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Avegant's wearable cinema gets more game-friendly features
Avegant's wearable cinema is getting a software update that makes it an even more tempting purchase, especially for gamers. The new firmware adds plug-and-play 3D support, enabling you to enjoy 3D content on the PlayStation 4. In addition, the gear now works with any PC game that's compatible with NVIDIA's 3D Vision, and all units now get head tracking, which you can activate by holding the bottom left button in video mode. As Polygon explains, it's this latter feature that has the most potential, since users can control their PC's mouse pointer with their head.
Avegant Glyph review: A wearable cinema for serious movie fans
The idea behind the Avegant Glyph is pretty simple. It's a $699 portable, wearable movie theater. And if you're thinking it looks more like a pair of Beats than a cinema screen, there's good reason: It moonlights as a pair of regular headphones, of course, though video viewing is why you'd want to buy one. Inside the headband are two eye holes, behind which is some clever micromirror projection technology that beams 720p video directly into your eyes. Wear the Glyph like a VR headset, and plug in an HDMI source and you're good to go. If all this sounds familiar, it's because the Glyph has been in development for a few years now. This right here, however, is the version that's about to ship. I've spent some time with my head in one, and it's pretty neat. And, yes, a little weird.
ICYMI: Theater headset, robot plumbing snake and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413{width:570px;display:block;}try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-124413").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A new visor headset that can be worn on the go yet replicate watching your favorite show in a movie theater is out for about $700. The only downside: Looking like you don't know how to wear headphones. MIT has a new microscope to show chemical processes in real-time video, on an atomic scale. Meanwhile your resident plumbing expert will want to know about the new laser-wielding robot snake from OC Robotics.
Avegant's Glyph video headset will start shipping next month
Nearly two years after Avegant first launched its Glyph video headset on Kickstarter in January 2014, and it's finally ready to go into mass production. Today, the company announced that it's about to start manufacturing the first batch of its VISOR lookalike, with an initial order of 10,000 devices to start shipping early next month. Avegant CEO Joerg Tewes tells me that over 3,000 units will be sent to Kickstarter backers first -- custom engraved Founder's Edition versions at that -- and the rest will go toward website pre-orders, with more to come. I had a chance to try out an almost-final version of the Glyph and it's clear that, at long last, it's ready for public consumption.
Ferrofluid 'font' produces trippy, one-of-a-kind art
You may have seen ferrofluid (aka magnetic ink) used for clever science demonstrations in school, but it might just get a much cooler application before long. Linden Gledhill and Craig Ward have developed Fe2O3 Glyphs, wild-looking characters created by putting a ferrofluid between glass plates and subjecting it to spinning magnetic fields. The result is a sort of anti-font -- while the "letters" look like they could be part of an alien language, they're so unique that you'd likely never produce the same effect twice.
Avegant's Glyph video headset will change how you see movies
Some products have a hard time ever getting to market. Some (seem to) come out of nowhere. Then there's the Avegant Glyph video headset. It initially launched on Kickstarter back in January 2014 (raising a cool $1.5-million). Along the way we've seen a ropey prototype. And then a less ropey one. And an even less ropey one. Today, we got to try out the nearest thing to the consumer product we're likely to see before it finally launches later this year.
We flew over the Nevada desert with Avegant's 'Jellyfish' video glasses
Avegant's video headsets are like buses. You wait all year for one, and then two suddenly turn up at once. That thing you see above might look a million miles away from the headphone-inspired Glyph, but it is in fact a very close relative. Codenamed "Jellyfish" the video headset/wearable display has a wider field of view than the Glyph (65 degrees compared to 45), which makes it better for things like simulators, VR and (as seen here) point-of-view drone flying. The Jellyfish is something of a side project right now; Avegant's priority remains the Glyph. But, the company told us that devices with a wider field of view are something on its developmental roadmap; just don't expect to see a consumer-ready product anytime soon.
Avegant's headphone-like wearable display arrives this fall
Avegant's Glyph headset has been long in the making, but it finally looks to be ready for action... well, almost. The unique mash-up of headphone and wearable display is now poised to ship in fall 2015 for $599, or $499 if you pre-order before January 15th. That's both a long time to wait and more expensive than you might have expected from the Kickstarter campaign, but that patience may just pay off. Avegant has unveiled the finished design for the Glyph (shown here), and it's much sleeker than earlier concepts and prototypes would suggest -- you'd be hard-pressed to tell that there are eyepieces tucked into the headband. We'll give the finished design a try as soon as we can, so watch this space if you're looking for a video headset that could liven up your commute.
Trion Worlds grows to over 12 million players
In an interview with Forbes, Trion Worlds CEO Scott Hartsman revealed that his studio's game portfolio and distribution has resulted in populations that number in the millions. "A year ago we were a company with two games," he said. "This year we are a company with three of our own MMOs, plus our first published MMO, plus 10 other distributed games [through the Glyph digital storefront]. So, we're seeing user numbers in the 12 to 13 million range." For most of the interview, however, Hartsman discussed the positioning of business models in a changing market. If you've ever wondered why MMOs keep launching with a subscription model in this F2P era, Hartsman has a notion: "There are two reasons why companies can't do it from the outset. Number one is that the larger the company, the more public, the more they have to aim for predictable revenue, and there's not a lot of information sharing on free-to-play on the PC and console markets. The other big challenge is the technology it takes to do sales effectively in a free-to-play game -– there's a lot more that goes on behind the scenes than a lot of people would think, where an initial purchase plus subscription model doesn't take nearly so complex a model to drive sales."
The Daily Grind: Are digital game platforms a convenience or an annoyance?
Everyone wants to be Steam, I guess. These days, it's all the trend for studios and publishers to tie their products down to a digital game platform for the "convenience" of offering news and game access in one place. Glyph and Arc are just two of the more recent high-profile programs taking a shot at Steam's dominant grip on the gaming community, and I suspect that more will come. So do you see digital game platforms as a convenience or an annoyance? I am of a divided opinion on the subject. Yes, it's nice to have multiple game launchers streamlined into one place, but that's convenient only if I'm playing more than one title. More often than not, it's an extra click or two plus an ongoing background program that I didn't really need in the first place. What say you? What say we all? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Snoop Dogg gives us a tour of his SXSW 'man cave'
What better way to wrap up SXSW 2014 than with a picnic with Snoop Dogg? We stepped inside Snoop's own mini-apartment, which he designed in partnership with Airbnb, to talk about his favorite gadgets. He's apparently a huge fan of the Avegant Glyph virtual-reality headset, though his temporary pad also includes essentials like a Samsung flat-screen and an Xbox One. One other must-have, which you won't see in our video tour: Snoop's special breakfast sandwich, with Texas toast, eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese and grape jelly. (It's surprisingly good!)
Trion Worlds introduces Glyph gaming platform
Trion Worlds is getting into the digital gaming platform business, as the studio announced today that it will be releasing its own "lightweight digital hub" called Glyph. Glyph was created to connect developers with audiences, and is purported to be friendly to use from both sides and DRM-free. The platform will take over the responsibility of being the launcher for Trion's titles, including RIFT, Defiance, and Trove (we'll believe ArcheAge when we see it). Trion says that the studio has already handled "more then 10 million gamers" in the past three years and that Glyph will be a great help to pair those players up with current and future titles. Glyph will also handle games from Trion's partners, as the studio has already begun signing on developers. It will launch shortly after GDC 2014. [Source: Trion Worlds press release]
Live from the Engadget CES Stage: Avegant
Avegant's Glyph headset is certainly one of the cooler wearables we've seen at a show jam-packed with them. The company's CEO Edward Tang and CTO Allan Evans will be joining us to discuss what sets their headset apart from the competition. January 10, 2014 5:30:00 PM EST
Avegant Glyph home theater headset isn't competing with Oculus Rift (hands-on)
We've spent gobs of time with variations of Oculus VR's Rift headset -- the original duct-tape prototype, the first dev kit and even an updated HD version. We've spoken to creator Palmer Luckey several times, and company reps have graced Engadget stages at both CES 2013 and last March's first-ever Expand event in San Francisco. Avegant's Glyph, however? We've only just begun. The home theater headset just got a name, and the first prototype looked an awful lot like what you'd see underneath a Terminator cyborg's smooth visage. As Oculus did before, the scrappy eight-person team at Avegant is taking its impressive proof-of-concept to Kickstarter in hopes of funding a beta unit: $500 is the base level for a Glyph, and the project is set to go live on January 22nd. And this sentence -- right here! -- is where we're gonna stop speaking about the Glyph as if it's competing with the Oculus Rift. As Avegant's CEO Ed Tang told us late last week: "We're not trying to compete with Oculus."
Avegant tests Glyph wearable display prototype, on track for CES debut
We weren't expecting to see the final Glyph prototype materialize until just before CES, but Avegant is ready to show off the latest consumer design in the flesh, presented above (and again after the break) for your viewing pleasure. The high-res retinal display projects an image directly into your eyes, enabling a much sharper picture than what you'd experience by looking at a traditional panel. According to Avegant reps, this alpha prototype currently undergoing testing has smaller optics and improved adjustments compared to the demo unit we tried out in October, and it's far more attractive, to boot. The company plans to launch a Kickstarter campaign on January 22nd, with a beta version of Glyph shipping to pre-order customers for $499 by the end of 2014.
Glyph is a high-res wearable display headed to Kickstarter for $499
We were sold on Avegant's retinal head-mounted display even when it looked like this, but the company's latest reveal has us throwing balls of cash at the screen. The consumer version will be branded as Glyph, and it's set to debut January 22nd on Kickstarter with a pre-order price of $499. Avegant had its previous-gen prototype on hand last month at Engadget Expand, and the refreshed version (pictured above) will be on display at CES -- it looks quite nice in the render, but this is a product you'll really need to see to believe. The device will sport integrated noise-canceling headphones with a flip-down display, enabling the unit to double as a standard set of cans when you're not in the mood to consume super-sharp video content projected from the built-in virtual retinal display. We spent a few minutes with the final headphone design this week, and audio sounded great, but you'll have to hang tight until CES for a full hands-on with the refreshed version. For now, click through for our hands-on demo with the previous prototype, narrated by Avegant CEO Ed Tang.
What are glyphs, how can I get them, and why do I want them?
When I came back to World of Warcraft during Mists of Pandaria after a lengthy WoW break, a lot of things had changed. But the biggest mental shift, on my part, was taking in the way the former talent trees had turned into a system of specializations, talents, and glyphs. While the first two were simple enough -- you only have three (or four) specializations and a choice of three talents at each tier -- glyphs presented a dizzying array of options to modify my gameplay. And while the in-game UI nagged me about initially picking a specialization or selecting a talent when I had the option, the fact that it didn't nag me about glyphs meant I could very easily ignore them while happily leveling -- and I suspect plenty of players, new and returning, have been in the same boat. So today we're going to talk glyphs: just what they are, what they can do for you, and whether you even need to bother them while you're leveling. Oh, let's just skip to the end, shall we? The answer to whether you need them is only if you want to bother with them. For all the details, read on!
I just play the game
It's human to get upset about things. And sometimes, it's human to get upset about the most trivial things, because they're the safest things to get upset about. I often view World of Warcraft through this lens. Indeed, I view it through a great many lenses, because it's impossible to not apply my life and my experiences to everything I encounter in this world from events of great personal significance or global importance down to the video games I play. And it would be fair to say that World of Warcraft has more than a passing importance in my life, considering where you're reading this. The recent change on the patch 5.4 PTR changing the Glyph of the Weaponmaster was, in real terms, completely insignificant. A cosmetic glyph in the first place, the idea that it worked with legendaries was nice, but hardly significant. I mean, I play the game now and I can't use my legendaries, so what changes? Realistically, nothing changes. And yet, I wasn't merely disappointed by the change. I was outright enraged by it, far more so than I have been by direct nerfs to my class of choice. Part of it is due to attachment -- we invest time and effort into these avatars of ourselves, after all. But in the end, much of my anger was rooted in the fact that this was something small (in relative terms, since all of WoW can be considered small compared to many of the shocks and calamities of our actual lives) and harmless, that gave our characters nothing in terms of power or ability, that imbalanced absolutely nothing in terms of gameplay, and yet it was still taken from us. Sometimes, the smallest cuts hurt more entirely because they are small.
Patch 5.4 PTR: Timeless Transmog and Cosmetic Glyph Video
Perculia of Wowhead has been extremely busy digging up cosmetic glyphs and transmogrification sets. You can see several of the cosmetic glyphs in action in the video above, as well as on the original Wowhead post, and we are very impressed with several of them, particularly the Shaman Rain of Frogs and Glyph of Compy! We can imagine people Hexing a mob three or four times in an attempt to get the pink compy instead of the red one, or vice versa. The new item level 496 sets look great, too, and would be just as great for alts as they would for a main's shiny new set. They are obtained both via rare drops and from collecting up the Timeless Coins and purchasing them from vendors, and it's also possible to get direct drops from both rares and chests. What's your preferred set? Personally, I honestly think the cloth set is one of the first ones I've actually liked from this expansion. Only the highlighted sets are specific to the Timeless Isle, the others are all looks we're used to from sources like Mogushan Vaults or Valor Points.
Blood Pact: Dark Soul, glyphs, and more PTR fun
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Blood Pact for affliction, demonology, and destruction warlocks. This week, Megan O'Neill attempts many experiments both on live and PTR realms. Last week, I had this whole thing planned to talk about the Thunderstruck scenario of damage with the olde Glyphe of Lyfe Tapp style Archimonde's Vengeance. But literally before the deadline, the PTR builds finally caught up with the PTR patch notes and Archimonde's Vengeance was completely replaced by the new Archimonde's Darkness. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like I could spend at least 1000 words on a double cooldown; today, I can't even break 150. But before we get seriously into settled number-tweaking things like the datamined loot, let's talk about some other changes on the PTR.
