Samsung SmartTag+ tracker launches in US to take on Apple AirTag

Samsung is ready to take on Apple’s AirTags with the launch of its SmartTag+ in the United States. This new tracking accessory is designed to attach to the objects you may misplace, including your keys, bag, and wallet. The trackers feature ultra-wideband ... more - slashgear

SideQuest can sideload PC VR games on Oculus Quest using a phone

Facebook and Oculus are pushing the Quest 2 as the pinnacle of its VR systems so far because of its versatility. While primarily a standalone headset, the Quest 2 can also run Oculus’ PC-based VR content by tethering it to a desktop or laptop. The versatility, ... more - slashgear

HTC teams with iFixit to make repairing VIVE VR headsets easier

HTC VIVE has announced that it is teaming up with iFixit to make replacement components for its VR headsets available to consumers. Many may be familiar with iFixit. It’s a place that buys new gadgets and then rips them apart to make guides on repairing ... more - slashgear

Apple Clips gets AR Spaces thanks to LiDAR

Although it was one of the first on the mobile AR train with Project Tango, some may have felt that Google dropped the ball on that area. Professing more interest in AR than VR, Apple has been promoting the practical applications of its ARKit framework ... more - slashgear

Researchers suggest smell training, not drugs, for some COVID-19 patients

A huge number of people who contracted and later recovered from COVID-19 experienced loss of smell, an issue that persisted months later in some patients. A class of drugs called corticosteroids aren’t the solution to this problem, however, at least according ... more - slashgear

Apple AirTags: The highs and lows of these $29 trackers

Apple’s cheapest product of this week’s big new hardware showcase was arguably its most interesting, with AirTags finally delivering the much-anticipated launch of the company’s first tracker. Taking on Tile and other item tracking tags, Apple’s system ... more - slashgear

Japanese researchers create a VR walking simulator that stimulates the feet

Japanese researchers have developed a new virtual reality program that is designed to mimic the sensation of walking. It mimics the sensation of walking by stimulating the feet while the user sits motionless. Researchers found participants in the tests ... more - slashgear

HTC Vive Air headset surfaces for VR fitness, but don’t get too excited

HTC is getting itself some attention this morning thanks to a leak of what’s apparently a new fitness-focused VR headset. The headset, which is dubbed the HTC Vive Air, surfaced today in a World Design Guide leak that actually tells us a decent amount ... more - slashgear

Google Search AR summons Pac-Man on your palm

Google may have ditched its Daydream VR platform but it’s still holding on to augmented reality, at least without the headset. Google recently released WebXR, short for Extended Reality, experiments that showcased more practical uses for AR on your phone ... more - slashgear

Resident Evil Village resolution and framerate revealed for PS5, Xbox Series X, Stadia

Yesterday, Capcom revealed new details about the Resident Evil series, announcing that Resident Evil Village will be getting a demo and Resident Evil 4 will be coming to Oculus Quest 2. Today, we’re learning even more about Resident Evil Village, as Capcom ... more - slashgear

Resident Evil Village demo coming, RE4 heading to Oculus Quest 2

Capcom has plenty of original IPs but Resident Evil is perhaps its most notable in terms of disturbing imagery and stories. It’s a franchise that has gone beyond just games and even has its own live-action film series. In fact, it has one more coming, ... more - slashgear

Oculus Quest subscriptions roll out for games and apps

Oculus today announced that it’s now allowing developers to offer subscriptions to their apps. While perhaps not the best fit for gaming – which Oculus was centered around at the beginning of its life – the company says that by offering subscriptions, ... more - slashgear

Audi Q4 e-tron: The 4 things US buyers need to know

Audi’s Q4 e-tron has been officially revealed, and what’s arguably the automaker’s most important car in years is aiming to upend how realistic going electric is. Squeezing an unexpectedly spacious cabin into a compact crossover footprint, and introducing ... more - slashgear

Oculus Quest 2 Air Link will wireless stream PC VR games to headsets

Facebook and Oculus are investing heavily in the Quest 2 VR system, pushing it as the pinnacle of the Oculus’ efforts and replacing all previous headsets, both standalone and PC-tethered like the discontinued Oculus Rift S. Its launch may have been tainted ... more - slashgear

First-ever Oculus Gaming Showcase is streaming next week

Virtual reality has had the reputation for being something only for games and entertainment, a perception that VR companies and advocates are trying to dispel with more serious applications. That said, there’s no denying that the technology is perfect ... more - slashgear

Sony BRAVIA XR A80J 65-inch OLED TV gets price and release details

Another of Sony’s 2021 BRAVIA TVs has arrived, packing the company’s latest Cognitive Processor XR for AI-powered image processing and upscaling, along with a 65-inch OLED panel. Announced at CES 2021 back in January, the Sony BRAVIA XR A80J 4K HDR OLED ... more - slashgear

Google WebXR experiments make the real world a bit more interesting

Virtual and augmented reality, collectively known as mixed reality (MR) or, more recently, “extended reality” or XR, always had the potential to make life not only more fun but also more productive. Most applications, however, may have focused too much ... more - slashgear

Sony’s Bravia X90J 2021 LED TV arrives with promise of human-like processing

Sony has launched its new 2021 Bravia TV range, confirming pricing and adding the Cognitive Processor XR to its LED sets for the first time. Previously exclusive to the company’s OLED models, the new AI processor promises to be more nuanced with how it ... more - slashgear

Hey, Spotify wake word rollout paves the way for the Car Thing

It seems that there is no stopping Spotify from launching a product that no one asked for. Of course, the alleged Car Thing might just be an experimental product as Spotify claims but the pieces are falling into place for an eventual launch. In addition ... more - slashgear

Oculus Rift S discontinuation marks the end of an era

Consumer virtual reality systems started out in two kinds. One was completely powered by a smartphone, with the headset acting as a simple holder for the phone and lens. The other was a heavier headset that, despite the heft, still needed to offload its ... more - slashgear

Facebook Pay QR Code to target contactless in-person payments

Facebook’s ambition knows no bounds. Even while its core business is social networking, it isn’t opposed to expanding what constitutes “social” to justify its other endeavors. It acquired Oculus, for example, in order to make virtual reality into a social ... more - slashgear

Tim Cook talks Apple Car, augmented reality and Elon Musk’s Tesla

Apple CEO Tim Cook has talked about Apple car rumors, augmented reality, and the electric vehicle segment and his contact – or lack of – with Tesla’s Elon Musk, amid speculation by analysts that the Cupertino firm is readying a handful of ambitious launches ... more - slashgear

Jupiter’s auroras discovered by NASA Juno spacecraft

NASA has spacecraft orbiting planets and gathering data to help scientists learn more about our solar system. One of the spacecraft is currently operating is called Juno, and it’s in orbit around Jupiter. Juno has detected new auroral emissions on Jupiter ... more - slashgear

Microsoft HoloLens-based headset enters production for the Army

Microsoft HoloLens is an augmented reality headset that the software giant is positioning to be used in multiple industries. The AR headset can be used for training and also serve other purposes. This week, the United States Army announced that it would ... more - slashgear

Snap’s leaked AR Spectacles sound great, but they’re not for you

It seems that Snap, the company behind Snapchat, is planning to launch another Spectacles hardware product — but you probably won’t be able to get it. That’s a bit disappointing considering the alleged features that have leaked, including the ability ... more - slashgear

AR glasses teased by CEO of Pokemon Go-maker Niantic

Niantic’s CEO has teased the Pokemon Go-maker’s first augmented reality glasses, with a cryptic preview of the digital eyewear on Twitter. It’s the first public sign of the company’s smart glasses, though Niantic – which is also partnering with Nintendo ... more - slashgear

Apple has an astonishing goal for its new mixed-reality headset

Apple’s mixed reality headset could buck the VR trend and offer a much lighter, slimmer form-factor, according to a new analyst report, as the Cupertino firm addresses one of the biggest criticisms of AR and VR tech. Well-rumored over the past few years, ... more - slashgear

Spatial makes building immersive, interactive soundscapes more accessible

Much of today’s technology has an obsession with things we can see, from photorealistic computer graphics, through increasingly sophisticated computer interfaces, to new virtual and augmented reality experiences. Our senses don’t stop at our eyes, though, ... more - slashgear

Nintendo, Pokemon GO maker Niantic Labs team up for Pikmin game

Although less successful with its own IP, Niantic Labs found a more profitable market in making AR games around already known franchises. Pokemon GO still remains its most successful attempt while Harry Potter: Wizards Unite still has a loyal following ... more - slashgear

Mission will test new technology for removing satellites from orbit

Space junk orbiting the earth is becoming a more significant problem as more satellites are placed into orbit. Popular orbits are becoming very crowded, and many of the spacecraft orbiting there are decommissioned and nonfunctional. However, it’s impossible ... more - slashgear