Latest news with #Vive
Tom's Guide
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
Meta Quest 3 should've killed big-screen TVs — here's why that didn't happen
When I reviewed the HTC Vive back in 2016, I thought VR headsets were about to set the world on fire. For roughly two months, the Vive was the best VR headset and I spent as much time as I could living in VR and demoing it for everyone who came over. One of the biggest features that I thought would take off was Viveport Video, a collection of 360-degree videos that offered a more immersive experience than standard 16x9 format content. Everyone wants to watch something on an infinitely big TV, right? Turns out, no. Not at all. And now I've finally got a few answers why. Now if you own a VR headset like the Meta Quest 3, you might actually use it for watching the best streaming services. However, sadly you're in the minority. According to a recent report by research firm Counterpoint, the sale of VR headsets dropped 12% year-over-year in 2024. And that was the third year in a row that sales have declined. Everyone has different numbers about the total number of units sold, but by the looks of things, it was only around 5 million units. By comparison, in 2024 the worldwide global sales of TVs reached 230 million units. And that number doesn't fluctuate by a ton each year. In 2020, 2021 and 2023, there were more than 200 million units sold worldwide. So why are TVs selling so much better than VR headsets? One very good reason is because TVs are becoming more affordable while VR headsets cost just as much as they did almost a decade ago. When you can buy one of the best TVs for under $500, you're probably not in a rush to go out and spend $500 on a stand-alone VR headset that you've never tried before. Maybe you'd jump on the opportunity to try VR if there was a good headset available for less than $100, but at that price you're going to have to buy one secondhand. In short, one reason that VR headsets haven't overtaken TVs is because of low sales and stagnant prices. There just aren't enough headsets out there and evangelists preaching the benefits about watching movies and shows in VR As it turns out, good headsets are hard to make. Or, well, at least harder to make than a good TV. Very early on in the advent of VR, it was decided that a 90Hz refresh rate is the minimum you'd want on a screen that close to your face. Any slower, and you're more likely to feel motion sick. Ideally, you'd want more than a 90Hz refresh rate, but then that will come at the cost of lower resolution. Now, I should mention that the Quest 3 defaults to a 90Hz refresh rate, but that can be changed to 120Hz in the settings. However, not every application and game takes advantage of the faster refresh rate. What that means is that some apps are going to cause less nausea than others. I've never watched a TV that's so bad that it's made me sick to my stomach. But let's be honest, any time spent feeling nauseous is bad. There's really no point when watching a TV would make you feel motion sick. The soap opera effect is unpleasant, sure, and bad motion interpolation can induce headaches. But I've never watched a TV that's so bad that it's made me sick to my stomach. Sadly, the same can't be said for VR. When watching videos alone, I'd argue that VR is as good as a cheap TV. Now, admittedly, because I review them professionally I'm always going to enjoy the better contrast of a QD-OLED screen than the LCD of a Quest 3, but good luck finding a Samsung S95F for $500. But when it comes to sharing content with someone else in the same room as you, TVs can't be beat. Sure, you can Cast some of what you're doing in VR to a TV to share with someone (and one of my favorite VR games, Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes, uses that to its advantage). But it's hard to share videos without introducing latency issues. For that reason, if you're in the same room, it just makes more sense to share a screen rather than Casting something so one person can watch in VR while another watches on a screen. That said, if you have a friend who lives far away, VR can be a nice meeting place to come together and watch a movie. Apps like Bigscreen make that possible, though... again, it doesn't feel like enough people know about it and quality isn't always perfect. Look, as much as I enjoy watching and reviewing them, TVs aren't perfect. Setting them up is a huge pain, and like phones and tablets, the displays themselves don't always survive for more than five or six years. I'm not rooting for the death of TVs, mind you, but a change in form factor wouldn't hurt. LG's Transparent TV is a great example of what I'd like: It's a screen that fades into the background when you're not using it. AR stands a real chance at taking down TVs... but I don't know anyone willing to shell out $3,500 for the Apple Vision Pro. In its current form — at its current price point — VR isn't going to overtake TVs. There's still too many kinks. Now, AR stands a real chance at taking down TVs... but I don't know anyone willing to shell out $3,500 for the Apple Vision Pro. Until VR becomes more user-friendly or shoots down in price, TVs will continue to be the de facto screen on which we all watch shows and movies in 2025.
Scottish Sun
10-06-2025
- Lifestyle
- Scottish Sun
Shoppers rush to Aldi to pick up fizzy drink dupe that's £2 cheaper than Coca-Cola favourite & ‘it tastes better'
PLUS other food dupes you can get at Aldi CAN'T COKE WITH THIS Shoppers rush to Aldi to pick up fizzy drink dupe that's £2 cheaper than Coca-Cola favourite & 'it tastes better' Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) DIET Coke lovers are sharing their love for a comparable option in Aldi. Diet Coke is one of the UK's leading soft drink brands with ardent fans across the country, but now people are flocking to Aldi's cheaper dupe. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Aldi's Diet Coke dupe is a hit with shoppers Credit: Aldi 3 The Vive Diet Cola is said to taste just as good as the original Credit: Damien McFadden Part of Aldi's Vive range of soft drinks, the Diet Cola has been described as "spicier" in taste than the original brand. What's even better is that Aldi's Diet Cola is much cheaper, with a six-pack costing £1.60 or just 9p per can. That more than half the price less than an eight-pack at Sainsbury's which costs £5.20 or 18p per can. The cost of a 2-litre bottle of Aldi's Diet Cola is just 49p, at Sainsbury's the equivalent Diet Coke bottle will set you back £2.55. Fans of the Diet Coke dupe took to Reddit to share their thoughts on the product. "[It's] is a steal and tastes the same or better than the real Diet Coke. I love it," wrote one person. Another added: "I like the Aldi diet cola, better than diet coke." And a third commented: "I LOVE IT! Seriously it taste the best to me in comparison to all the other off brand diet sodas. Just has a bit more spice to it. I'm a big fan. It has caffeine but the amount isn't listed." The Diet Cola is not the only bargain dupe available at Aldi, with shoppers raving about their other products. Savvy shoppers have shared that Aldi has a great dupe of a Cadbury favourite. I found a 40-year-old unopened can of coke up a mountain while hiking - so I decided to crack it open and TASTE it Aldi's new Honeycomb Clusters are a dupe of Cadbury's popular Crunchie Clusters. Chocolate fans will need to visit their nearest Aldi to grab the new snacks, as the dupe isn't available online. It comes after Home Bargains revealed their dupe of an elegant Polish chocolate bar, which is 92 per cent cheaper than the original. When's the best time to shop at Aldi? WHEN it comes to shopping at Aldi, the best time to do so depends on what you want to buy. For reduced items - when shops open Red sticker items are rare at Aldi's 830 UK stores, but the supermarket says that none of its food goes to waste so there are some to be found - if you're quick. A spokesman for the supermarket said: "All items are reduced to 50 per cent of the recommend sales price before stores open on their best before or use by dates." That means you have the best chance of finding reduced food items if you go into stores as soon as it opens. Opening times vary by shop but a majority open from 7am or 8am. You can find your nearest store's times by using the supermarket's online shop finder tool. For Specialbuys - Thursdays and Sundays Specialbuys are Aldi's weekly collection of items that it doesn't normally sell, which can range from pizza ovens to power tools. New stock comes into stores every Thursday and Sunday, so naturally, these are the best days to visit for the best one-off special deals. For an even better chance of bagging the best items, head there for your local store's opening time. Remember: once they're gone, they're gone, so if there's something you really want, visit as early as possible Remember to compare prices It is important to always shop around as you might find a cheaper alternative. Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price. Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal. A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for too.
The Sun
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Shoppers rush to Aldi to pick up fizzy drink dupe that's £2 cheaper than Coca-Cola favourite & ‘it tastes better'
DIET Coke lovers are sharing their love for a comparable option in Aldi. Diet Coke is one of the UK's leading soft drink brands with ardent fans across the country, but now people are flocking to Aldi's cheaper dupe. 3 Part of Aldi's Vive range of soft drinks, the Diet Cola has been described as "spicier" in taste than the original brand. What's even better is that Aldi's Diet Cola is much cheaper, with a six-pack costing £1.60 or just 9p per can. That more than half the price less than an eight-pack at Sainsbury's which costs £5.20 or 18p per can. The cost of a 2-litre bottle of Aldi's Diet Cola is just 49p, at Sainsbury's the equivalent Diet Coke bottle will set you back £2.55. Fans of the Diet Coke dupe took to Reddit to share their thoughts on the product. "[It's] is a steal and tastes the same or better than the real Diet Coke. I love it," wrote one person. Another added: "I like the Aldi diet cola, better than diet coke." And a third commented: "I LOVE IT! Seriously it taste the best to me in comparison to all the other off brand diet sodas. Just has a bit more spice to it. I'm a big fan. It has caffeine but the amount isn't listed." The Diet Cola is not the only bargain dupe available at Aldi, with shoppers raving about their other products. Savvy shoppers have shared that Aldi has a great dupe of a Cadbury favourite. I found a 40-year-old unopened can of coke up a mountain while hiking - so I decided to crack it open and TASTE it Aldi's new Honeycomb Clusters are a dupe of Cadbury's popular Crunchie Clusters. Chocolate fans will need to visit their nearest Aldi to grab the new snacks, as the dupe isn't available online. It comes after Home Bargains revealed their dupe of an elegant Polish chocolate bar, which is 92 per cent cheaper than the original. When's the best time to shop at Aldi? WHEN it comes to shopping at Aldi, the best time to do so depends on what you want to buy. For reduced items - when shops open Red sticker items are rare at Aldi's 830 UK stores, but the supermarket says that none of its food goes to waste so there are some to be found - if you're quick. A spokesman for the supermarket said: "All items are reduced to 50 per cent of the recommend sales price before stores open on their best before or use by dates." That means you have the best chance of finding reduced food items if you go into stores as soon as it opens. Opening times vary by shop but a majority open from 7am or 8am. You can find your nearest store's times by using the supermarket's online shop finder tool. For Specialbuys - Thursdays and Sundays Specialbuys are Aldi's weekly collection of items that it doesn't normally sell, which can range from pizza ovens to power tools. New stock comes into stores every Thursday and Sunday, so naturally, these are the best days to visit for the best one-off special deals. For an even better chance of bagging the best items, head there for your local store's opening time. Remember: once they're gone, they're gone, so if there's something you really want, visit as early as possible Remember to compare prices It is important to always shop around as you might find a cheaper alternative. Websites like Trolley and Price Spy let you compare thousands of products across different retailers to find the best price. Price Spy even lets you see how much an item has cost over time, so you can see if the current price is a good deal. A quick scan on the Google Shopping/Product tab will also bring up how much retailers are selling a certain item for too.
Yahoo
22-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
This long-handled shoe horn can make your life 'so much easier' for just $10
If you have hip, knee or back pain, or you're recovering from surgery or an injury, then getting your shoes on is anything but simple. The Vive Long-Handled Shoe Horn makes putting on or taking off any shoe — sneaker, Croc, Oxford, you name it — easy while standing or sitting. At 24 inches high, the shoe horn works well for anyone who can't bend too far. It has a firm grip and is gently curved to slide into any size or style. This shoe horn means you don't have to wrestle with your Skechers or go toe-to-toe with your Hush Puppies. You can put on your shoes while standing up, which exerts less pressure on your muscles and joints — and lessens the chances of pulls and strains. And that can save you big bucks on medical costs. The large oval handle gives you a safe, secure hold. Each edge is gently rounded to ensure it doesn't snag on socks or stockings, or scuff your shoes. And as a handy extra, the handle means you can store this on a coat rack or storage hook for quick access. The durable plastic frame resists cracks and breaks, and the shoe horn can be separated into two pieces for traveling. The lives of over 9,000 five-star reviewers have been made easier thanks to the "best shoe horn," as dubbed by this fan. "It's exactly what I needed. I will soon have hip replacement surgery. To avoid extra bending and twisting immediately afterward, this shoe horn will aid me in getting shoes on. I have been practicing and find it easy to use. It is simple to assemble. It separates for traveling and is just the right height." As this shopper raved, "How could such a little thing, like a piece of plastic with a long handle make my life so much easier?" And this customer agreed: "I had knee replacement surgery last year and I am now going for a hip replacement on the same leg. With this shoe horn, I can now slide into my shoes alone. Extra benefit, I can get this horn inside of my socks and get them off too!" "It's lightweight and I'm very pleased with it," said this reviewer. "Only con might be that it's plastic and therefore less solid or strong. But it's strong enough, and if it were anything else it would lose its other benefits." "Better than what the hospital gave me," revealed this satisfied customer. "After my hip replacement, the hospital gave me a 'hip kit,' which included a shoe horn. It was longer than the regular ones but still not long enough to keep me from having to bend over too far. So I searched until I found this one. It was here very quickly after I ordered it and has repeatedly proven to be just what the occupational therapist ordered." Psst: If your shoes are feeling a little too tight, Amazon shoppers also love this FootMatters Shoe Stretch spray: If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.) The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
Zawya
04-03-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Wearable tech has far to go before challenging smartphones
Barcelona: Wearable gadgets like smart watches and glasses are growing more capable every year, but experts say smartphones will remain ubiquitous for the foreseeable future -- not least thanks to artificial intelligence features. A slew of wearable products and prototypes were on show at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Monday, even as smartphone makers and network operators played up AI integration as making handsets more useful. Such "new product ranges allow manufacturers to diversify the hopes until now placed in phones" said Cesar Corcoles, an IT and telecoms professor at the Open University of Catalonia. The trade show in Barcelona will see "prototypes and demonstrations of smart glasses that place a small, very limited screen in front of our eyes". Smart glasses have seemed on the horizon for more than a decade, with Google's Glass headset and camera released in 2013 -- although it has since been discontinued. Meta has encountered more success recently with its frames developed alongside Ray-Ban, offering features including a built-in camera, music playback and voice interactions with the company's AI. Yann LeCun, star AI researcher at the company which owns Facebook and Instagram, is often seen showing off the glasses at public appearances. Worldwide, the market for smart glasses appears to be surging in terms of unit sales, with a 210-percent year-on-year increase in 2024 according to specialist research firm Counterpoint -- far faster than the seven-percent growth in smartphone shipments calculated by analysts Canalys. 'Cool gimmick' for now But comparing the number of devices rather than growth rates, last year's roughly two million pairs of smart glasses barely register compared to the 1.2 billion smartphones sold. Counterpoint predicts the glasses market will grow further in the coming years as more producers -- from social media giants to smartphone makers -- look to claim a piece of the action. Other wearable categories may need longer to take off, with the recent shutdown of "AI Pin" maker Humane a sign some wearable tech is not yet mature. Designed to be worn at chest level like a brooch, the would-be smartphone replacement incorporating a camera and mini projector was designed to be used via AI-powered voice interactions but received poor reviews. Humane has now been sold to HP after the device failed to make the hoped-for impact. The "AI Pin" was "just not that useful yet", Canalys expert Jack Leathem said. Voice-controlled devices are "a cool gimmick, but humans have become very, very used to text-based interactions on touchscreens," he added -- habits it would take a powerful sales pitch to change. "The most challenging thing is getting people to change their behaviour," agreed Shen Ye of smartphone maker HTC's Vive wearables arm. "We still use a QWERTY keyboard because it's what we're used to... even though there are probably much better ways of typing," he added. AI on your phone Beyond consumer inertia, wearable tech is still up against engineering challenges stemming from its bid to squeeze smartphone-like functionality into a smaller package. "There are limits around the computing power currently and battery performance," Leathem said. "You can't make them that compact." That's one reason why smart watches able to make calls and send messages largely remain tethered to wearers' smartphones for now. "Every smart watch that comes out now is there to interact with a smartphone, not to replace it. It's an accessory," Leathem said. What's more, manufacturers are incentivised to get consumers buying a wider range of gadgets rather than simply swapping one for another. And even as wearables become more useful, AI is expected to pump more value into smartphones themselves. The latest offerings from Apple, Samsung or China's Xiaomi have bet on offering users integrated "AI assistant" features. "All the money is going into AI... their vision of the future is keeping the same smartphone form factor, but making it way more useful," Leathem said. Canalys predicts that the share of smartphones sold worldwide with AI features will leap from 16 percent at present to more than half by 2028. © Dar Al Sharq Press, Printing and Distribution. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
