HTC is shuffling the software that comes with its virtual reality headset, replacing two games.
The esoteric Job Simulator is gone, and so is Fantastic Contraption, Engadget is reporting. In their place is Call Of The Starseed: The Gallery, an immersive puzzle game inspired by 80’s fantasy movies, and Zombie Training Simulator, a shooting gallery with faux-cardboard zombies. Google’s Tilt Brush remains bundled with the Vive.
The Gallery, one of the first VR games designed by Cloudhead Games, looks like a fascinating addition. It makes great use of the motion controllers offered by the Vive, and features a soundtrack by Jeremy Soule of Elder Scrolls fame. The science fiction 3D adventure game comes in six episodes.
And Zombie Training Simulator seems just plain fun, with a barrage of cardboard cutouts, that look ripped from Plants Versus Zombies, coming right at you. Shoot to kill!
We have to say, though: it’s a shame to see Fantastic Contraption go. This VR take on classics like The Incredible Machine is straight-forward, and also makes great use of VR. It had us leaning down to adjust pieces, and felt uniquely tangible in a way only VR can deliver.
And Job Simulator, while a little weird, is also a great little game. In theory it’s a point-and-click adventure game, but it’s also fun to fire this game up and attempt to set fire to a convenience store (there’s no way it’s just us who tried that).
Google’s Tilt Shift, which lets users draw in 3D, remains bundled with the Vive. This simple art tool is great for quick 3D sketches, and is well worth firing up to play around with. We’re glad to see it stay.
After spending $800 on a headset, let alone whatever you spent on the PC you plug it into, it’s nice to have even a little bit of software to play around with. It seems like HTC is committed to changing those games up now and then, which can only be a good thing as VR continues to evolve.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.