User interface techniques

Meta A new face-tracking extension lets Meta Quest Pro users poke their tongues out at you in a wordless statement of their feelings or even blow a raspberry. How better to express a sweltering day or an exhausting workout? This could be the technology that revolutionizes VR in 2024. Am I being too tongue-in-cheek? Honestly, it’s a nice option to add to the Quest Pro’s current hand-, eye-, and face-tracking. Meta’s most expensive VR headset allows quite a range of expression already. I can gesture with my hands,…

If you’d asked me where I stood on VR gaming back in early May of this year, it would have been a dire conversation. A little over a month into the PlayStation VR2’s life span, I was feeling entirely disillusioned with the tech. Headsets liked the Meta Quest 2 had stopped delivering fresh experiences that felt like they could transcend the technical gimmick and PSVR2 felt dead in the water on day one. Despite being a firm supporter of VR for a decade, I felt like the train was about to leave the station for me.…

I still distinctly remember my first experience playing a video game in VR. I was working at Rolling Stone when HTC came to the office to demo several experiences on its Vive headset. After playing some basic arcade games, I commented that I could really feel that the tech was in its Atari era. The simple game design made it clear that this was just the beginning for VR gaming, and that I shouldn’t expect it to match console gaming anytime soon. It was an experimental ride I was ready to take. Playing Asgard’s Wrath…

The Granblue Fantasy franchise originated in the mobile and web browser space as a turn-based gacha game with microtransactions. The franchise has since expanded to include the 2D fighting game Granblue Fantasy Versus, its upcoming sequel Versus: Rising, and the action RPG Granblue Fantasy: Relink. Cygames Relink was announced all the way back in 2016, but faced a somewhat rocky development cycle. It was originally developed by PlatinumGames and Cygames, but eventually, the former left the project, leaving the latter…

Meta isn’t just the parent company of Facebook, it’s also become a pioneer in the new wave of virtual reality. It has a lineup of virtual reality headsets to shop, and a couple of them are seeing deals today. Both the Meta Quest 2 and the Meta Quest Pro have their price dropped at Best Buy, with the more affordable Quest 2 seeing a sale price of $250 and the high-end Quest Pro discounted to $924. Best Buy is including free shipping with a purchase of either VR headset. Meta Quest 2 VR headset — $250, was $300 Meta…

Getty Images Microsoft’s Xbox Series S, the more affordable counterpart of the more powerful Xbox Series X, was made for gamers who prefer to go completely disc-less. The Xbox Series S can still play the most popular titles though, and it’s still pretty quick by today’s standards. Whether you’re thinking of buying the console, or you’re looking for discounts on games and accessories, we’re here to help. We’ve rounded up the best Xbox Series S deals below, so you won’t have to spend time looking elsewhere. Best Xbox…

HTC HTC Vive recently announced a new virtual reality tracker specifically designed for standalone VR headsets like the Vive XR Elite and Vive Focus 3. The VR division of this tech giant also makes base stations and motion-tracking hardware that’s required for most PC VR headsets. In VR, your head motion is detected by sensors in the headset while your hand position is captured by the controllers. What’s missing is body tracking. That means the game or app has no way of knowing for certain where your feet and hips…

VR headsets have become a successful niche for gamers who want to fully immerse themselves in their gaming experiences. There are plenty of options out there in terms of which headset you could go with, including Sony’s PSVR2 and Oculus, but the latest and greatest is the Meta Quest 3. This is the upgraded version of the already impressive Quest 2, and it not only boasts more powerful hardware, but also new features that can add even more immersion to games. This headset is fresh on the market, so if you picked one…

Black Friday is over and companies are now offering Cyber Monday deals for the latest shopping event. Now is a great opportunity to get excellent deals on big tech toys, like VR headsets, which tend to be heavily discounted for this time of year. This includes exciting offers on products like the Meta Quest 2, which is among the best VR headsets. Here, we examine our favorite Cyber Monday VR headset deal, chosen for its price point and popularity, then examine great alternative offers. Best VR headset Cyber Monday…

Meta If you thought you missed this year’s VR headset Black Friday deals, think again because there are still some offers that remain available, including Best Buy’s $50 discount for the Meta Quest 2. That brings the device’s price down to $250 from $300, for an affordable way of jumping into virtual reality. We don’t know how much time is left for you to take advantage of this bargain, and it’s unclear if it will stay up through Cyber Monday, so it’s highly recommended that you push through with the purchase right…