Month: January 2017

Enlarge / The TPCast accessory promises a full-on HTC Vive experience without the annoying PC tether.

As much as we love the version of the HTC Vive that launched nearly a year ago, there are some issues with the hardware that we've wanted to see addressed since then. At CES this week, HTC and its partners are unveiling some potential solutions that could tangibly increase the quality of the virtual life of Vive owners.

Of these new accessories, the TPCast peripheral, has the biggest potential to transform the Vive experience, as it removes the bulky tether to the PC. The TPCast device itself clips to the top of the Vive headband and receives video and audio wirelessly from a PC, reportedly at the cost of only 2 milliseconds of additional latency. The kit isn't completely wireless, though; without a connection to a wall plug, the headset has to be connected to a small 6,000 mAh battery that can sit in a pocket and reportedly provide enough juice for a 1.5 hour play session (a five-hour XL battery is reportedly in the works, too).

While TPCast was quietly announced in China back in November (where it quickly sold out), at CES its HTC-backed makers confirmed a worldwide release for the second quarter of 2017. Be ready to add $250 on top of Vive's already pricey hardware to cut those wires, though.

Enlarge / HDMI... porn? (credit: HDMI Forum)

Have you already been through HDMI headaches thanks to differing spec standards? Confused by the differences between HDMI 1.4, HDMI 2.0, and HDMI 2.0a/b? Then get ready for more—but in the case of the upcoming HDMI 2.1 spec, the headaches might actually be worth it.

The new spec, announced Wednesday during this year's Consumer Electronics Show, is a beast. HDMI 2.1 is going to unlock the kind of throughput and features that should feed delicious content to higher-res, faster-refresh screens for years to come. Let's dive in to what to expect and when to expect it.

Pixels and refresh rates

This photo is actually from the HDMI Forum's announcement of HDMI 2.1. They cannot wait to blow the minds of stock-photo gamers. (credit: HDMI Forum)

The first upgrade: more pixels. HDMI 2.1-compatible displays will be able to receive a resolution as high as "10K" from a compatible source device and cable. However, the HDMI Forum has yet to spell out what it means by "10K." That K-factor could mean a 16:9 multiple in line with the UHD versions of 4K (3840×2160) and 8K (7680×4320). However, since the spec sheet also lists "5K," the HDMI Forum may be referring to a wider version of an 8K resolution display, at 10240×4320, which some screen makers have opted for. (Thus, 5K would also be a wider take on 4K, with the exact same boost in width ratio.)

Video shot/edited by Jennifer Hahn. (video link)

LAS VEGAS—Laptops and convertibles aren't the only categories getting love from PC makers at CES 2017. Dell debuted a monster all-in-one device called the Dell XPS 27 that aims to suit the needs of an entire family. At a glance, the XPS 27 is similar to Apple's 27-inch iMac, but Dell squeezed a 4K display into it, as well as ten speakers and an adjustable base on the touchscreen model. That means the touchscreen version can lay flat.

Let's start with the display: both of the two display options for the XPS 27 are 4K IPS with a 170-degree viewing angle. While HP may have Dell beat with the slim design of its recently announced Envy Curve all-in-one PC, Dell is fighting back with versatility. The touchscreen version of the XPS 27 has an articulating stand that allows it to tilt and move to a horizontal position (the non-touchscreen version can only tilt to change the viewing angle).

Razer

Razer is best known for its lineup of sleek gaming laptops, but the company also makes headlines for its oddball experiments. Following in the footsteps of the Razer Switchblade, the Razer Edge, and the modular Project Christine desktop, this year the company is showing off "Project Valerie," a 17.3-inch concept laptop that takes a Razer Blade and puts three 4K monitors in it.

The three 4K displays are compatible with Nvidia's G-sync tech and are driven by an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU. As good as that graphics chip is, especially for a mobile product, it should be noted that a single mobile GPU isn't enough to drive most games at 4K on a single screen, let alone three of them. But for games where a super-wide aspect ratio is more important than cranking up the settings to Ultra, it could be an interesting alternative to a hulking desk-bound gaming PC and multi-monitor setup.

(credit: Esther Vargas)

Four teens were being held Thursday in Chicago in connection with a Facebook Live stream that showed them beating and cutting the scalp of an 18-year-old man with cognitive disabilities police said.

Police said the video, posted Tuesday, was viewed more than 62,000 times and has since been removed. "Smack him again. Smack him again," one of the perpetrators is overheard saying on the video.

Chicago Police Supt. Eddie Johnson told local media that the crime was a "brutal act" perpetrated on an 18-year-old man with "mental health challenges." The victim, who is seen on the video with his mouth taped and cowering in a corner of a room, was taken to a local hospital and was recovering, police said. They said they found the victim wandering the streets of Chicago on Tuesday and uncovered the video during their investigation.

Enlarge / A concept render of Intel's Compute Card. (credit: Intel)

Intel mostly missed the boat on smartphones, but the company is trying to establish a firm foothold in the ever-broadening marketplace for connected appliances and other smart things. Intel's latest effort in this arena is its new "Compute Card," a small 94.5mm by 55mm by 5mm slab that includes a CPU and GPU, RAM, storage, and wireless connectivity.

The thinking with the Compute Card is to separate the smarts of various computers and appliances—all-in-ones, smart TVs, fridges, digital kiosks or signage screens, commercial equipment—from the rest of the hardware. You might want to keep a TV around for the better part of a decade, but the processing hardware inside it could start to feel slow three or four years in. With the Compute Card, one could simply eject the old card and slide in a new one instead of replacing the whole thing.

Intel hasn't given us specific information about the specs and speeds of its first Compute Cards, but you can expect the fastest ones to approach the performance of high-end fanless laptops like Apple's MacBooks. Intel told us that processors with a TDP of up to 6W could fit inside the Compute Cards, which covers both low-power Atom chips like those that powered early versions of Intel's Compute Stick to full Core M and Y-series Core i5 and i7 CPUs like the ones you find in laptops.