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If you’ve considered splurging on a premium monitor, Samsung has some deals worth investigating. The company’s offerings, including the 55-inch Odyssey Ark (available for a record-low $2,000), 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 ($500 off) and 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 ($400 off) are among the models discounted in a wide-ranging monitor sale on Amazon and Samsung’s website.

The 55-inch Odyssey Ark is a 4K behemoth with a 1000R curvature to ensure all sides of the screen face you at a roughly equal distance. It supports 165Hz refresh rates, making for fairly smooth gaming and other tasks, and it has a 1ms response time. You can even rotate its screen into portrait orientation, although that’s more of a niche bonus than an essential feature for most people.

Samsung fixed one of our biggest gripes about the first-generation version, adding the DisplayPort compatibility and multi-input split view that were perplexingly missing from that inaugural model. The one on sale is the latest variant, launched in 2023.

Usually $3,000, you can cut that in third on Amazon and Samsung, taking the 55-inch Odyssey Ark home for $2,000.

Samsung

The 57-inch Odyssey G9 Neo has a more elongated (32:9) aspect ratio. This lets you squeeze more apps onto your desktop multitasking setup while supplying a wider field of view for gaming. Despite its different size and shape, it has the same tight 1000R curve as the Ark.

The monitor has 8K resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Its mini LED technology uses 2,392 local dimming zones and “the highest 12-bit black levels.” Ports include DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1 and a USB hub.

Usually $2,500, you can shave $500 off the 57-inch Neo G9 monitor, taking it home for $2,000. That pricing is available on Amazon and Samsung.

Samsung

The 49-inch Odyssey G9 OLED also has a 32:9 aspect ratio. Its OLED / Quantum Dot screen produces rich colors and deep blacks to make your games pop more, and its solid-black text can help your workspace lettering jump out more.

This model’s curve (1800R) is less pronounced than the 55-inch Ark and 57-inch G9 Neo’s, but it still supplies a gentle curve inward. It includes built-in speakers, and it has a 240Hz refresh rate with a “near-instant” (0.03ms) response time. It includes connections for HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort.

The 49-inch G9 OLED retails for $1,600, but you can get it for $1,200 on Amazon. (It’s $1,300 on Samsung’s site.)

We only highlighted some of the standout monitors, but you can browse through the full sale on Amazon and Samsung.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-odyssey-monitors-are-up-to-1000-off-right-now-200039299.html?src=rss

If you’ve considered splurging on a premium monitor, Samsung has some deals worth investigating. The company’s offerings, including the 55-inch Odyssey Ark (available for a record-low $2,000), 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 ($500 off) and 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 ($400 off) are among the models discounted in a wide-ranging monitor sale on Amazon and Samsung’s website.

The 55-inch Odyssey Ark is a 4K behemoth with a 1000R curvature to ensure all sides of the screen face you at a roughly equal distance. It supports 165Hz refresh rates, making for fairly smooth gaming and other tasks, and it has a 1ms response time. You can even rotate its screen into portrait orientation, although that’s more of a niche bonus than an essential feature for most people.

Samsung fixed one of our biggest gripes about the first-generation version, adding the DisplayPort compatibility and multi-input split view that were perplexingly missing from that inaugural model. The one on sale is the latest variant, launched in 2023.

Usually $3,000, you can cut that in third on Amazon and Samsung, taking the 55-inch Odyssey Ark home for $2,000.

Samsung

The 57-inch Odyssey G9 Neo has a more elongated (32:9) aspect ratio. This lets you squeeze more apps onto your desktop multitasking setup while supplying a wider field of view for gaming. Despite its different size and shape, it has the same tight 1000R curve as the Ark.

The monitor has 8K resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Its mini LED technology uses 2,392 local dimming zones and “the highest 12-bit black levels.” Ports include DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1 and a USB hub.

Usually $2,500, you can shave $500 off the 57-inch Neo G9 monitor, taking it home for $2,000. That pricing is available on Amazon and Samsung.

Samsung

The 49-inch Odyssey G9 OLED also has a 32:9 aspect ratio. Its OLED / Quantum Dot screen produces rich colors and deep blacks to make your games pop more, and its solid-black text can help your workspace lettering jump out more.

This model’s curve (1800R) is less pronounced than the 55-inch Ark and 57-inch G9 Neo’s, but it still supplies a gentle curve inward. It includes built-in speakers, and it has a 240Hz refresh rate with a “near-instant” (0.03ms) response time. It includes connections for HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort.

The 49-inch G9 OLED retails for $1,600, but you can get it for $1,200 on Amazon. (It’s $1,300 on Samsung’s site.)

We only highlighted some of the standout monitors, but you can browse through the full sale on Amazon and Samsung.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-odyssey-monitors-are-up-to-1000-off-right-now-200039299.html?src=rss

If you’ve considered splurging on a premium monitor, Samsung has some deals worth investigating. The company’s offerings, including the 55-inch Odyssey Ark (available for a record-low $2,000), 57-inch Odyssey Neo G9 ($500 off) and 49-inch Odyssey OLED G9 ($400 off) are among the models discounted in a wide-ranging monitor sale on Amazon and Samsung’s website.

The 55-inch Odyssey Ark is a 4K behemoth with a 1000R curvature to ensure all sides of the screen face you at a roughly equal distance. It supports 165Hz refresh rates, making for fairly smooth gaming and other tasks, and it has a 1ms response time. You can even rotate its screen into portrait orientation, although that’s more of a niche bonus than an essential feature for most people.

Samsung fixed one of our biggest gripes about the first-generation version, adding the DisplayPort compatibility and multi-input split view that were perplexingly missing from that inaugural model. The one on sale is the latest variant, launched in 2023.

Usually $3,000, you can cut that in third on Amazon and Samsung, taking the 55-inch Odyssey Ark home for $2,000.

Samsung

The 57-inch Odyssey G9 Neo has a more elongated (32:9) aspect ratio. This lets you squeeze more apps onto your desktop multitasking setup while supplying a wider field of view for gaming. Despite its different size and shape, it has the same tight 1000R curve as the Ark.

The monitor has 8K resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time. Its mini LED technology uses 2,392 local dimming zones and “the highest 12-bit black levels.” Ports include DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1 and a USB hub.

Usually $2,500, you can shave $500 off the 57-inch Neo G9 monitor, taking it home for $2,000. That pricing is available on Amazon and Samsung.

Samsung

The 49-inch Odyssey G9 OLED also has a 32:9 aspect ratio. Its OLED / Quantum Dot screen produces rich colors and deep blacks to make your games pop more, and its solid-black text can help your workspace lettering jump out more.

This model’s curve (1800R) is less pronounced than the 55-inch Ark and 57-inch G9 Neo’s, but it still supplies a gentle curve inward. It includes built-in speakers, and it has a 240Hz refresh rate with a “near-instant” (0.03ms) response time. It includes connections for HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort.

The 49-inch G9 OLED retails for $1,600, but you can get it for $1,200 on Amazon. (It’s $1,300 on Samsung’s site.)

We only highlighted some of the standout monitors, but you can browse through the full sale on Amazon and Samsung.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-odyssey-monitors-are-up-to-1000-off-right-now-200039299.html?src=rss

Apple has made spatial video capture and playback a key selling point of its headset, but it won’t be the only device in town that can handle stereoscopic videos. Meta Quest virtual reality headsets are getting spatial video playback capabilities, perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow’s Apple Vision Pro launch.

You can upload spatial videos via the Meta Quest mobile app directly from your iPhone, but you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. The content will be stored in the cloud, and not the headset, to preserve all-important hard drive space. Once uploaded, you’ll be able to relive precious memories over and over again, as the increased depth that spatial videos provide is pretty engrossing.

Meta has made several demo videos available for users so you can see what all the fuss is about. This feature is not exclusive to the recently-released Meta Quest 3. You’ll be able to view spatial videos via the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. As usual, the OG Meta Quest is left out in the cold. It’s worth noting that the Viture One and One Lite XR glasses can also play spatial videos.

The video viewer is part of a larger system update that brings several other upgrades to Quest users. The headset’s web browser will now be able to play web-based games, with support for external gamepads. Additionally, Facebook live streaming is now available for everyone, after a limited rollout. Finally, there are some new single-gesture quick actions. You can, for instance, mute the microphone or take a photo just by looking down at your wrist and performing a short pinch. Hey, wait a minute. That also sounds suspiciously like Apple Vision Pro’s control scheme. Shots fired.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-quest-headsets-get-spatial-video-playback-just-in-time-for-the-apple-vision-pro-launch-193821840.html?src=rss

Apple has made spatial video capture and playback a key selling point of its headset, but it won’t be the only device in town that can handle stereoscopic videos. Meta Quest virtual reality headsets are getting spatial video playback capabilities, perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow’s Apple Vision Pro launch.

You can upload spatial videos via the Meta Quest mobile app directly from your iPhone, but you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. The content will be stored in the cloud, and not the headset, to preserve all-important hard drive space. Once uploaded, you’ll be able to relive precious memories over and over again, as the increased depth that spatial videos provide is pretty engrossing.

Meta has made several demo videos available for users so you can see what all the fuss is about. This feature is not exclusive to the recently-released Meta Quest 3. You’ll be able to view spatial videos via the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. As usual, the OG Meta Quest is left out in the cold. It’s worth noting that the Viture One and One Lite XR glasses can also play spatial videos.

The video viewer is part of a larger system update that brings several other upgrades to Quest users. The headset’s web browser will now be able to play web-based games, with support for external gamepads. Additionally, Facebook live streaming is now available for everyone, after a limited rollout. Finally, there are some new single-gesture quick actions. You can, for instance, mute the microphone or take a photo just by looking down at your wrist and performing a short pinch. Hey, wait a minute. That also sounds suspiciously like Apple Vision Pro’s control scheme. Shots fired.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-quest-headsets-get-spatial-video-playback-just-in-time-for-the-apple-vision-pro-launch-193821840.html?src=rss

Apple has made spatial video capture and playback a key selling point of its headset, but it won’t be the only device in town that can handle stereoscopic videos. Meta Quest virtual reality headsets are getting spatial video playback capabilities, perfectly timed to coincide with tomorrow’s Apple Vision Pro launch.

You can upload spatial videos via the Meta Quest mobile app directly from your iPhone, but you’ll need an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to make the videos. The content will be stored in the cloud, and not the headset, to preserve all-important hard drive space. Once uploaded, you’ll be able to relive precious memories over and over again, as the increased depth that spatial videos provide is pretty engrossing.

Meta has made several demo videos available for users so you can see what all the fuss is about. This feature is not exclusive to the recently-released Meta Quest 3. You’ll be able to view spatial videos via the Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. As usual, the OG Meta Quest is left out in the cold. It’s worth noting that the Viture One and One Lite XR glasses can also play spatial videos.

The video viewer is part of a larger system update that brings several other upgrades to Quest users. The headset’s web browser will now be able to play web-based games, with support for external gamepads. Additionally, Facebook live streaming is now available for everyone, after a limited rollout. Finally, there are some new single-gesture quick actions. You can, for instance, mute the microphone or take a photo just by looking down at your wrist and performing a short pinch. Hey, wait a minute. That also sounds suspiciously like Apple Vision Pro’s control scheme. Shots fired.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/meta-quest-headsets-get-spatial-video-playback-just-in-time-for-the-apple-vision-pro-launch-193821840.html?src=rss

The rumors were true: a remake of Until Dawn is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC later this year. As revealed during the latest State of Play showcase, the upgraded version of the interactive horror game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and it will have several new bells and whistles.

You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time. Ballistic Moon, which is handling the remake in the stead of original developer Supermassive Games, is expanding the color palette to make it more cinematic and bringing in contextual character movement animations.

There's also a new score from horror composer Mark Korven (The Witch), while the characters, visual effects and environments are all getting upgrades. "We’ve endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story," Ballistic Moon creative director Neil McEwan wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

The remake should arrive before the movie adaptation of Until Dawn that was announced in January. Unless the cast members all reprise their roles, the new version of the game will likely have bragging rights in at least one respect: the presence of a bonafide Academy Award winner in the form of Rami Malek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-until-dawn-remake-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-year-191524477.html?src=rss

The rumors were true: a remake of Until Dawn is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC later this year. As revealed during the latest State of Play showcase, the upgraded version of the interactive horror game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and it will have several new bells and whistles.

You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time. Ballistic Moon, which is handling the remake in the stead of original developer Supermassive Games, is expanding the color palette to make it more cinematic and bringing in contextual character movement animations.

There's also a new score from horror composer Mark Korven (The Witch), while the characters, visual effects and environments are all getting upgrades. "We’ve endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story," Ballistic Moon creative director Neil McEwan wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

The remake should arrive before the movie adaptation of Until Dawn that was announced in January. Unless the cast members all reprise their roles, the new version of the game will likely have bragging rights in at least one respect: the presence of a bonafide Academy Award winner in the form of Rami Malek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-until-dawn-remake-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-year-191524477.html?src=rss

The rumors were true: a remake of Until Dawn is coming to PlayStation 5 and PC later this year. As revealed during the latest State of Play showcase, the upgraded version of the interactive horror game is being built in Unreal Engine 5 and it will have several new bells and whistles.

You'll be able to experience the action from a third-person perspective for the first time. Ballistic Moon, which is handling the remake in the stead of original developer Supermassive Games, is expanding the color palette to make it more cinematic and bringing in contextual character movement animations.

There's also a new score from horror composer Mark Korven (The Witch), while the characters, visual effects and environments are all getting upgrades. "We’ve endeavored to keep the fantastic narrative integratory of the original, but we have seized the opportunity to expand upon unexplored emotional parts of the story," Ballistic Moon creative director Neil McEwan wrote on the PlayStation Blog.

The remake should arrive before the movie adaptation of Until Dawn that was announced in January. Unless the cast members all reprise their roles, the new version of the game will likely have bragging rights in at least one respect: the presence of a bonafide Academy Award winner in the form of Rami Malek.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/an-until-dawn-remake-is-coming-to-ps5-and-pc-this-year-191524477.html?src=rss

Comcast is discontinuing its its “Xfinity 10G Network” branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found that the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks. Comcast rivals T-Mobile and Verizon had challenged the branding with the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog, which had recommended that Comcast get rid of it in October 2023. Comcast’s confusing branding is at the heart of this challenge: “5G” refers to mobile internet, while “10G” refers to 10-gigabit broadband speeds typically delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the NARB said that it agreed with the NAD’s decision and recommended that Comcast “discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.” The NARB found that the branding could mislead consumers into thinking that “10G” offered significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks

The NARB also decided that using “10G” to refer to home broadband, as Comcast did, was misleading because consumers would assume that they would get 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, as Ars Technica pointed out, getting those speeds requires getting Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, which typically costs hundreds of dollars more in monthly fees, installation, and activation over Xifnity’s regular cable broadband plans.

In a statement that Comcast provided to the NARB, the company agreed to stop using the misleading branding in its marketing. "Although Comcast strongly disagrees with NARB's analysis and approach, Comcast will discontinue use of the brand name 'Xfinity 10G Network' and will not use the term '10G' in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself," Comcast said. 

The company said, however, that it still “reserves the right” to use both “10G” and “Xifnity 10G” in ways that do “not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself”, so expect both terms to still show up in Xfinity marketing, just, hopefully, in less misleading ways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-agrees-to-kill-10g-branding-after-advertising-watchdogs-said-it-was-misleading-185550194.html?src=rss

Comcast is discontinuing its its “Xfinity 10G Network” branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found that the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks. Comcast rivals T-Mobile and Verizon had challenged the branding with the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog, which had recommended that Comcast get rid of it in October 2023. Comcast’s confusing branding is at the heart of this challenge: “5G” refers to mobile internet, while “10G” refers to 10-gigabit broadband speeds typically delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the NARB said that it agreed with the NAD’s decision and recommended that Comcast “discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.” The NARB found that the branding could mislead consumers into thinking that “10G” offered significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks

The NARB also decided that using “10G” to refer to home broadband, as Comcast did, was misleading because consumers would assume that they would get 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, as Ars Technica pointed out, getting those speeds requires getting Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, which typically costs hundreds of dollars more in monthly fees, installation, and activation over Xifnity’s regular cable broadband plans.

In a statement that Comcast provided to the NARB, the company agreed to stop using the misleading branding in its marketing. "Although Comcast strongly disagrees with NARB's analysis and approach, Comcast will discontinue use of the brand name 'Xfinity 10G Network' and will not use the term '10G' in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself," Comcast said. 

The company said, however, that it still “reserves the right” to use both “10G” and “Xifnity 10G” in ways that do “not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself”, so expect both terms to still show up in Xfinity marketing, just, hopefully, in less misleading ways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-agrees-to-kill-10g-branding-after-advertising-watchdogs-said-it-was-misleading-185550194.html?src=rss

Comcast is discontinuing its its “Xfinity 10G Network” branding to describe its internet service after a National Advertising Review Board (NARB) panel found that the term could mislead consumers into thinking that Comcast’s cellular and broadband services would offer much faster speeds than current-generation networks. Comcast rivals T-Mobile and Verizon had challenged the branding with the National Advertising Division (NAD), an ad industry watchdog, which had recommended that Comcast get rid of it in October 2023. Comcast’s confusing branding is at the heart of this challenge: “5G” refers to mobile internet, while “10G” refers to 10-gigabit broadband speeds typically delivered to homes through physical infrastructure.

On Wednesday, the NARB said that it agreed with the NAD’s decision and recommended that Comcast “discontinue use of the term 10G in the product service name ‘Xfinity 10G Network’ and when 10G is used descriptively to describe the Xfinity network.” The NARB found that the branding could mislead consumers into thinking that “10G” offered significantly faster speeds than current-generation 5G networks

The NARB also decided that using “10G” to refer to home broadband, as Comcast did, was misleading because consumers would assume that they would get 10-gigabit internet speeds on every Xfinity connection. In reality, as Ars Technica pointed out, getting those speeds requires getting Xfinity’s fiber-to-the-home connection, which typically costs hundreds of dollars more in monthly fees, installation, and activation over Xifnity’s regular cable broadband plans.

In a statement that Comcast provided to the NARB, the company agreed to stop using the misleading branding in its marketing. "Although Comcast strongly disagrees with NARB's analysis and approach, Comcast will discontinue use of the brand name 'Xfinity 10G Network' and will not use the term '10G' in a manner that misleadingly describes the Xfinity network itself," Comcast said. 

The company said, however, that it still “reserves the right” to use both “10G” and “Xifnity 10G” in ways that do “not misleadingly describe the Xfinity network itself”, so expect both terms to still show up in Xfinity marketing, just, hopefully, in less misleading ways.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/comcast-agrees-to-kill-10g-branding-after-advertising-watchdogs-said-it-was-misleading-185550194.html?src=rss

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The company teamed up with Reality Crisis, another player in the AR gaming space, to create Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX. For the uninitiated, Mullen is a professional skateboarder who is credited with creating a number of iconic tricks, including the ollie and the kickflip.

This is the first augmented-reality skateboard game ever, unless you count using an actual skateboard to speed around town catching pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. Niantic says the gameplay will involve players navigating the real world to “explore and collect skatepark elements.” The game will use the same AR precision elements as the company’s other titles to “turn the world into an endless skatepark.” A gameplay demo shows an avatar skating in real-world locations like parking lots and inside of washing machines. However, there’s one really expensive elephant in the room.

The Apple Vision Pro costs $3,500 and isn’t exactly suited to removing from the living room, let alone the home. You’ll also look pretty stupid wearing Apple’s bulky ski goggles while out and about, not to mention it’d be mighty easy to snag it from your head and race away, perhaps on a real-life skateboard. 

To that end, Niantic and Reality Labs are also bringing the game to standard mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones. Much of the gameplay is still under wraps, but Niantic promises that players will be able to share custom-made skateparks with other users on both mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets.

Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX will be released sometime this year. As for the Apple Vision Pro, the device looks to be getting all kinds of apps. The headset will have access to Microsoft’s entire 365 productivity suite at launch, along with a Zoom app. All told, Apple says there will be 600 apps available for tomorrow’s release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantic-is-bringing-an-ar-skateboarding-game-to-apple-vision-pro-183740925.html?src=rss

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The company teamed up with Reality Crisis, another player in the AR gaming space, to create Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX. For the uninitiated, Mullen is a professional skateboarder who is credited with creating a number of iconic tricks, including the ollie and the kickflip.

This is the first augmented-reality skateboard game ever, unless you count using an actual skateboard to speed around town catching pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. Niantic says the gameplay will involve players navigating the real world to “explore and collect skatepark elements.” The game will use the same AR precision elements as the company’s other titles to “turn the world into an endless skatepark.” A gameplay demo shows an avatar skating in real-world locations like parking lots and inside of washing machines. However, there’s one really expensive elephant in the room.

The Apple Vision Pro costs $3,500 and isn’t exactly suited to removing from the living room, let alone the home. You’ll also look pretty stupid wearing Apple’s bulky ski goggles while out and about, not to mention it’d be mighty easy to snag it from your head and race away, perhaps on a real-life skateboard. 

To that end, Niantic and Reality Labs are also bringing the game to standard mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones. Much of the gameplay is still under wraps, but Niantic promises that players will be able to share custom-made skateparks with other users on both mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets.

Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX will be released sometime this year. As for the Apple Vision Pro, the device looks to be getting all kinds of apps. The headset will have access to Microsoft’s entire 365 productivity suite at launch, along with a Zoom app. All told, Apple says there will be 600 apps available for tomorrow’s release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantic-is-bringing-an-ar-skateboarding-game-to-apple-vision-pro-183740925.html?src=rss

Pokémon Go creator Niantic is bringing an AR skateboarding game to the Apple Vision Pro mixed-reality headset. The company teamed up with Reality Crisis, another player in the AR gaming space, to create Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX. For the uninitiated, Mullen is a professional skateboarder who is credited with creating a number of iconic tricks, including the ollie and the kickflip.

This is the first augmented-reality skateboard game ever, unless you count using an actual skateboard to speed around town catching pocket monsters in Pokémon Go. Niantic says the gameplay will involve players navigating the real world to “explore and collect skatepark elements.” The game will use the same AR precision elements as the company’s other titles to “turn the world into an endless skatepark.” A gameplay demo shows an avatar skating in real-world locations like parking lots and inside of washing machines. However, there’s one really expensive elephant in the room.

The Apple Vision Pro costs $3,500 and isn’t exactly suited to removing from the living room, let alone the home. You’ll also look pretty stupid wearing Apple’s bulky ski goggles while out and about, not to mention it’d be mighty easy to snag it from your head and race away, perhaps on a real-life skateboard. 

To that end, Niantic and Reality Labs are also bringing the game to standard mobile devices, including iOS and Android smartphones. Much of the gameplay is still under wraps, but Niantic promises that players will be able to share custom-made skateparks with other users on both mobile devices and mixed-reality headsets.

Rodney Mullen’s SKATRIX will be released sometime this year. As for the Apple Vision Pro, the device looks to be getting all kinds of apps. The headset will have access to Microsoft’s entire 365 productivity suite at launch, along with a Zoom app. All told, Apple says there will be 600 apps available for tomorrow’s release.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/niantic-is-bringing-an-ar-skateboarding-game-to-apple-vision-pro-183740925.html?src=rss

A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.

TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that's "the core team that answers to Jim Cameron," the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”

Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They'll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/avatar-vfx-artists-vote-to-unionize-174501416.html?src=rss

A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.

TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that's "the core team that answers to Jim Cameron," the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”

Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They'll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/avatar-vfx-artists-vote-to-unionize-174501416.html?src=rss

A group of visual effects artists who work on the Avatar movies have voted to unionize. Fifty-seven out of 88 eligible VFX workers at TCF US Productions 27 (a Walt Disney Studios subsidiary) voted in favor of the union in a National Labor Relations Board election. Nineteen workers voted against the effort and two ballots were void.

TCF US Productions 27 is not the main VFX house that works on the Avatar series. That would be Weta FX, which employs most of the 1,000-plus people who work on those projects. But an industry source pointed out to The Hollywood Reporter that the bargaining unit is notable, since that's "the core team that answers to Jim Cameron," the creator and director of the movies. “They are not necessarily impressive in size, but in influence.”

Barring objections from management and labor being taken up, the workers will join the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE). They'll follow VFX artists from Marvel and Walt Disney Studios (both of which voted unanimously to unionize) in organizing with IATSE. Workers from VFX house DNEG in British Columbia have joined the union too.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/avatar-vfx-artists-vote-to-unionize-174501416.html?src=rss

Elgato’s going all-in on HDMI 2.1. The company just announced a pair of capture cards that support the latest display technology specification. The 4K X and 4K Pro offer true HDR10 support, USB 3.2 connectivity, VRR and can capture 4K gameplay at 144fps.

Also, this card actually works with newer USB-C iPad models. This is the first time a capture card has ever offered native support for iPads, according to Elgato and parent company Corsair. The 4K X is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers and captures 4K gameplay at 144fps, you need a native display that supports these metrics. Otherwise, you’ll capture 4K at 120fps. You shouldn’t get any screen tearing with this device, due to the magic of HDMI 2.1.

The 4K Pro goes even further. This is a capture card in the traditional sense, as it resides inside of your PC. You get all of the features provided by the 4K X, but the passthrough spec bumps up to 8K and 60fps. Elgato claims this card will transform “your high-end single or dual-PC setup into a live-streaming powerhouse.”

To that end, the 4K Pro offers low-latency passthrough support up to 240fps in 4K, all while capturing 4K content at 1080p and 240fps. As you can see, this card boasts a wide range of specs, so you can adjust to find the best fit for your live-streaming needs. The card also integrates with the company’s Multi App tool, allowing you to send capture feeds to multiple apps at the same time. Elgato gives an example of recording raw gameplay while streaming simultaneously in OBS, Discord and Zoom. The 4K Pro is only compatible with Windows machines via a PCIe 2.0 x4 connection.

The cards work with most popular broadcast apps, including OBS Studio, Twitch Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, vMix and others. You also get access to the company’s capture management app, which exports content as AAF files for editing in Adobe Premiere, Vegas Pro and related software.

Both of these capture cards are available now. The portable 4K X costs $230, while the PCIe-adjacent 4K Pro costs $280. In related news, Samsung just inserted HDMI 2.1 support into its Q990D soundbar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elgato-introduces-its-first-ever-hdmi-21-capture-cards-174046239.html?src=rss

Elgato’s going all-in on HDMI 2.1. The company just announced a pair of capture cards that support the latest display technology specification. The 4K X and 4K Pro offer true HDR10 support, USB 3.2 connectivity, VRR and can capture 4K gameplay at 144fps.

Also, this card actually works with newer USB-C iPad models. This is the first time a capture card has ever offered native support for iPads, according to Elgato and parent company Corsair. The 4K X is compatible with both Windows and Mac computers and captures 4K gameplay at 144fps, you need a native display that supports these metrics. Otherwise, you’ll capture 4K at 120fps. You shouldn’t get any screen tearing with this device, due to the magic of HDMI 2.1.

The 4K Pro goes even further. This is a capture card in the traditional sense, as it resides inside of your PC. You get all of the features provided by the 4K X, but the passthrough spec bumps up to 8K and 60fps. Elgato claims this card will transform “your high-end single or dual-PC setup into a live-streaming powerhouse.”

To that end, the 4K Pro offers low-latency passthrough support up to 240fps in 4K, all while capturing 4K content at 1080p and 240fps. As you can see, this card boasts a wide range of specs, so you can adjust to find the best fit for your live-streaming needs. The card also integrates with the company’s Multi App tool, allowing you to send capture feeds to multiple apps at the same time. Elgato gives an example of recording raw gameplay while streaming simultaneously in OBS, Discord and Zoom. The 4K Pro is only compatible with Windows machines via a PCIe 2.0 x4 connection.

The cards work with most popular broadcast apps, including OBS Studio, Twitch Studio, Streamlabs Desktop, vMix and others. You also get access to the company’s capture management app, which exports content as AAF files for editing in Adobe Premiere, Vegas Pro and related software.

Both of these capture cards are available now. The portable 4K X costs $230, while the PCIe-adjacent 4K Pro costs $280. In related news, Samsung just inserted HDMI 2.1 support into its Q990D soundbar.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/elgato-introduces-its-first-ever-hdmi-21-capture-cards-174046239.html?src=rss