Ever since the Playstation was first launched – if, like myself, you’re old enough to remember it, you may pause a moment here to consider your own age and mortality – Sony has been in the business of reinventing gaming. They often followed the Steve Jobs mantra of pushing through a vision that showed consumers what it is that they wanted, rather than waiting for people to start asking for it.

Ever since the Playstation was first launched, Sony has been in the business of reinventing gaming.
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The same seems to be the case with VR. In spite of all the investment from companies such as Oculus, the PSVR is the only hardware that has come even close to tapping that elusive jackpot of mass consumer adoption. They sold over 3 million headsets so far, and although they did have to drop its price to $200 in order to achieve those numbers, it does show that there is an appetite in the gaming community for immersive technology that manages to hit the sweet spot.

Fast-paced, graphics-rich longer games require fast GPU and no lag, otherwise you’ll just get a lot of queasy and frustrated gamers
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And with most headsets on the market now veering away from cabled tethering, that future sweet spot is increasingly looking wireless. Sony seems to think so too, if a newly uncovered patent is anything to go by.

Although these things are always caveated by the fact that companies file hundreds of patents on a routine basis that never make et to prototype stage – much less a fully-fledged commercial product – this particular one is noteworthy in the level of detail it offers, going into extensive detail about solutions it has explored in attempting to remove the bulky cable that connects the current version of the PSVR to the console.

In spite of all the investment from companies such as Oculus, the PSVR is the only hardware that has come even close to tapping that elusive jackpot of mass consumer adoption
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The patent suggests that the setup would include a breakout box to detect the position of the user in relation to the machine so it could adjust Wi-Fi signals accordingly
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So, to be clear, we’re still talking about a tethered headset, because the processing power would still reside within the Playstation unit rather than the HMD, but the connection between the two would be wireless.

Easier said than done… This isn’t your regular video streaming of course. We’re talking about enormous amounts of data being refreshed at insane rates. And any glitch would be literally in the user’s face. It’s a tricky balance to strike, to say the least, as compromising on performance is not something you can get away with for the sort of content PSVR is peddling. Fast-paced, graphics-rich longer games require fast GPU and no lag, otherwise you’ll just get a lot of queasy and frustrated gamers.

As Jeremy Horwitz explains in this Venturebeat article,

“On paper, the 60GHz signal should have the bandwidth, latency, and reliability to work by itself, but in real-world use of VR headsets, 60GHz signals are more easily obstructed by objects and more directionally dependent than lower-bandwidth 5GHz signals. In the patent, Sony pairs 60GHz WiGig with 5GHz Wi-Fi to guarantee its headset will always get a signal, shifting from higher to lower frequencies (and bandwidth) based on where the user is moving in the room.”

The patent suggests that the setup would include a breakout box to detect the position of the user in relation to the machine so it could adjust Wi-Fi signals accordingly. Whatever solution they settle upon in the end, however, Sony definitely isn’t ready to give up on consumer VR, and to be honest, I wouldn’t bet against them being first to the post in getting there.

Tech Trends’  Virtual Reality Consultancy services offers support for companies looking to enhance brand strategy with immersive technologies such as Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. You can follow @alicebonasio on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or subscribe to her Inside VR/AR Newletter for all the latest curated immersive news.  

The post Could Sony’s Next Headset Finally Crack the VR Gaming Market? appeared first on Tech Trends.

By Laura Kobylecky

SXSW is a “convergence of the interactive, film and music industries.” Over the span of ten days, there are panels, educational sessions, a trade show, special events and more. One particularly unique element of the experience is the intersection of ideas. You can go straight from a concert to a discussion of artificial intelligence.

Here at Sony’s pop-up activation during SXSW, the company is showcasing some of its latest innovations. One that lies at the intersection of technology and music, is Flow Machines, an intersection of artificial intelligence and human ingenuity.

Sony's Flow Machines is an intersection of AI and human ingenuity
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The Flow Machines presentation begins when a group of attendees is herded into a dark room. Haruhiko, Tatsuya and Ikuko are here to present. They are lit brightly in the dark room. Haruhiko is holding a guitar. It seems that anything could happen here. They explain that using Flow Machines, this group is going to make a song.

A projection of the Flow Machines interface is on the stage behind them. It might seem familiar to people who make digital music. The interface looks like a standard DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), such as Garage Band or Abelton, that one would use to record, edit and produce music.

Is this something that musicians might want to use?
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According to the presentation, “Flow machines doesn’t do everything, it needs to work with creative people.” It is intended to serve as a tool to “enhance the creativity of artists,” instead or fully replacing the human role. This also means that the group will have to do more than press a button.

The software allows users to work within a particular key and decide some progressions for that key. The pattern here is a IV, III, VI VI progression. This means that the users can make their sad songs in minor keys, give the machine general idea of where they want to music to go and see what happens.

Flow machines needs to work with creative people
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The presenters went ahead and made a backtrack in the same key already. What the group is making will be the final piece of the musical puzzle and “together with that chord progression, our song will sound like a song.” By the time we’re done, “You can tell your friends this is the song I produced at SXSW.”

An audience volunteer is summoned with the call “This is South by Interactive, right, anyone has the courage to come over and play the song with us…It’s F, Em, Am, Am,  Do any of you play the guitar?”

No one answers. Haruhiko, the mild-mannered Project Engineer, is forced to show off his own skills. He plays a smooth bluesy run with electric rock energy and smiles slightly as he does so.

The song has a “computer feel,” blues guitar aside. But it is musical.
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This is a proof-of-concept model specifically for SXSW. Flow Machines Professional is an “AI assisted music composing system . Artificial intelligence works by making it possible for machines to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs and perform human-like tasks. So the patterns in the music of the machine will be based on the data it is given.

This is a “proof-of-concept model for SXSW
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According to the presenter, the current iteration of Flow Machines is based on “some styles from current songs that we produced for this software..that’s why it kind of has a musical theory behind it.” If the input data were modified, the user could create different results and “if you want to create a crazy style you can let it learn that crazy style and it will be capable of that.”

This particular project continually emphasizes the “augmentation” aspect is designed to serve as an aid to the creative process. Is this something that musicians might want to use? That’s up to them to decide.

Laura Kobylecky is a writer. She is particularly interested in new and emerging technology and culture. Connect with her on LinkedIn 

The post #SXSW2019 – AI Assisted Music appeared first on Tech Trends.

We bring you a selection of the interesting products that have caught our eye this month, from haptic Bluetooth earphones to giant screens and coffee-making gadgets.

HP Sprocket Portable Bluetooth Smartphone Printer

As part of our invitation-only jaunt to the Cannes Film Festival this month we also got to try out this nifty printer from HP. It quickly churns out fun pocket-size photos that can be stuck around your room, office, or person. Read the full review in all its glory here.

RRP: $129.99

Varidesk Dual Monitor Arm

This month I added these nifty monitor arms to my Varidesk setup, which give a bit more flexibility when adjusting the height of my display in relation to where I’m sitting (or standing as the case may be). These feature fully articulating 360-degrees screen rotation for maximum ergonomic comfort, and come in both single and dual monitor options. As you may have guessed, however, these are specifically designed to work with the various models of the Varidesk so probably not the best choice if you’ve got a regular desk. Similarly, these days most monitors come with fittings that will allow for wall or arm mounting, but one of mine was a bit older, so I needed to purchase some brace-like adaptors that kind of spoiled the sleek look. If your monitor is compatible, however, installation is pretty straightforward, and each arm holds up to 19.8 lbs (8.98 kg) in weight which covers most size monitors. The advice is to double check your specs and the back of your monitors before ordering.

RRP: $239

Skullcandy Crusher Wireless Haptic Earphones

Our self-confessed sound geek and chief technical reviewer Tom Atkinson had a blast – literally – testing out these vibrating headphones, specially with loud films and VR content. Take a quick read of how he got on here.

RRP: $199.99

iXCC 5200mAh Portable Power Bank

You can really never have too many power banks as far as I’m concerned, and this sleek little one is classy looking (I liked the metallic pink colour) and packs a healthy charging punch while being small and lightweight. It’s also at a good price point, specially if you take advantage of the exclusive offer for Tech Trends readers to get it at 20% off using code iXCCBLON

RRP: $15.49

RCA Cable 3.5mm, iXCC 3.5mm Audio Cable to 2RCA,  Stereo Splitter Y Cable with Dual Shielded and Gold-Plated Connector

This set of audio cables is perfect for connecting your smartphone or tablet to your home stereo system enabling you to stream music into your living room from your mobile device. Build quality is very high with gold-plated connections and a tough but flexible rubber coating. We tested it by streaming music from various services such as Spotify and Google music and these cables really highlighted the difference in quality from those services. It was somewhat surprising that a dedicated music streaming service like Spotify sounded so disappointingly flat while relative newcomers to that space Google Music provided bright and lively sounds. It goes to show how it’s worth investing a relatively small amount in peripherals such as these to enhance your listening experience.

RRP: $8.00

Exclusive offer for Tech Trends Readers: Get 20% off until 30^th June 2017 with promo code iXCCZXCV

Sony VPL-VZ1000ES Ultra Short Throw Projector

From bit sounds to big pictures, while in London Tom also got to try the new top-of-the-range Sony Home Cinema setup. Click here to read the verdict.

RRP: $25,000

Pour Over Coffee Kettle with Build-in Thermometer

Former BBC journalist Phil Williams used to drink instant coffee, until a hike in Colombia changed his life by introducing his taste buds to the real deal. He founded Coffee Gator to help equip people like himself to create that nirvana-like experience at home. Being Brazilian, the love of good, ridiculously strong coffee is in my DNA, so I tend to own a large array of home brewing apparatus, but I was won over not only by Phil’s hilarious promo video (see below) but by the fact that it’s by far the cleanest and easiest to use gadget of the lot. As any barista will tell you, temperature is key for making the perfect brew, so this baby just tells you when the water reaches that temperature. The small spout also stops you from pouring the water over your coffee grounds too quickly. Simples.

And to keep my perfect brew hot for up to 12 hours (fat chance of it lasting that long) I used this beautiful Corkcicle stainless steel bottle. You’d easily spend as much over a month of buying weak lattes at your local coffee shop (or I would, anyway, just through adding extra shots so I can actually taste the coffee). And yes, I considered making some sort of #Covfefe joke here, but frankly I’m too depressed by the whole damn thing. If we’re all going to die we might as well drink good coffee while we can though.

RRP: $51 (Kettle) and $38 (Corkcicle)

For companies looking to gain a competitive edge through technology, Tech Trends offers strategic Virtual Reality and Digital Transformation Consultancy services tailored to your brand.

Alice Bonasio is a VR and Digital Transformation Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio on Twitter.

 

Tom Atkinson is a Digital Producer & Photographer at R3Digital and Reviews & Dept. Editor at Tech Trends. Connect on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter @R3Digital

The post May 2017 Tech Trends Product Reviews appeared first on Tech Trends.

If Virtual Reality Demos were a game of Bingo, I’d be shouting out and waving my card in the air.

The PlayStation VR was the last of the major HMDs (Head Mounted Displays for the less geeky amongst us) that I hadn’t yet tried, so it was with titillation that I unpacked the box that contained my loan from Sony this week.

There was, understandably, quite a long wait to get that loan, however, so by now there are many (MANY) in-depth reviews available on the web, done by people with quite a bit more time to play games than I can manage these days. So if you’re after one of those knit-picking, dissecting accounts full of technical minutiae, you won’t find it here. This is a brief account of my experience, from the perspective of a VR fangirl.

The PlayStation was the last of the current VR headsets I hadn't yet tried
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I won’t compare the PlayStation VR to mobile headsets such as the Samsung Gear, Daydream or even Cardboard, nor to the Microsoft HoloLens, as mobile VR and Augmented/Mixed reality provide quite different types of experiences. The PlayStation VR sits in the same category as the HTC VIVE and the Oculus Rift – powerful, tethered devices that have to be connected to a powerful computer via a cable.

The PlayStation VR was very comfortable to wear
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One of the key selling points of the PSVR is that if you’ve already got a PS4 console it retails for about half the price of those equivalent headsets. The other – after having tried it on – is that it is by far the most comfortable of those. After playing a broad range of games, demos and experiences on the headset, I never felt discomfort from actually wearing it, and it was very easy to adjust accurately to fit around my head. I was also extremely impressed by the high resolution of the display.

We're still a long way from being able to comfortably play long, intensive games in VR
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But although I felt no discomfort from physically wearing the headset, the intensity of the experience made it very difficult to play games – specially fast-paced ones – for any length of time.

Being a snooker fan, my husband insisted I tried on Hustle Kings, and I have to say that – even though it’s absolutely not my bag – I was rather surprised by how much I enjoyed just hanging out in that hall, listening to the naff music that somehow always manages to get itself stuck in my head. It goes to show that in VR, it is often the ordinary experiences that turn out to be the most pleasurable and addictive.

Snooker is a surprisingly addictive experience in VR, as it turns out
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I’m a huge fan of Resident Evil, and was very much looking forward to playing Resident Evil 7 Biohazard in VR, but I couldn’t last more than 10-15 minutes at a time before having to take quite long breaks to settle my queasy stomach. Now, I should caveat that I am very sensitive to simulator sickness, so it is entirely possible that other people might last much longer, but from what I heard, we’re still a long way off from being able to play long games such as RE7 entirely in VR.

OMG OMG OMG I just got my PlayStation #VR on loan and Resident Evil 7 is arriving on Amazon Prime tomorrow. Not soon enough goddammit!!!! pic.twitter.com/FWzjFvqlDM

— Alice Bonasio (@alicebonasio) January 25, 2017

The biggest thrill is to step into your favourite game, just stop and stare
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Yet the biggest thrill is still to step into your favourite game, and just stop and stare. And it’s exactly in these open world, sandbox-type experiences – such as you get in games like The Last of Us – that VR in its current form becomes most enjoyable. Eventually, as features such as frame rate, graphics processing and resolution continue to improve, the discomfort I felt is also likely to become less of an issue. It is important to remember, after all, that all of these devices are first-generation headsets. But judging by what I’ve seen so far, we’ve got a long and bright road ahead.

For companies looking to get into VR/AR/MR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance on how these technologies can enhance and support your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Taking the PlayStation VR for a Spin appeared first on Tech Trends.

I remember it as if it was yesterday, even though it was (holy mother of all yikes!) 20 years ago…

The first time I played Resident Evil changed the way I thought about videogames forever. Sure, I’d had fun with them before, but this was something else entirely. I struggled with the unnatural controls as that first zombie staggered through the dimly lit corridor towards me, and the panic I felt was like the paralysis of a nightmare. That, in other words, was some good s**t right there.

Resident Evil changed the way I thought about Videogames. Could it do the same for VR?
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These days I’m still a sucker for survival horror, although I sadly lack the leisure my teenage self had to indulge in it properly. So many zombies, so little time… Still, when I watch The Walking Dead I know I’d be great in the Zombiepocalypse. I had plenty of practice blowing the heads off the undead hordes.

Looking back at it now, we’ve sure come a long way (See below for a couple of then-and-now shots). Gone is the hilariously bad scripting (fans will fondly remember Barry’s classic line: “Here, Jill, take this lock pick…”) but the truth is that as crude as the graphics might seem now, they truly were nothing short of revolutionary, as was the theme and the gameplay.

There are, however, some serious obstacles to making that work. It is unlikely that we will be able to play a whole game like this in VR any time soon, it’s simply too intense and disorientating, and even veterans have reported feeling sick when demoing it.

There are still issues to iron out if we are to play such long intense games as RE on VR
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Which is why it makes sense for there to be such hype around the fact that Resident Evil 7 – due for release in January – will be one of the flagship titles of the PlayStation VR. If any title could leverage the immersion and presence of VR to make us pee our pants in terror, it should be RE.

Sony really needs to get around to sending me a PlayStation VR headset #HINT
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There are, however, some serious obstacles to making that work. It is unlikely that we will be able to play a whole game like this in VR any time soon, it’s simply too intense and disorientating, and even veterans have reported feeling sick when demoing it.

It is unlikely that we will be able to play a whole game like this in VR any time soon, it’s simply too intense and disorientating, and even veterans have reported feeling sick when demoing it
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Being very susceptible to the curse of VR nausea myself, I’m curious to see how I bear up – #HINT: Sony really needs to send me that headset to try as they promised, theirs is the only major gear I’m yet to try out! – but the videos and screenshots so far really have got me excited. The mixture of the familiar and the cutting edge seem to be there, and if they get it right, Capcom could well revolutionize gaming (and horror) all over again for a new generation of bloodthirsty teenagers. And about time too.

For companies looking to get into VR/AR/MR our Virtual Reality Consultancy services offer guidance on how these technologies can enhance and support your brand strategy.

Alice Bonasio is a VR Consultant and Tech Trends’ Editor in Chief. She also regularly writes for Fast Company, Ars Technica, Quartz, Wired and others. Connect with her on LinkedIn and follow @alicebonasio and @techtrends_tech on Twitter.

The post Resident Evil Takes Horror to Virtual Reality appeared first on Tech Trends.