Microsoft dropped a bombshell announcement today in the middle of Apple’s WWDC 2020 event: the company will shut down Mixer in July and redirect all traffic to Facebook Gaming.
In an interview with The Verge, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer says the move is going to help gamers get more of what they want to see in a more seamless way and says that the service was struggling to keep pace with Twitch and YouTube.
“We started pretty far behind, in terms of where Mixer’s monthly active viewers were compared to some of the big players out there,” Spencer said. “I think the Mixer community is really going to benefit from the broad audience that Facebook has through their properties, and the abilities to reach gamers in a very seamless way through the social platform Facebook has.”
The transition will take place on July 22, at which point all Mixer streams will redirect to Facebook Gaming. Microsoft says all its existing streaming partners will be able to move to Facebook Gaming and immediately be granted partner status with Facebook’s Level Up Program.
The trade-off here is that Facebook will begin implementing Microsoft’s xCloud game-streaming service on Facebook Gaming: eventually, the platform will enable PC gamers to jump directly into any game they’re watching on a stream.
It could also mean that the Xbox Series X will use Facebook Gaming instead of Mixer.
Will the Xbox Series X use Facebook Gaming, YouTube or Twitch?
Before today, it seemed like Mixer on Xbox Series X was a shoo-in. The streaming service has been integrated into the Xbox One for over two years now, and it didn’t sound like that would change with the Xbox Series X.
Now, though, it’s anyone’s guess as to which streaming service Microsoft will include on Xbox Series X.
The partnership with Facebook does hint at a future where we see Facebook Gaming replace Mixer on the next Xbox console – but it could also open the door for Microsoft to partner with YouTube and/or Twitch, too.
The best-case scenario is that Microsoft will continue to support all the game-streaming services and will give you that option every time you hit the new share button on the Xbox Series X.
Whether or not that will be the case, however, we'll just have to wait to find out.
If you’re a cord-cutter, you need to know about ATSC 3.0 or, as it’s more creatively referred to on TV boxes, NextGen TV. Similar to what bunny ears and HD antennas offered a few years ago, ATSC 3.0 is a system of broadcasting 4K channels to your TV free of charge.
When it’s fully developed some time... well, in the next decade, ATSC 3.0 will offer 4K video with Dolby Atmos or DTS:X audio from your favorite over-the-air cable stations for free with closed captioning in a number of different languages. It will even reach more areas than HD broadcasts.
Still rocking an HDTV? Here's our guide to the best 4K TVs
That would be a huge upgrade in and of itself, but because it also taps into IP-based services through your home network, it might also be able to offer you shows and movies on demand from those cable channels both on your TV and through a mobile device and, unfortunately, collect data on your viewing habits, too.
That last part isn't wonderful, but for the most part ATSC 3.0 is truly the next revolution in broadcasting.
Although the full roll out with every show being broadcast in 4K with Dolby Atmos audio is still years away, it’s available in its earliest stages right now in a few select cities across the US. More regions will be available before the end of the year, which means that, before long, you’ll be able to get a glimpse of it in your own home.
Ready to take your TV to the next level? Here’s what you need to know.
What is ATSC 3.0 and where did it come from?
If you attach an HD antenna to your TV right now, you'd be using ATSC 1.0 – the set of standards agreed upon and setup over a decade ago that transitioned terrestrial broadcasters away from an analog signal and into the digital age.
ATSC 3.0 is the next step in ATSC's evolution and comes from the Advanced Television Systems Committee which has been responsible for the TV broadcasting standards in America for the last 40 years.
In more or less words, ATSC 3.0 describes the whole system that needs to be in place before we can watch over-the-air 4K content. It’s the technology broadcasters will need to use in order to transmit 4K shows and the tuners we’ll need to receive that content, similar to how ATSC 1.0 works now.
The IP-based interactions are still a bit hazy at the moment while the technology is still being fleshed out, but more functionality is sure to come later.
What happened to ATSC 2.0 you might ask? Well, basically all the framework was built for it, but it never came to fruition. That's what lead some people to be skeptical of ATSC 3.0 but, so far, things have been going according to plan.
When does it start rolling out?
Unlike other technology that has a set release date, ATSC 3.0 is like 5G in the sense that it's coming to different areas at different times.
That said, there are currently around a half-dozen cities with access to ATSC 3.0 channels with another three dozen coming online in the next year. You can find a complete list of the supported markets on the ATSC 3.0 website but here's a list of all the markets with current ATSC 3.0 service areas marked in bold:
Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Albuquerque-Santa Fe, NM
Atlanta, GA
Austin, TX
Baltimore, MD
Boise, ID
Boston, MA
Buffalo, NY
Burlington, VT-Plattsburgh, NY
Charleston-Huntington, WV
Charleston, SC
Charlotte, NC
Chattanooga, TN
Chicago, IL
Cincinnati, OH
Cleveland-Akron, OH
Columbus, OH
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
Davenport,IA-Rock Island-Moline, IL
Denver, CO
Detroit, MI
East Lansing, MI
Flint-Saginaw-Bay City, MI
Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo, MI
Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson, SC
Asheville, NC
Hartford-New Haven, CT
Houston, TX
Indianapolis, IN
Kansas City, KS-MO
Las Vegas, NV
Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR
Los Angeles, CA
Memphis, TN
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Milwaukee, WI
Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN
Mobile, AL-Pensacola, FL
Nashville, TN
New York, NY
Norfolk-Portsmith-Newport News, VA
Oklahoma City, OK
Omaha, NE
Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, FL
Philadelphia, PA
Phoenix, AZ
Pittsburgh, PA
Portland, OR
Providence, RI-New Bedford, MA
Raleigh-Durham, NC
Rochester, NY
Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto, CA
Salt Lake City, UT
San Antonio, TX
San Diego, CA
San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose, CA
Santa Barbara-Santa Marie-San Luis Obispo, CA
Seattle-Tacoma, WA
Springfield, MO
St. Louis, MO
Syracuse, NY
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Sarasota, FL
Washington, D.C.
West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, FL
There's a big caveat here, though, the cities that have ATSC 3.0 now aren’t necessarily seeing 4K content, instead they’re mostly getting HD channels with some 5.1 surround sound. So don’t feel like you’re missing out.
What do I need to watch it?
The bad news is that ATSC 3.0 isn’t compatible with TVs with ATSC 1.0 tuners – i.e. you’ll have to eventually upgrade to a new TV if you want ATSC 3.0 signals.
In fact, because the transition to ATSC 3.0 isn't government mandated like the transition to digital broadcasts were 10 years ago, neither broadcasters or TV makers are required to make any changes or admissions in the roll out. It can happen at their leisure because they're the ones paying for the equipment.
That said, however LG, Samsung and Sony have all begun putting ATSC 3.0 tuners inside their high-end models, and pretty much any 2020 8K TV or high-end OLED will have the tuners, which means the TV is more or less futureproof.
Unfortunately, the TV alone isn't enough. You need an ATSC 3.0 antenna, too. There are external antennas that will be available to buy now from a number of manufacturers but they're close to $1,000 each. The good news is that there are a number of manufacturers starting to make low-cost antennas and tuners, but they won't start getting widespread roll out for another few months.
It's not affordable by any means, but the Samsung Q950T does support NextGen TV.
What will the end experience be like? Should you upgrade right now?
The promised experience sounds almost too good to be true: free 4K shows from your favorite American TV channels like NBC, ABC, FOX and CBS with Dolby Atmos sound on your TV or phone, plus on-demand content without a streaming box.
The reality is that we're still probably a few years away from that and the technology still needs to be fleshed out a bit more. Not only are some of these shows not produced in 4K, but many local stations simply don't have the equipment necessary to broadcast 4K signal. The fact that almost no one out there has an ATSC 3.0 tuner means that there's few people able to get this in their own homes, which reinforces the idea to broadcasters that no one wants it.
For all those reasons and more, we don't recommend being an early adopter on this technology. You'd certainly be helping the transition to 4K broadcasts if you went out and bought an external ATSC 3.0 tuner and started watching the content that's out there in those select areas, but more than likely broadcasters are going to adopt it at
a pace that makes sense for their budgets.
Instead, our recommendation is to make your next TV ATSC 3.0-compatible by buying one of the latest TVs from LG, Samsung and Sony listed below when you're ready to upgrade. That way, when ATSC 3.0 goes on air in earnest with 4K broadcasts and Dolby Atmos audio, you'll be ready and waiting.
Move over Oculus Quest, Apple could have its Apple AR Glasses ready by 2022, and then have a second ultra-high-resolution VR/AR hybrid headset ready to go by 2023.
That information comes from a new Bloomberg report that provides a deep dive into Apple’s augmented reality launch plans with its two new headsets, codenamed N421 and N301.
The first, the N421, is the Apple AR Glasses you’ve heard rumors about for years. They’re lightweight, but only offer AR through Apple’s existing ARKit technology.
According to the report, however, it’s the latter N301 that’s Apple’s more ambitious play into the gaming VR/AR space: the headset will have a high-resolution display as well as a cinematic speaker system that “will make it almost impossible for a user to differentiate the virtual world from the real one”.
That system will take a number of design cues from the Oculus Quest by using a fabric design and will be wire-free, which was apparently the work of former design chief Jony Ive. It will have its own section in the App Store, apparently, and comes from Apple’s AR team of over 1,000 employees.
What does Apple augmented reality look like?
If you want a full look at Apple’s augmented reality road map, it’s worth reading the Bloomberg piece in full. In it, you’ll find loads of details about how the glasses came together and what the future of Apple’s AR landscape could look like.
If you're pressed for time, the short answer is that Apple appears to be building a robust AR ecosystem of products that could hit a number of price points and user preferences. The N301 sounds like a more robust headset designed for gamers and hardcore VR/AR enthusiasts while the N421 could be the equivalent of the Apple Watch – a trendy, affordable and practical device for a wider audience.
What we’ll use the headset and glasses for, says Bloomberg citing Apple sources, could include games, video streaming software, and applications for virtual meetings, and might primarily be controlled by Siri voice commands – though a controller is being tested as well.
From Bloomberg’s report, it doesn’t sound like any of these products will be announced at Monday’s WWDC 2020 conference, but we’ll be watching regardless for the latest on iOS 14, tvOS 14 and the next Apple HomePod.
Own a VR headset already? Don't miss our round-up of the best VR games
If you were hoping the PS5 would launch with some of the games shown during last week’s showcase, we’ve got some bad news: many of the 23 PS5 games shown won’t be available until sometime next year.
The newest game to add to that pile is Horizon Forbidden West, the sequel to the smash-hit Horizon: Zero Dawn from developers Guerrilla Games. The game’s director Mathjis de Jonge has confirmed in a video that the team is shooting for a launch ‘sometime in 2021’ and will miss the console’s late 2020 launch window.
The new video, published today on YouTube, has de Jonge walking viewers through the game’s setting (the Pacific Coast of the United States) and highlighting some of the major overhauls coming to the game, which are powered by the PS5’s hefty hardware.
While it's disappointing to hear one of the most anticipated games of the PS5 won't be available right at launch, the video does a great job of showing us what to expect when the game finally gets here: lush, new environments and instant fast-travel with zero loading screens.
The video also gives us our first look at some of the new creatures we'll fight in the Forbidden West and a quick peek at the tribes who inhabit future San Francisco.
So what are we going to play at launch?
At this point the answer isn't incredibly clear. Of the 23 games Sony showed off at its PS5 gameplay showcase, only a handful said they'd launch in 2020.
Among the games we're expecting is Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which Sony has since clarified is a standalone game similar to Uncharted: Lost Legacy, and Astro's Playroom, which Sony says comes pre-loaded on every PS5.
We've also heard that there will be a few cross-gen titles that will be available at or around launch including Destiny 2, Madden 21 and Fortnite. (GTA5 was also shown off at the event, but won't be available on PS5 until 2021.)
For now, it's pretty unclear what exactly we'll be playing, but we'll be keeping a close eye on all the previously announced PS5 games as we get closer to launch.
Which console should you buy? Here's everything we know about PS5 vs Xbox Series X
Google announced today that it’s dropping the price of its Google Stadia Premiere Edition starter kit that comes with a Chromecast Ultra and Google Stadia Controller from $129/£119 to just under $100/£90.
The bad news, though, is that the Stadia Premiere Starter Kit will no longer come with a three-month free trial of Stadia Pro... which was actually a nice perk for paying for the proper hardware.
The drop in price feels like a way for the game-streaming service to pick up some steam ahead of the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, and follows the launch of Stadia’s free tier back in April that allows you to use the service without being a Stadia Pro member.
In fact, now that Stadia’s free tier is available, you actually don’t even need to use Google hardware at all to start streaming – you can simply use your PC’s browser with a USB-compatible controller to start gaming on Google Stadia’s website. Really, you only need the Google hardware if you want Stadia on your living room TV.
The pros and cons of being a Pro
Stadia Pro was arguably the most confusing and controversial aspect of the launch of Google Stadia: you had to be a Stadia Pro member in order to play games on Stadia at launch, and you needed to use Google’s hardware. No exceptions.
The upsides to being a Pro member are that games can be played in 4K and Google does offer you a ton of free titles every month, plus a hefty discount on a dozen other games, similar to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Gold and Sony’s PlayStation Plus plans.
And Google, to its credit, is standing by those perks going forward.
At $10/£9 per month, though, the plan is pretty steep and the three-month trial that Google included with the Stadia Premiere kit was a nice taste of the subscription.
Not sure what you should play on Stadia? Here's our list of the best Stadia games
Google might be ready to unveil a new Nest smart speaker that sits somewhere between the Google Home and Google Home Max, according to a new rumor.
The speaker, which was disclosed by a source to 9to5Google, goes by the codename Prince - yes, like the musician - and is poised to rival the Sonos One.
What separates Prince from its predecessors is that it apparently has larger drivers than the Google Home and follows the same mesh fabric design at the Nest Mini, but isn’t quite as powerful as the more expensive Google Home Max.
The speaker will definitely be using Google Assistant and won’t have a screen like the Google Nest Hub and Nest Hub Max – it’ll be voice-only – which makes sense if it's intended to replace the original Home or Home Max.
The source didn’t disclose how much the speaker will cost or when we can expect to see it, but 9to5Google estimates that it will be priced somewhere between the two older smart speakers and might be available alongside the Google Pixel 4a.
When, exactly, that will happen however is still up in the air.
Google Nest Home or the Google Home Max 2?
A few years back, Google placed the vast majority of its smart devices under the Google Nest umbrella, implying that the products were all interconnected and compatible with the Nest series.
Weirdly, though, neither the Google Home Max nor the Google Home got the rebranding and have retained their original names.
Prince could change that by replacing one or both of those speakers if it's truly the happy medium between the Home and the Home Max.
Unfortunately Google IO has been cancelled this year without any word of a replacement event and the latest rumors say we could be waiting until October to get our hands on the next Pixel phone – so don't toss out your old Google Home speaker just yet.
Can't decide which speaker is right for you? Here's our guide to the best smart speakers
It can be hard to catch up with a technology once it’s picked up steam. It seems like everyone knows every little detail about it and, if you can’t find a welcoming community, learning the ropes can be almost impossible.
For some folks, that’s what happened with virtual reality. A technology that went from silly retro tech to developer kit to full-blown cultural phenomenon overnight.
If you missed the first four years of VR’s rise to prominence, don’t worry. The technology is less complicated than you think and is super easy to understand. There’s affordable ways to try it before you buy it, and plenty of ways to find new content if you’ve already bought a headset.
Not sure where to start in this wondrous world on the edge of the digital and physical spaces? Let us be your virtual tour guides as we take you step-by-step through the technology.
What is virtual reality? How is it different from a computer or a TV?
When we talk about virtual reality, we’re talking about images, videos, games or software that offers a 180-degree or 360-degree field of view. It’s content that you can explore or experience first-hand, getting closer than ever before.
When most folks think about VR, their first thoughts are of 3D – the display technology that used stereoscopy to give the illusion that images were popping out of the screen. VR is similar in that it sometimes uses tricks to add realism to content, but it doesn’t stop where the screen stops – it fills your entire field of view with an image or environment.
Instead of looking at a shark on Discovery Channel, there are apps that put you in a shark cage and allow you to experience what it’d be like to see the animals swimming around you.
Why people like it so much is because the content feels more immersive. Instead of looking at a shark on Discovery Channel, there are apps that put you in a shark cage and allow you to experience what it’d be like to see the animals swimming around you. It’s the first step towards the holodeck that you saw on Star Trek 40 years ago.
Now, obviously, not every video or videogame ever made is available in VR – at least not natively. VR works best when the content is produced for virtual reality and is viewed on a virtual reality headset… even a cheap one like the Google Cardboard.
The quality of this content varies wildly – just like every YouTube video isn’t an Oscar-award winning production – but the central idea behind it all is that it’s more immersive than 2D.
Is VR healthy? Can you get hurt while using it?
The general consensus is that yes, it’s totally safe to use, especially for adults whose eyes have already stopped developing and who don't really get motion sick. Whether it’s safe for kids ages 13 and under remains a subject of debate, but most companies recommend limited use for the age group with plenty of breaks.
In fact, even for adults just getting into the medium, we recommend slowly getting acclimated. Putting the headset on for a few minutes at a time then taking it off, just to get your eyes used to having a screen that close.
Wearing a headset for an hour or more does put some strain on your eyes and it can cause headaches if you’re not properly hydrated or motion sickness if the content you’re watching moves in a way that feels unnatural to your body.
That said, eye fatigue is probably the most ‘dangerous’ part of VR. Wearing a headset for an hour or more does put some strain on your eyes and it can cause headaches if you’re not properly hydrated or motion sickness if the content you’re watching moves in a way that feels unnatural to your body. Neither is permanent, though, and both should subside fairly quickly once you take the headset off.
Just as important as taking breaks is clearing the space around you while using a VR headset – unless you’re using the passthrough cameras on the headset, there’s no way to see what’s going on around you so it’s incredibly easy to trip and fall if you’re playing in a furnished room. Most PC headsets will ask you to setup boundaries before you start playing that will prevent you from walking into anything but usually the more empty the playspace is, the safer it’s going to be for you.
What’s the difference between the headsets? Do you need one?
When we talk about headsets, they usually fall into three categories: PC-tethered headsets like the Oculus Rift and Valve Index, mobile-powered headsets like the Samsung Gear VR and standalone headsets like the Oculus Quest. There's also one console-based VR headset called PlayStation VR that plugs right into your PS4.
PC-tethered headsets usually look the best, feel the most immersive and offer the greatest range of experiences. They’re also typically the most expensive, too. They work by plugging the headset into the USB and DisplayPort/HDMI ports on your computer and installing specific software like SteamVR or the Oculus app. Most often they come with specific controllers and tracking stations, but that’s not always the case and each headset is different.
Mobile-powered headsets were the first to market and gained popularity when Samsung gave them away with the purchase of a new phone back in 2017. They work, as you’d expect, by slotting your phone into the headset and strapping it to your face. The experiences on this platform aren’t as immersive or as good-looking as the ones you’d find on PC-tethered headsets, but they’re a good starting point if you’re not sure about VR.
Last but not least, there’s standalone headsets that build everything you need into the headset itself so you can basically unbox it and be ready to play in minutes. We like these because they offer a happy medium between price and performance, and offer almost all of the same experiences you’d find on PC-tethered headsets. Heck, Oculus even gives you the option of plugging the Quest into your PC via the Oculus Connect Cable – so it’s the most flexible option as well.
Once you’ve decided on what type of headset you want, it’s worth looking at the specific specs each headset offers. You should compare resolutions (how many pixels are on the screen), field of views (how much you can see at once), frame rates (how smooth content is) and how the headset is tracked, either with discrete base stations or via built-in cameras.
So do you need a headset at all? Well, if you want the full experience, yes. But if you just want to watch VR videos to see what you’re missing, YouTube, Facebook and many other sites have the option to view 360-degree videos on your mobile phone and PC. This can be a good first step into the world of VR without plunking any money down.
Beat Saber is one of the most popular games in VR right now.
What type of content is out there?
This question is sort of like asking “what type of content is out there on the internet?” The answer is, well, lots of things! The vast majority of the time, though, you’ll use a VR headset to watch VR videos like 360-degree concerts or art installations or roller coaster rides as well as play VR games from Oculus and Steam.
If you’re an enterprise user or you need a VR headset for work, you might use it to hold virtual meetings where you bring in 3D assets for everyone to look at or use the headset for specific training simulations. Educators might use it to bring their lessons to life for their students via interactive experiences, and you might even try a headset on inside amusement parks as more begin to adopt VR as a new form of entertainment.
The pool of content is as wide and deep as you’d expect it to be. There’s a lot out there, and there’s no way to see everything in one day.
The pool of content is as wide and deep as you’d expect it to be. There’s a lot out there, and there’s no way to see everything in one day.
So how much does this content cost? Well, it varies. Lots of these YouTube and Facebook videos are free, as are the apps like Gizmo and Oculus Video that you use to view them. There are also a number of free demos of VR games that are available to try, and a number of free VR educational apps. You can get reasonably far without every spending a dime.
That said, premium content like AAA games or longer VR experiences do cost money, from $10/£10 all the way up to $60/£60.
The good news is that there are a number of subscription services out there like Viveport Infinity that allow you to download a number of these games for one monthly fee and many of the online stores where you buy games and experiences often hold sales with massive discounts on the most popular content.
Should you buy a VR headset?
Hopefully by now you can answer this one yourself. If you’re the kind of person who likes to be on the cutting edge of technology and who has the time to dabble in new experiences, then yeah, it’s totally worth diving into VR. But if you’re strapped on time and money, and you’re not sure VR is right for you, watch a few VR videos on your phone to get a preview of the experience or buy a cheap VR headset that you won’t feel bad if it sits on the shelf.
Personally, we use our VR headsets once a week – typically to try the latest marquee game that’s available in VR or catch up on cool new videos. Some people use it everyday as their primary way to play games, while some might use it a lot less. It all depends on you, your schedule and your interest in the platform.
But hopefully now you have a better idea of what to expect from VR and how it’s different.
If you can’t wrap your head around the differences between HBO, HBO Go, HBO Now and HBO Max, don’t worry, the company is simplifying its service names next month.
First, HBO Go will be dissolved on July 31. Subscribers who have HBO Go through their cable provider will be asked to sign into HBO Max before then, which really makes sense as most HBO subscribers get the newest streaming service for free.
Second, HBO Now will soon just be called HBO. It will still have all the same movies and shows you’d expect from the HBO Now app, but won’t feature the original content the company is making HBO Max.
“Implementing these changes allows us to further strengthen HBO Max as the primary platform for accessing not only the robust offering of HBO but also a vast WarnerMedia library of acquired content and originals, while also simplifying our consumer offering in the market,” HBO said in an email to Engadget.
Long story short: if you currently pay for either service, you’re still going to get that service – it will just either have a different name or include even more content.
It’s a win-win.
Remind me, what’s HBO Max?
HBO Max is the media company's biggest and best streaming service. It includes all the movies and shows that are on HBO, plus original content from other Warner-owned companies like DC Comics and Sesame Street, as well as licensed content like the Studio Ghibli films. It's pretty comprehensive.
On top of what's there right now, HBO will be producing original content for the subscription service that might include the Game of Thrones prequel.
In terms of price, it's the exact same cost as HBO Now – $14.99 (around £11, AU$22) per month. Basically if you're not paying for HBO through your cable subscription and you want to watch HBO shows, this is the service for you.
So how is the service? Check out our HBO Max review to hear our thoughts!
LG is expanding its Cinebeam line of home cinema projectors with the new LG PH30N that will launch on June 10 for just $399 (around £300, AU$600).
The LG PH30N joins the rest of the Cinebeam lineup that includes the excellent LG HU70, HU80 and HU85 – but differs from them all in one key area: resolution.
While all of the other Cinebeam projectors offer 4K at a resolution of 3840 x 2160, the PH30N will only do a 1280 x 720 HD resolution up to 100 inches with a lower peak brightness of 250 lumens.
That said, considering that the LG HU80 and LG HU85 costs £2,000 (around $2,400 / AU$3,600) and $6,000 (around £4,860, AU$8,750), respectively, you’re saving a boatload of cash by buying the newer, cheaper model.
The other positive aspect about the LG PH30N is that, while it can’t contend with its 4K brethren in terms of resolution or brightness, it can operate on battery power for around two hours before needing to be recharged and, at 1.1 lbs, it can be transported fairly easily.
A projector for every budget
The latest LG Cinebeam projector is all about affordability and creating a product that fits every kind of customer – some stuff for the hardcore cinephiles and others for the home entertainment enthusiasts looking to get their feet wet for the first time with projection equipment.
The LG PH30N is definitely the latter than the former.
We'll have to test the projector out in our own homes before we can make any sort of conclusion about its performance, but for those looking for a cheap, portable projector for an outdoor movie night, this very well might work.
Looking to break into beamers? Here's our list of the best projectors
Sony’s highly anticipated PS5 gameplay reveal event will happen on Thursday, June 11 at 9 pm BST / 4pm EST / 1pm PST, at least according to a new advertisement.
The Twitch advertisement was discovered early in the morning Monday PST and was quickly circulated on Twitter, however it has yet to be confirmed by Sony directly.
If you remember, Sony announced last week that it would postpone its PS5 reveal event to "allow more important voices to be heard" amid the ongoing protests following the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.
The event is expected to show us how games will run on PS5 with a number of new demonstrations from Sony's first-party and a few third-party developers, and according to the Twitch ad will be available to watch at PlayStation.com/PS5.
Halo Infinite isn’t the only Halo game we’ll see on the Xbox Series X. That’s news you probably expected to hear in a year or two, but a new job posting could point to either a spin-off game or a main series entry coming sooner rather than later.
The job posting in question can be found on Microsoft’s careers page and put out a call for a senior producer to “help develop a new project in the Halo Universe.”
It’s a pretty senior role, which means the game probably isn’t that far along quite yet, but it does mean that the project has gotten at least some form of approval from Microsoft and 343 Industries, the series’ publisher and developer, respectively.
While the post is surprising because Halo Infinite is still such an opaque project, it’s not altogether unexpected – both companies are probably eager to get the ball rolling on more games for the next generation of consoles. With game development timelines that extend out two to three years, it's not uncommon for developers to start working on the next game in the series while finishing up its predecessor.
Halo 7? Halo Infinite 2? Halo Wars 3?
Unfortunately the job post doesn't give us any indication of which game it's going to be – or even what type of game 343 is looking to make.
The job listing, which you should absolutely apply for if you're qualified, requires potential candidates to have 5+ years relevant experience and shipped 1+ AAA title in a production or related role.
The job will have a lot of crossover with 343 Industries' engineering team and, we hope, will push the capabilities of Microsoft's next-gen hardware (if you missed it, here's our deep dive into the console's hardware, from its AMD Zen 2 processor and RDNA 2 graphics and beyond).
We're not holding our breath for a huge announcement about the other Halo game anytime soon, but Microsoft does plan on holding a first-party games showcase in July that will be dedicated solely to games being produced by the Xbox Studios teams for Xbox Series X – something we'll be watching closely as it approaches.
The highly-anticipated Sony WH-1000XM4 over-the-ear headphones haven't officially been announced, but we know everything about the new cans thanks to a leak from a retailer.
Sony's next-gen noise-cancelling headphones were outed by a Walmart product listing with brand new features in tow. At the top of the list is something called “Edge-AI” to restore the detail lost in highly compressed audio files and Precise Voice Pickup that uses the headphones’ five microphones and advanced audio signal processing to improve call quality.
In addition to those marquee features, Walmart’s page said the Sony WH-1000XM4 would have multipoint pairing, Bluetooth 5.0 and, of course, best-in-class adaptive noise cancellation. That said, they’ll still use 40mm drivers, offer about 30 hours of battery life and use a USB-C port for quick charging – the same as the WH-1000XM3.
The listing had the Sony WH-1000XM4 price at $349, the same price as the current-generation Sony WH-1000XM3 cost right now. If that pricing stays the same across territories you’re looking at £349 and AU$419.
Here's a screenshot of the product page via The Verge
Why does everyone care so much about these headphones?
If you’ve been following along in the tech world for the past two years, you’ve probably heard a lot about Sony’s flagship noise-cancelling headphones – to the point, perhaps, where you’re not sure why everyone makes such a big fuss.
The reason these headphones have gained such a huge following is that, not only do they rival Bose in their noise-cancellation prowess, but they offer better sound quality thanks to their support for Hi-Res Audio via their aptX HD and LDAC codecs.
If the headphones get Hi-Res Audio upscaling, multipoint pairing and better call quality like the product page says, expect to hear even more about the WH-1000XM4 cans when Sony officially announces them later this year.
Reports began circulating earlier this year about a new Google Chromecast device with a remote and Android TV built-in, and now, new photos have emerged today that seem to corroborate those reports.
The images in question come from XDA and XDA Recognized Developer deadman96385 who found an ‘out-of-box experience’ video for the device (codenamed Sabrina) in a pre-release Chromecast firmware build.
Based on the images, Google’s new streaming dongle has taken on an oblong shape, but retains many of the same design cues from previous versions – namely the embossed G in the middle of the device and the all-matte colored exterior.
Photos for the device show it in three different colors – white, black and peach – as well as the anticipated Android TV remote with a circular navigation wheel popping up in one of the photos as well.
Google Chromecast 4? Chromecast Ultra 2?
Neither XDA nor the XDA developer could provide a ton of details on the specs of the platform based off the source code, however the publication did find out that it will be running an Amlogic SoC that can support Dolby Vision playback.
Considering that the original Google Chromecast Ultra supported 4K HDR10 streaming, it would make sense for Google to up the ante here with Dolby’s more powerful format this time around.
The remote's design also gives us a few clues about the device, like the fact that it will be HDMI-CEC compatible, allowing you to raise the volume on your TV or mute the TV with the pack-in control. The remote also has a Google Assistant button which implies that it will have a microphone built-in as well.
Unfortunately, though, according to the file’s metadata where all the information comes from, the video was created on October 10, 2019 – making it now eight months old at least. In that time Google might have changed the design and XDA made it clear that this might not be the exact final hardware we’ll eventually see from Google later this year. So, like all leaks, take it with a grain of salt.
Chromecast 4 potential price and release date
It’s almost too early to speculate but thankfully Google has been pretty consistent with its release dates and pricing for its Chromecast products: almost all of them release in the fall months for the northern hemisphere (September through November) and cost well under $100 (£80, AU$150).
Early reports from Protocol who spoke to sources say that the device is expected to cost $80 (around £60, AU$120) in order to compete with the Roku Streaming Stick Plus and Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K, but again, this is all a moving target as Google finalizes its 2020 product launches.
As for when we’ll actually get to see them on-stage, well, it’s anybody’s guess at this point. Google IO has been cancelled this year due to Covid-19, and the company has yet to make any mention of its annual September hardware event where it announces the latest Pixel devices.
That said, in this new era of online events where plans can be announced just a few days before they happen, anything can and will happen at any time, so stay tuned.
Sony has just announced its decision to postpone its PS5 gameplay reveal in a tweet from its PlayStation Twitter account.
The event, which was originally scheduled for Thursday, June 4, is being postponed to ‘allow more important voices to be heard’ amid the chaos and heartbreak happening across the US.
Here’s the full tweet for context:
Sony has not yet announced a rescheduled date and time for the event, and in the tweet says that it expects gamers to be disappointed by its decision.
Healing after heartbreak
While some might decry this as a polarizing political move – just look at the replies to the tweet – Sony is smartly avoiding launching a new product amid a time of turmoil for many of its customers.
In my opinion, it's a decision that's both business-minded and, surprisingly, empathetic.
The excitement around Sony's next-gen event is immense, and understandably so – this is going to be our first look at the games of a next-gen console that many of us are wildly excited about. That said, it's unlikely Sony will delay the event for long, and allow other conversations to take place on Twitter is a respectable decision.
There will be plenty of time to talk about the next generation of consoles in the near future – for now, perhaps, it's better if we stay focused on what really matters.
While we wait, here's all the PS5 games we currently know about
If the rumors are true, we won’t see the Oculus Quest 2 for another few months – October at the earliest and, if the coronavirus pandemic continues for another few months, not until 2021. At least, that’s the latest from a Bloomberg report that gave us our best look yet at Oculus’ next-gen headset.
If we don’t get the Oculus Quest 2 for another year-and-a-half, what could the company do to improve? What steps could it take to make the next Quest the best VR headset ever?
At this point with so much up in the air it's worth exploring every possible avenue Oculus could take with the Quest 2 – from its controllers and display technology, to its software, accessories and games.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a wishlist for the headset by taking some of the loose rumors we’ve already heard and combined them with our thoughts on where VR is heading. It may not be exactly the headset Oculus is putting together, but we're hoping to see at least a few of these suggestions on the OQ2.
Cut to the chase
What is it? The successor to the Oculus Quest, Oculus’ first stand-alone VR headset
When is it out? Rumors point to an early 2021 launch date
What will it cost? TBD, but the Quest had a lot of success at $399 / £399
Oculus Quest 2 release date and price
There’s good news and bad news here. The bad news is that, frankly speaking, we don’t have a firm release date from Oculus yet. The good news is that, based on some reporting by Bloomberg, we have a rough idea of what it could be.
According to industry experts who spoke to Bloomberg, Facebook originally planned on announcing the Oculus Quest 2 at this year’s Oculus Connect. That conference is usually held in late September or early October, but because of the pandemic, it may not take place until 2021 – hence why we might have to wait until 2021 to get the new headset.
As for price, well, we have a pretty good idea what to expect: $399 / £399. Every headset Oculus has ever released has been available at launch for $399 / £399, and that isn’t likely to change for the Oculus Quest 2, especially after Oculus had some of its best sales yet with the Oculus Quest.
Based on rumored features that price sounds right, but there’s always the chance Oculus could include a last-minute addition to the headset – like, say, 1TB of flash memory – that could substantially raise the price. It probably won’t happen, though.
Oculus Quest 2 news and leaks
If you’re really in the know about Oculus Quest 2, you’ll know it as ‘Del Mar’ – Oculus’ codename for the next hardware.
According to people who have insider information, Del Mar will offer additional RAM, battery life and a faster processor, as well as some ergonomic improvements like a reduction in size and weight – but that’s as much as we know so far.
UploadVR and AndroidCentral corroborated the rumor that Oculus Quest 2 could feature an entirely new controller that makes improvements to the tracking, haptics and finger sensing technology inside the current hardware with developer documentation leaked by Facebook, so that seems like a fairly safe bet.
Speaking of hand tracking...
Oculus Quest 2: what we want to see
1. Fully supported hand-tracking
The highest item on our wishlist for the Oculus Quest 2 is full support for hand tracking – from the second you startup the headset to the time you turn it off. Now, obviously, we still expect most games to use some sort of controller, but it’d be great if you could navigate the UI and most of the pre-installed apps without ever having to pull out the controllers.
2. A higher resolution screen
While we’re on the subject of improvements, it wouldn’t hurt for the next-generation Oculus Quest to have a slightly higher resolution... as long as it doesn't compromise the refresh rate of the screen or battery life. I know that sounds like complete wish fulfilment, but all Oculus would need to do here is upgrade the processor inside the headset while packing in a slightly larger or more efficient battery.
That’s easier said than done and could compromise Oculus’ target price point, but as other headsets march forward with higher-resolution screens, Oculus will need to stay caught up.
3. Better battery life
One of the biggest flaws of the original Oculus Quest is that its battery life was incredibly short – roughly around two hours. That means there's a huge opportunity for Oculus to double or even triple battery life in the next-generation headset.
That will be a challenge, obviously, but one of the ways that might be possible is by using Bluetooth LE or a similar technology that can transmit data wirelessly without a ton of power drain. It sounds like a longshot, but because Oculus owns both the hardware and software, it's not out of the question to see some big improvements in this area in the Oculus Quest 2.
Making the new controllers similar to the Valve Index Controllers could be a big selling point for the Oculus Quest 2.
4. Knuckle Controller knockoffs
While Oculus is conquering the untethered market at the moment with the Oculus Quest, Valve is sweeping the PC-powered space with the Valve Index. There's obviously a sizable difference in power and form factor between these two headsets, but one thing Oculus could do to level the playing field is make these next-gen controllers we've heard about capable of tracking every finger.
Why should Oculus make the change? Having all your fingers recognized in virtual reality makes for a more immersive experience, not to mention it opens the door to a number of new experiences that aren't available on more limited headsets.
5. Also, an Oculus Link Cable in the box
One of the biggest benefits of the Oculus Quest is that it doesn’t need a powerful PC to power it. And yet, for the times when you’re at home, it’s nice to be able to connect the Quest to the PC to play Oculus Rift games that didn’t make it to the Quest. The not nice part? Paying $80 for the Oculus Link Cable accessory.
We certainly didn’t blame Oculus for charging for the wire this generation – it released after the Quest was ready – but $80 (£89, around AU$120) feels a bit steep. Hopefully Oculus will pack it in with the next headset or, at the very least, lower the price to something more reasonable.
6. Even more Oculus Studio titles
While we’ve focused mainly on the hardware here, the future of virtual reality largely depends on the quality of the experiences you’ll get after buying a headset. The good news is that Oculus has one of the best studios in the business when it comes to funding and publishing VR games.
From Lone Echo to Lucky’s Tale to Asgard’s Wrath, nearly every title published by Oculus Studios has been a feather in the headset’s cap, and we’re hoping to see that trend continue on its next-gen hardware.
7. More units available to buy at launch
The Oculus Quest has been in and out of stock since the holidays last year – it's so popular that they've become almost impossible to find. Whether that's because Oculus can't keep up with production or because Oculus is limiting production, that demand works in Oculus' favor: it's no secret that scarcity and word of mouth reviews are powerful ways to keep boost sales numbers.
That being said, if Oculus wants to make the Quest 2 the de facto VR headset, it needs to be able to keep the headset in stock. But they might already know that: one of the possible reasons Bloomberg cited for the delay is for Oculus to get more production units ready in time for launch – which, if that's the case, seems like a very good decision on their part.
Not sure what to buy? Our guide to the best VR headsets can help!
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