Futuresource: Games Drive VR Market

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VR gaming and head mounted displays (HMDs) see rapid innovation in a "stuttering" market, Futuresource reports, with VR games expected to grow by 220% in 2018 amid a range of challenges and a turbulent hype cycle.

VR Gaming“Mass market uptake is going to be gradual, but it is going to happen,” the analyst says, “and as the VR sector moves forward from a relatively low base, content will continue to evolve, the user experience will improve and the investment threshold for consumers will continue to fall. By the end of 2018, VR games content will have achieved a global sales value of $1.3 billion, setting it on a steady course for success.”

Dominating the VR games market are full games sales and downloaded content. Steam and Oculus lead the market, consolidating PC VR space and building a presence in mobile VR. PlayStation VR is the only option when it comes to gems consoles, since Microsoft has walked back on a previous decision to bring VR capability to Xbox One while Nintendo has no plans for the field as yet (despite some patents suggesting the Switch has some provision for VR).

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NAD Presents C 658 BluOS Streaming DAC

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NAD launches the C 658-- a combination of preamplifier, DAC and BluOS-compatible streamer complete with Bluetooth aptX HD, built-in Dirac Live Room Correction and a modular design.

NAD C 658Being a BluOS system, the C 658 natively supports nearly 20 streaming services, as well as indexing of over 250000 tracks from local network sources. It handles streaming in high resolution audio formats, including MQA, to 64 zones and control options for iOS, Android, Windows and Mac phones, tablets and PCs. BluOS also supports all major smart home controllers, and is available in a wide range of products.

The C 658 offers a high-quality phono stage, analogue inputs, balanced preamp output and stereo subwoofer outputs, plus high current headphone amplifier with a 6.4mm jack. An RS-232 serial port allows connectivity with Control4, Crestron, RTI, URC and ELAN products once paired with incoming chassis drivers. Two-way Bluetooth capability not only allows streaming from mobile devices, but also playback on Bluetooth-enabled headphones.

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A Lightweight Glove to "Touch" Virtual Objects

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Researchers at EPFL and ETH Zurich claim to have a solution for creating more immersive virtual reality experiences-- a pair of high-tech gloves able to provide "extremely realistic haptic feedback."

VR GlovesDubbed "DextrES," the gloves look to be able to solve the issue of allowing VR users "touch" virtual objects while being both lightweight and low power. The scientists say the gloves weigh just 8 grams per finger, and generate up to 40 Newtons of holding force on each finger using 200V and "only a few" milliWatts of power. The gloves are also all of 2mm thick, and lack the exoskeleton, pumps or thick cables of current VR gloves.

For the curious, the DextrES glove is made of nylon. Thin elastic metal strips run over the fingers, with a thin insulator separating the strips. When the user "touches" a virtual object, a controller applies a voltage difference between the metal strips, causing them to stick together via electrostatic attraction. The result is a braking force blocking the movements of the fingers or thumb. Once the voltage is removed, the metal strips glide smoothly, and the user can move their fingers freely.

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A KiiPix Instant Printer for Smartphones

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Toy maker Tomy takes on smartphone printers with the KiiPix-- a battery-free printer able to produce an image by simply hand-cranking a dial, customers to easily and (relatively) cheaply print small images.

KiiPix printerThe KiiPix is rather similar to the Holga Printer, a hand-cranked printer from the venerable camera brand currently going through a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. Both printers are compact devices based on the same principle, namely copying the smartphone display onto Fujifilm Instax Mini instant film.

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Samsung Intros Galaxy Book2

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Samsung looks to rival the Microsoft Surface with the Galaxy Book2-- a Qualcomm Snapdragon 850-powered "always on, always connected" laptop offering LTE connectivity and up to 20 hours of battery life.

Galaxy Book2Customers should not confuse the Galaxy Book2 with the recently launched Galaxy Tab S4, since the more recent Samsung device is a Windows 10 machine. It is very similar to the Surface, down to and including the adjustable rear kickstand and the (included) keyboard cover users magnetically attach to the tablet. The keyboard also folds into a stand, just like the iPad keyboard does, and stylus support comes as standard.

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