Technology - Google News

Leaked memo promises major Xbox streaming news at E3 - Engadget
AirPods, the world's most popular wireless headphones, are getting even better - Apple Newsroom
Hands-on with the new $399 Oculus Rift S: More pixels, zero webcams, better fit - Ars Technica

Leaked memo promises major Xbox streaming news at E3 - Engadget

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 07:49 AM PDT

Google had some major news on the gaming front Tuesday when it announced Stadia, its game-streaming service. Microsoft's Xbox chief Phil Spencer was among those who paid attention to Google's event, and he was quick to remind his team Stadia wasn't the only big-name upcoming game streaming project. "Google went big today and we have a couple of months until E3 when we will go big," he wrote in an internal email obtained by Thurrott.

It seems Spencer was referring to significant news ahead for Microsoft's Project xCloud. Microsoft is planning to hold public trials of the service this year, an executive said this month (Stadia is also slated to roll out in 2019). "Their announcement is validation of the path we embarked on two years ago," Spencer told his team. "Today we saw a big tech competitor enter the gaming market, and frame the necessary ingredients for success as Content, Community and Cloud."

The battle is most definitely on among several players to become the Netflix of gaming, and Stadia certainly has the opportunity to become a leader in the space. Google is aiming for 60 frames-per-second latency-free gaming in 4K resolution with its service, and features such as deep YouTube integration, Google Assistant functions and direct connections between the controller and Google's servers puts it in good stead. That puts a bit of pressure on Microsoft to showcase something special with xCloud at E3 in June, though Spencer seems confident about whatever his team has up its sleeve.

"We have to stay agile and continue to build with our customer at the center," he wrote. "We have the content, community, cloud team and strategy, and as I've been saying for a while, it's all about execution. This is even more true today."

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AirPods, the world's most popular wireless headphones, are getting even better - Apple Newsroom

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 05:34 AM PDT

Cupertino, California — Apple today announced new AirPods, the second generation of the world's most popular wireless headphones. AirPods revolutionized the wireless audio experience with a breakthrough design and the new AirPods build on the magical experience customers love. The new Apple-designed H1 chip, developed specifically for headphones, delivers performance efficiencies, faster connect times, more talk time and the convenience of hands-free "Hey Siri." AirPods come with either a standard charging case or a new Wireless Charging Case for convenient charging at home and on the go. The new AirPods and AirPods with Wireless Charging Case are available to order on apple.com and the Apple Store app starting today, and in Apple Stores beginning next week.

“AirPods delivered a magical wireless experience and have become one of the most beloved products we’ve ever made. They connect easily with all of your devices, and provide crystal clear sound and intuitive, innovative control of your music and audio,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The world’s best wireless headphones just got even better with the new AirPods. They are powered by the new Apple-designed H1 chip which brings an extra hour of talk time, faster connections, hands-free ‘Hey Siri’ and the convenience of a new wireless battery case.”

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Hands-on with the new $399 Oculus Rift S: More pixels, zero webcams, better fit - Ars Technica

Posted: 20 Mar 2019 08:00 AM PDT

Enlarge / Behold, the Oculus Rift S, the VR company's newest wired PC headset produced by Lenovo. From this angle, you can see four of its five built-in sensing cameras, including two in the front, two on the sides (slightly pointing down), and an upward-facing sensor.
Kyle Orland

SAN FRANCISCO—One thing was conspicuously missing from the Oculus demos at GDC 2019: cameras.

You need at least two (if not three) of the company's signature webcams to run its PC headset, the Oculus Rift. Those cameras are not great. They come with funky, oversized stands. They're not as effective at sensing a headset as the HTC Vive's "dumb" infrared boxes. And they must be plugged into a PC, which creates a certain kind of cord hell and requires a PC with plenty of spare USB 3.0 slots.

So, as we filed into this week's demo center of mock "living room" spaces, complete with VR headsets, the lack of Oculus cameras was apparent. Indeed, it was a statement.

"This is out-of-the-box room scale," Oculus co-founder Nate Mitchell said as he gestured to the Oculus Rift S, the new PC-focused VR headset launching "this spring" for $399. This headset will effectively replace the standard Oculus Rift headset, which has had production all but halted to make way for the new model. For $50 more than the existing Rift retail package, Rift S owners will get a few perks, including a nearly 100-percent boost in pixel resolution (up to 1280×1440 per eye).

Oculus Rift S, from the side.

Kyle Orland
From the top. Thus, you can plainly see the top-facing sensor.

Kyle Orland
On Sam Machkovech's face. I temporarily wore headphones while testing the headset, but after this photo was taken, I took them off.

Kyle Orland
The dial on the back helps secure a comfortable fit. It's far better than the original triangle design of the first Rift's strap.

Kyle Orland
Fine-tuning its fit on the front of my face before clamping the back-side dial.

Kyle Orland

The Rift S will also include two updated Oculus Touch controllers (one for each hand), a single cable that connects to a PC (1 x DisplayPort, 1 x USB 3.0), and zero external cameras. Instead, like the previously announced Oculus Quest, the Oculus Rift S will have built-in cameras that combine infrared and RGB sensors to map your room—and function whether you stand, sit, kneel, or twirl.

We did all of those silly actions, along with plenty more, with an Oculus Rift S strapped to our heads.

A great thing I did not notice

In addition to the lack of external sensors, the Oculus Rift S includes one other surprise: a prominent Lenovo logo. Oculus confirmed that Lenovo took the lead on producing this headset. Oculus executives would not confirm exactly how the design work was split between the two companies, other than to say that the product is the "best of both companies coming together to deliver something entirely new."

Oculus clearly handled one piece of the Rift S design puzzle: its built-in cameras, dubbed "Oculus Insight." The cameras largely resemble the ones coming to the company's other big "coming soon" headset, the Oculus Quest. That wholly wireless headset includes a built-in Snapdragon 835 SoC, but it only includes four sensing cameras. As the above galleries show, the Rift S has the same four-camera array, along with a new fifth sensor positioned at the top of its head-mounted display (HMD).

Rolling around and gesturing close to the floor didn't break Oculus Rift S' ability to track my nearby environs.

Kyle Orland
Holding the Oculus Touch controllers behind my head worked until they went fully behind my head. The upward-facing sensor at the top helps keep hands tracked up there pretty well, at least.

Kyle Orland

I was immediately intrigued by this fifth sensor, because I'd already been charmed by the handheld Oculus Touch controllers—and by how well Oculus Quest recognizes a room. But I knew that the Quest choked on a few of the wilder gesticulations that VR games and apps can require. What if I want to raise my arms to the sky or prime an arrow, pull it back, and shoot it from a bow?

My first Oculus Rift S demo, which took place within the upcoming Insomniac Games VR adventure Stormland, let me test this functionality with a handy real-time shadow system. I could stand against any light source, turn around, and see my robo-body's shadow and its arm motions while looking straight ahead. This confirmed that above-the-head hand motions were neatly and accurately mapped. However, priming my hand in that medieval bow-and-arrow way did falter.

As a guy who likes rudimentary VR combat (V-archery?), I was a bit bummed. But something more notable did not emerge after my 20 minutes within Stormland: fatigue.

Oculus Rift S combines crucial upgrades that, even in its preview state, may make it my new number-one choice for "consumer grade" PC VR. First up: those built-in sensors. After a full hour of testing the Rift S in multiple demos, it's clear that it does a noticeably better job tracking my head and hands within a virtual environment than Oculus Rift's external cameras ever did. And it never crapped out when I rolled the wired-VR dice or whipped around like a goofball.

I got on my knees. I strafe-stepped. I crawled. It all worked.

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