PC gaming news and reviews

The latest PC gaming news and reviews of gaming PC hardware, software and accessories.

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Samsung patent application showcases AR headset design
When websites like Engadget report on patents, typically all you see accompanying the applications are line diagrams that give a faint idea of what a tech company is working on. Not so with a recently discovered application from Samsung, which includes a 3D render of an augmented reality (AR) headset. According to Galaxy Club, which was the first to spot the patent, the headset features projection screens in each lens. Additionally, one diagram depicts a wire on the right side of the device -- though the purpose of the cable isn't clear.
Sony launches a $250 version of its Koov robot coding kit
Sony has launched a smaller, more affordable version of Koov, its candy-colored coding toy for kids. A Koov kit contains blocks, motors and sensors kids can put together to create robots and small machines they can program. It can make classes a lot more fun and ignite kids' interest in science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) subjects. But it also costs $520 a set, which could be too much for schools with little funding or teachers who pay for classroom supplies out of pocket. The new Koov Trial Kit only costs $250.
Microsoft's latest VR experiment is a literal walk in the park
While manufacturers are giving up on phone-based VR and Facebook is focusing on VR's social aspects, Microsoft is taking a different approach to virtual reality. The company revealed its latest VR developments in a blog post, showing off three new technologies including one which enables VR experiences in open locations.
Steam's new beta takes local multiplayer games online
Valve didn't wait long to give you a chance to play local multiplayer games online. The latest Steam beta client now includes Remote Play Together support that lets friends join in multiplayer experiences that would normally require sitting on the same couch. Only the host needs a copy of the game -- everyone else just needs a controller or (with permission) access to the keyboard or mouse. You can play across computer platforms (a Mac player could join a Windows game, for instance), and voice chat lets you yell at players as if you were there.
Remedy fixes 'Control' on the Epic Store so it will work offline
The update that added a photomode to Remedy's moody shooter Control also added some new headaches for PC players who purchased it from the Epic Games Store. Although the team says that changes made were intended to validate "future expansions," their actual impact removed Steam controller support and forced players to stay online. Overnight the company has released another update (v1.04.01) fixing the issue, which it says is not the fault of Epic, allowing players to both enjoy the new camera feature and get ready for DLC that will arrive in December.
‘Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville’ is available today
The latest game in the long running Plants vs. Zombies series has arrived for PS4, Xbox and PC. Plants vs. Zombies: Battle for Neighborville is a third-person shooter, but it's cartoony enough for older children; EA calls it "our biggest and most accessible shooter ever." Players can compete in head-to-head multiplayer matches and explore new areas solo or in split-screen and online co-op modes.
Watch the first trailer of ‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ for PC
Red Dead Redemption 2 developer Rockstar Games has shared the first trailer for the upcoming PC release of the game, which showcases the open-world western running at 4K and 60 frames per second. It also offers a glimpse of some of the other graphical enhancements that the studio has built into the game. We detailed all those enhancements, as well as the game's minimum system requirements, in a post last week. The trailer is also a good showcase of what the game will likely look like on Stadia when it launches on November 19th -- provided your connection can stream games in 4K, of course.
HTC Vive Cosmos review: Too late, too expensive
The battle for at-home virtual reality started with the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive -- but these days things are getting complicated. The Oculus Quest proves solid standalone VR is possible, and Valve is pushing the limits of high-end VR with the Index. Now here comes the Vive Cosmos, HTC's first true successor to the Vive and business-focused Vive Pro. Technically, the Cosmos is an upgrade in just about every way, but there's just one problem: It costs $699, which makes it far more expensive than the Oculus Quest ($400) and Rift S ($400). The Cosmos's price is a baffling strategic decision by HTC when the competition is so strong.
BBC winds down its in-house VR production team
After two years, the BBC is shutting VR Hub production division. In a lengthy blog post, the UK public broadcaster announced that it plans to produce one last virtual reality experience called Missing Pictures before winding down the unit.
The (Day)dream is over: Phone-based VR is well and truly dead
When Google introduced Cardboard at I/O 2014, a lot of people thought it was a joke. A cardboard-based contraption that turned your phone into a primitive VR headset seemed more like a kid's science project than a serious endeavor. But Google's Cardboard was just the first in a long line of phone-powered VR. Samsung's Gear VR combined serious Oculus optics and tracking with its own Galaxy handsets, and Google later came up with its own "real" VR hardware with the Daydream View.
Universal, Ford create in-car VR experience for 'Bride of Frankenstein'
Starting on October 14th, a fleet of 2020 Ford Explorer vehicles will be offering special rides to the public from Universal CityWalk Hollywood. Those vehicles come equipped with virtual reality headsets from German startup Holoride, which will give passengers the chance to try an in-car VR experience based on Universal Pictures' 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. The passengers will have to go on a virtual journey, face monsters and overcome obstacles to deliver a message to Frankenstein in the new content created by Universal Monsters.
Ubtech’s latest educational, dancing robot is bigger and more lifelike
There are plenty of educational coding robots, but few have moves like UBTECH's dancing robot MeeBot. UBTECH launched the JIMU build-your-own-bot kit for MeeBot in 2016. Today, the company unveiled MeeBot 2.0.
What do you like about the Oculus Rift S?
When senior editor Devindra Hardawar tested the Oculus Rift S, he kept asking himself: Who really needs this VR headset? With built-in tracking, sharp resolution and a comfortable headstrap, the $399 Rift S makes a convincing argument for an entry-level VR purchase. However, it still needs to be tethered to a computer, its design and build quality aren't better than the original Rift and the identically priced Oculus Quest has higher resolution displays. That all adds up to a tough recommendation. In the end, the newest Oculus system earned a fair score of 80.
Steam's Remote Play Together brings any local multiplayer game online
Steam is set to offer a new feature that'll make multiplayer games a more communal experience. Called "Remote Play Together," the feature is designed for shared-screen and split-screen games -- it streams your screen to a friend while capturing their input and streaming it back to you. As Valve's Alden Kroll says, "You are both playing the same game, looking at the same thing." So it's like playing together in the same room, without being in the same room.
‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ on PC will support 4K and HDR
When Rockstar Games announced last week that Red Dead Redemption 2 is coming to PC on November 5th, the studio said the new release would include a variety of enhancements. Now that game is available to pre-order, Rockstar has detailed those improvements. To start, you can expect support for both 4K and HDR, in addition to support for multi-monitor setups, widescreen resolutions and frame rates above the 30 frames per second the game targeted on consoles.
'Doom Eternal' is delayed to March 2020
DOOM Eternal's launch was slated for November 22nd -- but to add some polish, publisher Bethesda Softworks is pushing that date back to March 20, 2020. The developer, iD Software, will also add a new feature called Invasion Mode, which will allow players to enter others' campaigns as a playable demon. This new mode will be a free download available shortly after the game arrives.
Microsoft patent application describes a vibrating floor mat for VR
Microsoft has filed a patent for a floor mat that could prevent you from crashing into furniture while you're exploring new worlds in virtual reality. It's also an indicator the company is still interested in bringing VR to the Xbox ecosystem, after it axed virtual reality plans for Xbox One.
'Iron Man VR' will hit PS VR February 28th
We at last know when you'll get to take to the virtual skies in Marvel's Iron Man VR. It'll hit PS VR on February 28th, 2020 -- it was previously earmarked for a 2019 debut. Developer Camouflaj also released a story trailer, which focuses on Ghost, Tony Stark's adversary.
Toyota is using VR to train robots as in-home helpers
Home robots could make all of our lives easier, and perhaps most importantly, they could allow seniors to live more independently. But training robots to operate in homes is difficult because each home is unique and filled with so many objects in different combinations and layouts. Toyota Research Institute (TRI) may have a solution: using virtual reality to change the way we train robots.
'Red Dead Redemption 2' is coming to PC on November 5th
Rockstar's western opus Red Dead Redemption II is coming to PC on November 5th. According to the studio, the PC release of Red Dead Redemption II will include both technical and graphical enhancements, as well as new side missions and weapons. Rockstar also revealed that the game will be a Google Stadia launch title.

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