As a long-time VR gamer, I’ve always found myself in an awkward position. I’m certainly not a casual player at this point, but I’m also not quite a full-blown techie. I don’t spend my time studying the ins and outs of lens shapes or obsessing over resolution. I’m just happy to use whatever headset lets me play games comfortably and conveniently. That’s meant that for the past few years, my Meta Quest 3 (and Quest 3S) have been my go-to choice for gaming. That said, they haven’t always been a perfect fit for my needs. I’ve struggled to get the comfort level exactly where I need it and I often find that its visual barriers butt into my experiences more than I’d like. I’ve learned to live with those quirks over the years because it felt like there wasn’t any other option. That is, until I dusted off my PlayStation VR2 for the first time in over a year. After sitting down to play The Midnight Walk on my forgotten headset, I’m now wondering why I ever stopped using it in the first place. It’s a reminder that just because something is the shiny new toy doesn’t mean that it’s inherently the best choice for your needs. Recommended Videos Allow me to explain how I got in this mess first. Ever since I became interested in VR games, I’ve decided to stick to two ecosystems: Meta and PSVR. There was a simple logistical reason for that, as my PC is a little too outdated to properly power PC headsets. The plug and play nature of the PSVR and the wireless freedom of the Quest both fit my specific needs. I figured I’d keep up with Sony’s device to play its exclusives and use Meta’s devices for more general use. The reality, though, was that I started falling into the habit of just using whatever was newest for everything. That’s the sort of pitfall you can easily run into when you review tech for a living. Related At the end of 2022, I was happily using the Meta Quest 2. When the PlayStation VR2 rolled around in early 2023, I instinctively jumped ship — and for good reason. Sony’s second generation headset was impressive at the time, offering high resolution visuals and excellent eye-tracking. I was happy with that as my primary platform even if the promise of first-party support fell apart immediately after Horizon: Call of the Mountain. Then came the Meta Quest 3 later that year. I switched over to it in an instant, welcoming back a life of wireless play. Only one year later, I’d switch again to the Meta Quest 3S, which I use to this day because I appreciate its passthrough tech. My PSVR2 hadn’t been used in over a year as of last weekend. KIWI Design That’s not because the Quest is a better headset that solves all of my problems. In fact, I’ve had two major gripes with it over the past few years. The first is that I’ve struggled with its virtual boundaries. I live in a fairly compact apartment, so I don’t have a full room I can freely move around when I play. When I’m standing, I have to use a sliver of floor space in my bedroom. I’ve found that I’m constantly hitting the barrier grid when I try to play, as it triggers if I so much as brush up against it. The same is true for seated play, where I always find myself breaking out. My bigger gripe is with comfort. To this day, I can not get a Meta headset to fit my head right. It always squeezes my skull tighter than I’d like, which means that I need to play in shorter bursts. Loosening it to the point of comfort generally means that I have to live withy a blurrier image. I’m willing to make those compromises on both ends for a great game, but it makes it hard for me to get too invested in long games like Asgard’s Wrath 2. And hey, what is my other option? It turns out that I had one all along and just didn’t realize it. I received a review code for The Midnight Walk on PSVR2, which was incentive enough to bring it out of storage for another ride. As soon as I put it on, I couldn’t believe I had ever ditched it in the first place. For one, I find it far more comfortable that I’d remembered. Perhaps it’s just because I’d grown so accustomed to the Quest, but it rests so well on my head that I could sit for over two hours without even thinking about it. I also never found my game interrupted by the virtual boundaries I constantly see on Quest. PSVR2 feels less sensitive overall, allowing me to more easily immerse myself in its digital worlds (and I only punched a wall once while doing it!). Digital Trends In my head, I had convinced myself that the reason I dropped it was due to the Quest 3 being more technically impressive, but now I’m even questioning that. Yes, the Quest 3 is better on paper with higher resolution per eye, but the PSVR2 bridges that gap with its OLED display that creates a higher contrast image. As part of the tradeoff, I also get access to some incredibly impressive eye tracking, something I’d almost forgotten about entirely in the switch to Quest. In The Midnight Walk, I was able to close my eyes to control parts of the game, which the headset tracked with pinpoint accuracy. Going back to the PSVR2 felt like using it for the first time. I had taken so many of its great qualities for granted because I had convinced myself that new always meant better. It doesn’t, though that’s not to throw shade at the Quest 3 or 3S. Both are great gaming headsets and their wireless play can’t be beat. I still imagine that I’ll play a chunk of my VR games there so I have the freedom to move. But I’ve also come away having learned a valuable lesson about tech: Sometimes the device that suits you best is the one you already own. Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/ive-been-using-the-wrong-gaming-vr-headset-this-entire-time/ #ive #using #wrong #gaming #headset #years

Apple on Tuesday shared a handful of accessibility updates coming to its range of products, which are designed to help with everything from reading text to following real-time captions to reducing motion sickness. The announcement comes ahead of Global Accessibility Awareness Day on May 15, with the features slated for release later this year.The tech giant is gearing up for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, during which it's expected to share software updates across its platforms, including what it has in store for iOS 19. It's also likely to share Apple Intelligence updates, especially as other companies such as Samsung and Google continue to load their phones with AI features. Many of those AI-powered features have also been supercharging accessibility capabilities across devices such as the iPhone and Pixel phone. "At Apple, accessibility is part of our DNA," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. "Making technology for everyone is a priority for all of us, and we're proud of the innovations we're sharing this year. That includes tools to help people access crucial information, explore the world around them, and do what they love."Apple's accessibility updates will arrive on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro. Here's what'll soon become available across those devices.Accessibility Nutrition Labels  Accessibility Nutrition Labels will show which App Store games and apps have the supported features you need. AppleIn the App Store, a new section in the product pages of apps and games will highlight accessibility features, so you'll can know right away whether the capabilities you need are included before downloading. Those features include VoiceOver, Voice Control, Larger Text, Sufficient Contrast, Reduced Motion and captions, as well as others. Accessibility Nutrition Labels will be available worldwide on the App Store. Developers will have access to guidance on what criteria apps need to meet before showing accessibility information on their product pages. Magnifier on MacMagnifier is a tool that allows people who are blind or low vision to zoom in, read text and detect objects around them on the iPhone or iPad. Now, the feature is coming to the Mac, too. Magnifier on Mac connects to a camera, like the one on your iPhone, so you can zoom in on what's around you, like a screen or whiteboard. You can use Continuity Camera on the iPhone to link it to your Mac, or opt for a USB connection to a camera. The feature supports reading documents with Desk View. You can adjust what's on your screen including brightness, contrast and color filters, to make it easier to see text and images. Accessibility ReaderThis new reading mode on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Vision Pro is geared toward making text easier to read for people with a range of disabilities, including those with dyslexia or low vision. Accessibility Reader lets you customize text and hone in on what you're reading by adapting font, color and spacing. It also supports Spoken Content, so your device can read aloud what's on the screen. Accessibility Reader can be used within any app, and is built into Magnifier on iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. You can launch the feature to interact with real-world text like in menus and books.Braille AccessBraille Access lets you essentially turn the iPhone, iPad, Mac or Vision Pro into a braille notetaker. They can launch any app by typing with Braille Screen Input or a linked braille device, then jot down notes in braille format and do calculations using Nemeth Braille. You can also open Braille Ready Format files within Braille Access, allowing them to access books and files that were created on a braille note taking device. Live Captions on Apple Watch Live Listen and Live Captions will show real-time text on your Apple Watch, and allow you to remotely control a Live Listen session on your iPhone. AppleLive Listen is a feature that takes audio captured by an iPhone and beams it to your AirPods, Beats or compatible hearing aids, essentially turning your phone into a remote microphone. Now, that feature is coming to Apple Watch, along with Live Captions to display real-time text of what's being heard via an iPhone. That way, people can both listen to the audio while seeing those Live Captions on their Apple Watch. You can also use your Apple Watch as a remote control to begin or end Live Listen, as well as to jump back if you missed anything. That means you won't have to get up in the middle of class or a meeting to grab or control your iPhone -- you can do that across the room from your Watch. Live Listen can also be used with the Hearing Aid feature on AirPods Pro 2.Vision accessibility on the Apple Vision ProThe Apple Vision Pro is adding a handful of features for people who are blind or have low vision. An update to Zoom will allow you to punch in on anything in your surroundings using the Vision Pro's main camera. Live Recognition will describe what's around you, pinpoint objects and read documents using VoiceOver.A new API for developers will also allow approved apps to access the headset's main camera, so you can get live visual interpretation assistance in apps like Be My Eyes. Other accessibility updatesApple shared a handful of other updates coming to its accessibility features, including the addition of Vehicle Motion Cues, which can help reduce motion sickness when looking at a screen, to Mac. You can also customize the animated dots that appear onscreen on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Personal Voice lets people who are at risk of speech loss create a voice that sounds like them using AI and on-device machine learning. It's now faster and easier to use. Instead of reading 150 phrases to set up the feature and waiting overnight for it to process, Personal Voice can now create a more natural-sounding voice replica with just 10 recorded phrases in less than a minute. Apple is also adding support for Spanish in Mexico.    Name Recognition will alert you if your name is being called. AppleSimilar to Eye Tracking, which lets you control your iPhone and iPad using just your eyes, Head Tracking will also let you navigate and control your device with head movements.You can now customize Music Haptics on iPhone, which plays a series of taps, textures and vibrations along to audio in Apple Music. You can choose to experience those haptics for the whole song or just for the vocals, and you can also adjust the overall intensity. Sound Recognition, which alerts people who are deaf or hard of hearing to sounds like sirens, doorbells or car horns, is adding Name Recognition so they can also know when their name is being called. Live Captions is also adding support for languages in more parts of the world including English (India, Australia, UK, Singapore), Mandarin Chinese (Mainland China), Cantonese (Mainland China, Hong Kong), Spanish (Latin America, Spain), French (France, Canada), Japanese, German (Germany) and Korean. Source: https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/apple-expands-accessibility-features-like-live-captions-magnifier-and-sound-recognition/#ftag=CAD590a51e #apple #expands #accessibility #features #including #live #captions #magnifier #sound #recognition

What just happened? Valve recently announced an alternative to the Steam Deck compatibility rating system aimed at third-party devices. The new SteamOS Compatibility labels work slightly differently but should provide users with vital information for each game as the company moves toward a general release for the gaming-focused Linux distro. Users who install the SteamOS beta on the Lenovo Legion Go S and the Asus ROG Ally should begin seeing new compatibility ratings on Steam store pages in the coming weeks. The new labels provide basic info regarding what happens when booting a title on Valve's Linux-based operating system. The Steam Deck verification system is a vital component of the Steam Deck's success, informing players which games run smoothly on the handheld gaming PC. The system is now so successful that major developers often optimize PC games to receive Valve's green check on their Steam store pages. On non-Steam Deck devices, a blue check will appear instead. Every Steam Deck Verified title will receive a marker saying "Successfully runs on SteamOS." However, users should note that the label has no bearing on performance. It only confirms that a game's engine and middleware, including anti-cheat, fully support Valve's Proton compatibility layer. Users will also sometimes see warnings for games that require internet connections during initial setup or include launchers that require mouse input. Valve estimates that around 18,000 titles will immediately receive SteamOS Compatibility checks when the system rolls out. While SteamOS will eventually become available for more handheld gaming PCs, the Legion Go S is currently the only third-party device that officially supports the OS. Lenovo is set to begin offering the handheld with Valve's OS pre-installed in the coming weeks for $150 less than the Windows 11 version. // Related Stories SteamOS has been the Steam Deck's primary advantage over Windows-based handhelds. Although devices like the ROG Ally X are more powerful, SteamOS runs many games more efficiently and is easier to navigate on a small screen with a controller. The Linux distro could surge in popularity on other handhelds, but a general release will likely complicate per-game optimization. Speculation has also spread regarding SteamOS' potential on desktops or other form factors and whether it can challenge Windows in the PC gaming sector. Recent reports indicate that Valve is preparing three more SteamOS devices: a standalone VR headset slated for later this year, a true successor to the Steam Deck that lies further out, and a mysterious "Fremont" project that could be a set-top box. The headset and Fremont will port SteamOS to Arm. المصدر: https://www.techspot.com/news/107891-valve-rolls-out-steamos-compatibility-labels-third-party.html #Valve #rolls #out #SteamOS #compatibility #labels #for #thirdparty #handhelds