As Oculus Touch celebrates its first anniversary, its creator has introduced a far-reaching update to the Rift. Core 2.0, now in beta, aims to provide a better link between the headset and your PC in order to get the best possible results out of both pieces of hardware.
Perhaps the most impactful functionality introduced as part of this update is Dash, which makes it easier to switch between apps and interact with friends without taking off your headset.
One intriguing component of Dash is Oculus Desktop, a feature that presents your standard Windows desktop and traditional apps in virtual reality. The Dash interface can be pulled up at any time, giving easy access to your friends list, frequently used apps, and other content.
Next, there’s Home, which has been rebuilt from the ground up. Users can now customize their virtual living space, adding decorative collectibles and even some interactive items.
There’s currently one room layout with a few hundred built-in items — a blog post announcing the Core 2.0 software update teased some “rare masterpieces” created by the Oculus Rex team, who were responsible for First Contact and Dreamdeck. Over time, these customization options will grow.
New items are unlocked by donning the Rift and spending time in VR, although there will be a limit on how many item packs users can earn during the beta. Trophies and game cartridges are tied to particular achievements and the games present in your library. Some upcoming additions will draw from community creations, and there will even be a way to decorate Home with sculptures from Oculus Medium.
Home will also let users hang out with one another in real time. Although this functionality won’t be ready for the beta, it’s said to be one of the team’s top priorities going forward – and you’ll still be able to visit other users’ spaces in the upcoming preview.
To opt into the Oculus Core 2.0 beta, Rift owners need to join the Public Test Channel. Testers are encouraged to provide detailed feedback so that the development team can address some of the ways its currently “rough around the edges,” and introduce new features in a timely manner.
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.