware interfaces with the purchase of a yearly subscription to its Spark plugin platform. These interfaces typically cost $170, so this is a pretty great deal for beginners, as the hardware plus the Spark software is pretty much everything you need.
Spark subscriptions are also on sale for the holidays, at $150 instead of $240, though this price point is fairly common. The end result? You pay $150 and you get a year of access to every available plugin on the service, plus the Volt 2. Not bad. The company’s subscription-based Spark platform allows access to dozens of popular UAD plugins, from iconic compressors like the 1176 to virtual instruments like the company’s Minimoog reproduction.
As for the Volt 2, this diminutive audio interface features a pair of TRS / XLR inputs on the front and associated gain control knobs. There’s a phantom power button for condenser mics and a proprietary Vintage Mode that runs the signal through a simple tube preamp emulation. These interfaces are powered via USB-C, though ship with a 5V jack for when you’re plugged into an iPad or another mobile device.
In our official review, we praised the Volt 2 audio interface for its low noise floor, simple controls and low latency, particularly when compared to rival Windows-based products. The biggest con was the price, which is normally the case for UAD products. Now that it’s down to $0 for this promotion, that worry has dissipated.
This isn’t the first time that UAD has leveraged the holiday season to give away free hardware. The company used to hand out free Satellite DSP accelerators to run its plugins with the purchase of higher-priced hardware items like the multi-channel 4-710d preamp and compressor.
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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/universal-audio-is-giving-away-volt-2-audio-interfaces-with-spark-subscriptions-182131900.html?src=rss
Meta has temporarily stopped selling the Elite Strap with Battery for the Quest 3, reportedly because of a firmware-related charging defect. The $130 accessory, which extends the standalone VR headset’s runtime by up to two hours while providing a counterweight for comfort, is currently unavailable from Meta and third-party retailers. Short of conducting a recall, the company told Road to VR, which first reported the story, that it’s currently manufacturing a new batch that fixes the firmware issues allegedly behind the defect. Meta told the publication it plans to replace the headsets on a case-by-case basis for buyers who contact customer support.
Owners have reported that the Elite Strap’s battery typically works at first but stops charging the headset earlier than expected. Informal polls, anecdotal social media comments and a separate report from Road to VR earlier this month suggest the issue may be at least somewhat common. Meta hasn’t stated whether the defect is universal, but chalking it up to firmware that requires newly manufactured units suggests it may be. I own a Quest 3 with the battery accessory and haven’t noticed any charging issues, but I also don’t remember if I’ve run its battery down enough to have noticed.
Engadget contacted a Meta spokesperson, and we’re still waiting for confirmation and any extra details about what to look for. We’ll update this article if we learn more.
The company told Road to VR it’s working to stock fixed units “as soon as possible.” Meta’s product page for the accessory says it’s out of stock, and its listing has been pulled entirely from the websites of retail partners Best Buy and Target. Amazon’s product page says “currently unavailable.”
In addition to that model, Meta makes a $70 Elite Strap without a battery focused solely on ergonomics. The company also had early troubles with its Elite Straps for the Quest 2, as both versions of the 2020 accessory were prone to cracking. Meta paused sales of that model and extended the accessory’s warranty after issuing a fix for subsequent batches.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-pauses-quest-3-elite-battery-strap-sales-reportedly-due-to-a-charging-flaw-183018925.html?src=rss
New research by an international team of scientists adds weight to the idea that the mass extinction event leading to the demise of non-avian dinosaurs was not solely caused by an asteroid impact but was influenced by pre-existing environmental challenges — The study focuses on sulfur levels in the atmosphere, presenting evidence that before the asteroid impact 66 million years ago, the Earth was experiencing significant volcanic activity.
The researchers, led by University of Oslo geoscientist Sara Callegaro, analyzed rocks from the Deccan Traps, a massive volcanic region in present-day West India. Using a new measurement technique for sulfur concentrations, they found that volcanic sulfur degassing from this region could have led to repeated, short-lived global drops in temperature.
The Deccan Traps released an immense amount of molten rock, approximately one million cubic kilometers, with the sulfur-containing lava coinciding with the cooling Cretaceous climate.
The sustained sulfur emissions from this volcanic activity may have substantially altered the global climate, causing temperature fluctuations of up to 10°C within 100,000 years before the asteroid impact.
The findings challenge the traditional narrative that attributes the extinction event primarily to the Chicxulub asteroid impact. Instead, the research suggests that the Earth’s climatic conditions were already unstable due to volcanic activity, creating a series of volcanic winters that could have lasted decades.
This environmental instability likely made survival challenging for both plants and animals, setting the stage for the eventual extinction of dinosaurs.
The study contributes to the ongoing debate between the asteroid and volcano theories regarding the cause of the mass extinction. Some researchers propose that the asteroid impact triggered increased volcanic activity, while others suggest that volcanic activity may have played a role in helping life recover from the asteroid strike.
The research underscores the significance of the Deccan Traps volcanism in shaping global climatic conditions and its role in the lead-up to the mass extinction event.
Due To Volcanic Activity, Dinosaurs Were Doomed To Extinction, Even Without A Meteorite
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The couple was married for 77 years, making their marriage the longest in U.S. presidential history.
In an effort to better organize all his electronic bits, freelance prototyper, YouTuber, and cyborg Zack Freedman is building a smart organization system for his workshop that can track inventory, tell you where a certain piece is, and light up its bin with the help of over 8,500 LEDs. Hey, the more lights, the merrier, that’s what I always say.
Zack uses the modular Gridfinity system as the backbone of his project, which is a system of open-source, free-to-3D print organizer blocks that all slot into a 42mm grid. He then adds lights and sensors to each storage block he creates, adding its contents to a database so he can track inventory and search for which bin a particular part is in.
The video follows Zach constructing a single long smart bin, but he plans to build a bunch of them, then make a vertical carousel system to maximize storage space, allowing him to call upon the specific piece he needs, and the carousel presenting him with the correct bin and lighting up the compartment needed. The future of organization, everybody! Wait till The Container Store hears about this!
If Elon Musk is actively trying to drive advertisers away from his floundering social media site X, then he’s doing a really fantastic job of it. Fresh off spurring a maelstrom of criticism over a tweet that was broadly decried as antisemitic (and which led to an outflux of advertisers), Musk has now decided to dip…
Loki season two is officially in the books and to say it changed the scope of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be an understatement. The show completed a character arc that didn’t just run through both seasons of the Disney+ show, but over 15 years of films too. Tom Hiddleston’s Loki started as a selfish, arrogant,…
HTC released the Vive Ultimate Tracker, which when paired with one of the company’s virtual reality headsets, delivers multi-point body tracking for users for everything from first-person shooter gaming to soccer skills training. The new tracker follows HTC’s Vive Tracker 3.0 line and will cost $199 per unit. HTC is also selling a three-pack that comes with the required wireless dongle and other accessories for a bundle price of $599.
You can use up to five “six degrees of freedom” (6DoF) Ultimate Trackers simultaneously and connect to a single headset to collectively support multi-point full-body tracking. Each tracker relies on two wide field-of-view cameras to precisely locate the wearer’s motions in 3D spaces, which ultimately gives it those self-tracking capabilities. The Global Head of Product at HTC, Shen Ye, said the technology built into the Ultimate tracker will enhance the virtual reality experience, making sessions “a lot more realistic and immersive.” Previous models relied on a base station for its tracking capabilities.
The lightweight positional trackers, weighing in at 94 grams a unit, can be attached to a variety of accessories, like a racket sports set, which expands its usability for things like VR training and dancing in VRChat. For example, the Vive Ultimate Tracker can be used specifically for foot tracking, which can be used to gauge passing skills during drills for soccer players. “From elite athletes to casual gamers, it’s extremely versatile and easy to set up anywhere,” Adam Dickinson, director of Rezzil, a tech company focused on training athletes using VR, says on using the new tracker.
Are you ready?! 🔥💯#gaming #virtualreality #vr #gamers #technology #virtualrealityworld, #virtualrealitygames #mr #ar #passthrough #virtualrealityexperience, #augmentedreality #vrheadset, #bestvrheadset #depthsensor, #depthsensors, #vrsensor#htc, #htcvive, #vive #iggamers pic.twitter.com/FyWN43PYTm
— HTC VIVE (@htcvive) November 28, 2023
The new Ultimate trackers are flat and are smaller than a smartphone, giving it an entirely different look from its three-pointed predecessor, the Vive Tracker 3.0. The Ultimate Tracker can also be paired with a standard mount and paired with HTC’s Vive XR Elite and Vive Focus 3. The trackers have a battery life of up to 7 hours and need WiFi to operate.
Though the company may be getting ahead of itself, Vive says it would eventually like the Ultimate Tracker to work independently with SteamVR without being paired to an XR headset. The first step in this process should come soon, as HTC plans to release a beta for direct connection to SteamVR “in the coming weeks.” This, the company says, will expand the Ultimate Tracker’s capabilities for industrial use. HTC headsets have been vying for space in the race to deliver the best virtual reality headset and accessories, primarily against the likes of Meta and its Quest headsets. Expanding the capabilities of its trackers may help Vive narrow the competitive gap, as more innovative applications may be key to enticing the niche world of VR gamers and users moving forward.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/htcs-vive-ultimate-trackers-have-cameras-to-improve-full-body-tracking-000008776.html?src=rss
U.S. officials quietly treat Israel’s $3 billion in annual aid differently than aid to other nations – but they almost never acknowledge that.
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