Will virtual reality change the way sculpture and other art is created? Oculus thinks so, and today is showing off several pieces created by its modelling software Medium to prove it. There are some adorable robots, a classic Samurai, and even a collection of DC comics characters you can check out now at ComicCon.
The Rift is mostly a gaming device, at least for now, but Oculus is thinking bigger. Medium is part of that. The software enables anyone to create 3D models while wearing the VR headset, and offers a very tactile approach.
Oculus calls it digital clay, because you can “pick up” material and sculpt it directly, in some ways like a potter’s wheel. But there’s more than that offered. Users can draw in 3D using their fingers, and quickly paint and add textures. Or, if you prefer a more computerized approach, you can do things that aren’t possible in reality, like copy and pasting.
The art that results from this tool is like nothing you’ve seen before. The above creations are a few good examples of what can be done with Medium, but there are even more great examples on Twitter.
A lot of the hype around virtual reality has to do with gaming, and with good reason: immersive environments are bound to deliver unprecedented gameplay experiences. But virtual reality has just as many uses outside of gaming, and Medium is the proof.
It will take time for virtual reality to move from a niche technology to a mainstream one, which is why Oculus is putting effort into tools like this. Medium is Oculus’ attempt to prove this to artists, and the results so far are a lot of fun. Making the digital more tactile could enable artists otherwise intimidated by tech to dive in, and we can’t wait to see what else they might come up with.
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.