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It's been almost two years since consumer VR arrived with the launch of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive . And we've also seen great mobile VR options like Samsung's Gear VR and Google's Daydream View . While we've seen plenty of compelling games and experiences since then, the medium still has a long way to go. To help figure out exactly where VR and AR are headed, especially when it comes to entertainment, we chatted with three executives in the field on stage: Tom Harding, director of immersive products and VR at Samsung; Oscar Werner, Tobii's technology president; and Rikard Steiber, president of Viveport and SVP of Virtual Reality at HTC Vive. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2DfK0TY"

If you're a gamer, you probably pick up your mouse frequently -- and that's a bit of a problem when you're lining up a precision shot, since the cursor tends to skip the moment you plunk your mouse back down. SteelSeries thinks it can tackle that problem. It's launching the Rival 600, a gaming mouse whose centerpiece is a second sensor from PixArt that promises to eliminate the surprise cursor movements that come whenever you raise your mouse. The component not only tracks lift distance to a greater level of precision (down to 0.2in), but lets you customize when tracking begins and ends to match your mousing habits. There are also improvements for those times when your mouse is planted on terra firma . Where many gaming mice place adjustable weights in one spot, the Rival 600 puts its weights on the side. This lets you adjust the center of gravity of the mouse rather than just its overall heft. And like many gaming mice in this class, there's an abundance of cus...

Samsung has a busy year ahead when it comes to TVs. There's the world's first MicroLED set , the 146-inch "The Wall," as well as an 8K TV that uses AI to upconvert lower-res content. And we're still waiting for more details on its upcoming QLED lineup. Samsung's Scott Cohen, who serves as the company's senior product training manager, joined us on stage today to help break down what's next. Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2qLy21v"

Amazon's Echo Buttons are somewhat bizarre devices that allow you to add a game show element to playing trivia with Alexa. Now, it looks like the online retail giant has larger plans for the device. "I think you'll see a lot more games come out this year that take advantage of the buttons," Steve Rabuchin, the vice president of Amazon Alexa, told TechCrunch this week at CES. The plan is to launch more of these gadgets in 2018. Specifically, Amazon discussed Alexa Gadgets back in December , which are its line of connected home products and developer tools that will allow third parties to take advantage of these new devices. The idea, Rabuchin told TechCrunch , is that Amazon builds the hardware, and then allows the larger developer community to expand and innovate upon it. When the Echo Buttons were first announced, it was clear that they'd have to have some other use than just Alexa's trivia to catch on. While they still might be a niche item, the two fo...

As drones become more ubiquitous in our lives, it's really only been a matter of time until they integrated themselves into our arcade games as well. French startup Drone Interactive has done just that by combining physical drones with virtual reality gameplay. At the booth demo Engadget was afforded on Tuesday, players donned VR goggles and used standard Xbox controllers to command a small quadcopter with the goal of shooting down virtual insect enemies within a specific time limit. The company envisions arcades and theme parks adopting the technology in a variety of ways. For example, park guests might don AR glasses and fight against swarms of autonomous drones in a mixed reality game of laser tag. Or, players might race drones around a real track but gain MarioKart-style power-ups through the VR gameplay. Unfortunately, the technology is still in its early prototype stage and the company is currently looking for investors to help bring the system to market, so don't exp...

Our latest audio demo at CES 2018 came from Comhear's highly-anticipated first consumer device, the Yarra 3DX. While soundbars claiming audio superpowers are a dime a dozen, the Yarra 3DX has been through two successful crowdfunding campaigns (on Kickstarter and Indiegogo ) on the strength of its beamforming chops. With a DSP tied to each of its 12 33mm drivers, the company says this speaker is capable of delivering binaural audio precisely to listeners and can create up to three audio sweet spots, all controlled via its app. We got a peek at the Android version of the app, which can be used for beam selection, presets and more. With a simple slider, the operator could shift the audio focus around a virtual room, and switch the speaker between near or far-field operation. I had a brief experience with some demo material before the Showstoppers event became too crowded, and came away impressed. Comhear's claim is that it can deliver a headphone-like localized sound experie...

We're all having trouble sleeping , and at least one group of researchers in the Netherlands believes it's because we're not cuddling enough. That's the thinking behind Somnox, a breathing robot that's designed to nestle in your arms and make you think that you've got a special friend over. At the same time, the unit will offer up soothing sounds, like a heartbeat, lullabies or nature sounds, depending on your preferences. And, it's entirely possible that you'll form an attachment to the giant grey McNugget. The device is also stuffed full with sensors that, as yet, have yet to be activated, but it's thought that the system will eventually offer sleep tracking as well. When that information is crunched by the Somnox servers, it's plausible that you'll be given insights on how to sleep better than you would otherwise. And the thinking is that what everyone has been missing all these years is to cuddle up with a loved one or pet. Although ...

I've always wanted to cycle with a Spotify playlist pounding through my ear canals. In London, though, that's a dangerous idea given the relentless traffic that threatens to side-swipe you every five seconds. Coros Wearables has a solution: a smart cycling helmet with open-ear bone conduction audio. The promise is that you can listen to music, make calls, and follow directions while still hearing everything around you. The helmet connects to your phone over Bluetooth and promises eight hours of playback on a single charge — enough to last even the longest Tour de France climb. The Omni helmet will keep you safe in other ways too. Two strips of light on the back will illuminate when it gets dark, and an internal crash sensor will alert your family or friends in the event of an accident. These features are similar to the $60 Cosmo Bike light accessory announced earlier this week. With the Omni, however, you get all of these features -- plus the bone-conduction audio -- in a ...

HP , ASUS and Lenovo have all unveiled their take on Microsoft's always connected PC, and it's time for Acer to throw its hat into the ring. The company's offering is not just the thinnest in the category, but is also the skinniest laptop in the world. At least, according to Acer, anyway. At 8.98mm (0.35 inches), the Swift 7 certainly cuts a striking profile that I couldn't help but stare at. Powering this slim machine is a seventh-generation Intel Core i7 processor, which is slightly slower than the eighth-generation CPUs other laptops are hitting the market with. That chipset was still perfectly capable of keeping up with my random app launches and browsing webpages when I played with a Swift 7 sample at Acer's suite, though. The only problem is, for $1,700, I expected a cutting edge chip and more than 8GB of RAM. It's several hundred dollars more than last year's Swift 7, although it does use an i7 chip instead of the i5 in the older model. What yo...

Tesla has apparently begun manufacturing its solar roof tiles at its Buffalo, New York, factory, according to Reuters . The company is also starting the process of surveying the homes of people who placed a deposit on the tiles last year for installation purposes. We've reached out to Tesla for confirmation. Pre-orders for the solar roof tiles began back in May ; customers paid $1,000 as a deposit on the product, and US installation was supposed to start in the summer of 2017. However, unsurprisingly, the process was delayed. But now, it looks as though most of the kinks have been worked out, and Reuters reports that the roofs will be installed in coming months. Tesla claims that the solar roof tiles will cost less than a typical roof, around $21.85 per square foot instead of $24.50. The tiles are a solid option if you're planning on replacing your roof in the next few years, or if you're considering solar panels. The tiles look like regular shingles; in fact, not ever...

Shopping for fresh produce online has always been a bit of a gamble since you're not actually selecting the fruits and veggies yourself. Santa Clara, California-based startup Robomarts aims to change that by bringing online produce shopping to your front door. The company, as part of NVIDIA's deep learning/AI "Inception Program ", has developed what is essentially an self-driving bodega on wheels. The concept relies on a Sprinter Van-sized delivery vehicle outfitted with an array of LiDAR, radar, and cameras, as well as a CAN motion control system and enough route planning and obstacle avoidance software to notch Level 5 autonomy -- that's the highest level a self-driving vehicle can achieve, requiring no human driver whatsoever. What's more, the vehicles use a fully electric drivetrain with an estimated 80-mile range, 25 mph top speed and come equipped with the HEVO wireless charging system . The cargo area of the vehicle will be refrigerated and offer m...

If you thought that the cutting edge of vacuum-insulated coffee mugs was to buy one in a color other than black, then boy have we got news for you. Cauldryn Coffee is showing off its modular coffee cup that promises to revolutionize the way we carry around beverages. At its heart, is the coffee mug itself, which comes with a heating element in its base and a plug for an external battery. The whopping battery is capable of keeping a beverage hot for up to 10 hours at a time, or charging your smartphone a couple of times. But when you've got a battery of that size, there are plenty of other things that you can do with it, like attach a blender attachment to grind your coffee beans . Or cram on a percolator so you can brew those beans fresh every morning, or a little LED temperature sensor to fine-tune your water. But wait, there's more, because you can also attach non-beverage related objects to the platform, including a night-light and bug zapper combo. The company is also...

Imagine you and a group of friends are at the peak of a mountain after a long hike. It's sunset and the sky is alight; you want to take a photo. You pull out your smartphone, but instead of flipping it around to take a long-armed selfie, you unclip a tiny drone from the back of your phone, make it hover at the perfect height, and snap a series of photos, no extendo-arms required. That's the idea behind Selfly , the drone-in-a-phone-case built by camera and recording company AEE. Selfly is a drone that folds into the back of a phone case, and it includes a camera that can record, live stream and take photos in 1080p and 60fps, using a suite of Sony sensors. The case itself is just under half an inch thick, similar in style to an Otterbox, and it fits recent Apple and Android devices. The Selfly will be available in the spring for $130, with a separate charging hub available for $30. The Selfly doesn't charge in the phone case and it lasts about four minutes once it's...

In addition to autonomous vehicles crawling the cities without drivers, we should start getting ready for the sky to be taken over by robot chauffeurs. One of the companies working on future air taxis is Germany-based Volocopter. Its 18-rotored human-sized drone took flight at Intel's CES keynote and was on display at the Las Vegas Convention Center. So naturally, we asked to sit in it. Volocopter began its journey to autonomous air taxis in 2013 and has made some impressive progress in the past four years. It's been flown not only on stage at CES, it's taken flight in Germany and completed an autonomous flight in Dubai. It used GPS waypoints during that pilotless excursion. The drone's 18 rotors are powered by 9 batteries which power two rotors each. The tiny propellers that share a battery are situated on opposite ends of the aircraft. That way if a battery fails, it won't seriously affect the stability of the Volocopter. That powerpack will keep the aircraf...

The company is eagerly trying to squeeze Bixby into just about everything, and its latest Family Hub fridge is no exception. Now, this isn't the first time we've had the opportunity to yell at a refrigerator — that was last year — but Samsung promises we'll be able to ask for daily rundowns and control SmartThings-compatible gadgets like connected lights and thermostats. In other words, you can expect the full-blown Bixby experience, not just the limited list of voice commands we got last time. Unfortunately, when we moseyed over Samsung's massive booth, we discovered the software powering the fridge was far from finished. (No wonder Samsung only committed to a vague spring launch window.) Rudimentary commands like asking Bixby to show us what was inside the fridge — as relayed by a Samsung staffer with a headset mic — worked fine, as did requesting to see which food items inside the fridge were close to expiring. So far, so good. Too bad that this early version o...

Earlier this month, YouTube star Logan Paul was hit with a wave of criticism over his decision to post a video showing a suicide victim in Japan's Aokigahara forest. Posted to his YouTube channel, the video showed him and his friends entering the forest, -- well-known for being a place where many choose to end their lives -- coming across a body and laughing while they made jokes and moved in for closeups. The video was removed, but many have called for YouTube to do more, both with Paul specifically and with how it manages the content that goes up on its site. The company has been fairly quiet since the incident, but today, it has finally released a statement. On Twitter, YouTube started a thread by saying, "Many of you have been frustrated with our lack of communication recently. You're right to be. You deserve to know what's going on." It goes on to say that those at the company were upset by Paul's video, adding, "Suicide is not a joke, nor shou...

Kodak's big film revival isn't working out as well as planned , which leaves it in a tough spot. How is it going to spark interest and raise a ton of cash in a hurry? Easy -- hop on the cryptocurrency bandwagon . The former legend has partnered with Wenn Digital to launch a KodakOne image rights platform that takes advantage of KodakCoin, a photo-centric virtual currency. In theory, the monetary format creates a reliable photo economy -- the distributed trust of blockchain ensures you get paid instantly and securely the moment someone buys your pictures. KodakOne, meanwhile, continuously crawls the web looking for copyright violations. The initial coin offering debuts on January 31st for accredited investors in the US, Canada, the UK and a handful of other countries. There is a practical advantage to Kodak's approach. Ask any pro photographer and they'll tell you that they hate waiting for payments. However, it's no secret that many companies have been using c...

It's a dangerous world out there but walking around armed with knives or firearms isn't always an option for many people. That's where the Invi self-defense bracelet comes in. Its silver clasp holds a smelly secret that can stop an attacker in their tracks, nonviolently. To activate the bracelet, the wearer first unlocks a small safety clasp, then yanks hard on the leather strap. Doing so breaks a concealed canister containing the company's proprietary stink blend. One whiff of that stuff is enough to give most muggers second thoughts -- and you enough time to make an escape or at least call for help. The company was unwilling to unleash one of these stink bombs on the CES 2018 showfloor (for obvious reasons) but described the scent as a mishmash of terrible smells. It doesn't smell specifically like rotten eggs, feces or decaying corpses, but is specifically formulated to instigate a revulsion response a company rep said. The Invi bracelet comes in two sizes an...

From afar, it looks like a steampunk chandelier. An intricate collection of tubes and wires that culminate in a small steel cylinder at the bottom. It is, in fact, one of the most sophisticated quantum computers ever built. The processor inside has 50 quantum bits, or qubits, that process tasks in a (potentially) revolutionary way. Normally, information is created and stored as a series of ones and zeroes. Qubits can represent both values at the same time (known as superposition), which means a quantum computer can theoretically test the two simultaneously. Add more qubits and this hard-to-believe computational power increases. Last November, IBM unveiled the world's first 50-qubit quantum computer. It lives in a laboratory, inside a giant white case, with pumps to keep it cool and some traditional computers to manage the tasks or algorithms being initiated. At CES this year, the company brought the innards -- the wires and tubes required to send signals to the chip and keep the...

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich held a blowout keynote to kick off CES last night, where we saw 100 mini-drones flying in unison, and a bonkers opening act with virtual instruments. The company revealed that it's partnering with Ferrari to have AI drones analyze races, moving further into autonomous driving , and that it's planning to patch all of its most recent chips against Spectre and Meltdown exploits by the end of the month. It also announced the launch of Intel Studios , a huge facility for capturing 360-degree video, and revealed that it has a powerful new quantum chip . Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018. via Engadget RSS Feed "http://ift.tt/2mknEt3"