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The new $350 Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is now shipping
We were expecting to see the new iteration of the Oculus Rift arrive on developer's doorsteps earlier this month, but unfortunately it hit a couple of delays. Road to VR points out a Reddit thread where pre-orderers confirmed their credit cards have been charged ahead of shipping. Community manager cyberreality confirmed in the thread that it's happening, and the "DK2" hardware we (and Mark Zuckerberg) were so impressed by is ready to roll. The initial production run is only supposed to cover some 10,000 of the 45,000 units ordered, so for some your wait is just beginning (until next month). In the meantime, you can check out our hands-on video of the latest and greatest in virtual reality after the break (or the new X-Men related Comic-Con demo) -- hopefully Sony's Project Morpheus team responds to this as quickly as they did on Blu-ray 3D.
Amazon now offers two-day Prime shipping within Europe
Amazon believes its European distribution network is pretty damn solid, so to prove that, it's added a new delivery tier for Prime members within Europe. From today, subscribers can enjoy free two-day deliveries on over a million products stored in other EU countries. Previously, Amazon would make you wait between 3-7 days, but thanks to a number of "improvements and innovations in its cross border delivery network," the company reckons it can offer expedited shipping on more than 3 million products by year end. Although most will continue to rely on domestic next-day deliveries (when available), Amazon's expansion will be welcome news to those who can only get what they need from sellers in other countries.
Oculus starts shipping latest Rift VR headset prototype this month
Were you one of the over 45,000 to pre-order the latest prototype VR headset from Oculus? Well, if so you could be seeing the $350 Rift Dev Kit 2 rather soon. The company recently announced that the first round of new hardware has left the production facility and should be hitting your doorstep the week of July 14th this year. The thing is, this initial run will only cover some 10,000 orders and there's a "high chance" that the remaining 35,000+ units won't ship until August. However, Luckey and co. promise that they're working to ramp up production for the remaining orders -- something that influx of Facebook cash likely makes easier. As TechCrunch points out, Oculus had 12,500 pre-orders within the first 36 hours of the DK2 going up for sale. Meaning, that unless you were an incredibly early bird, it'll be a bit longer before you can zoom around EVE: Valkyrie in your own living room, sans pants.
Amazon's same-day delivery service adds two cities, but loses one
Amazon's same-day delivery option has been a boon to impatient shoppers in those few areas where it's available, and it's significantly expanding its reach today -- with one notable exception. The speedy shipping is now available in Dallas and San Francisco, letting locals get some of their orders on a given day by 9PM that night. If you're not an early riser, you'll also be happy to know that cutoff times for same-day ordering are getting later. Those in Dallas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Francisco and Seattle can purchase as late as 12:15PM and still expect a package by the evening. Indianapolis residents, meanwhile, can check out by 11:30AM instead of the previous (and not very realistic) 7AM.
Amazon is setting up a US delivery network to ship your orders faster
Amazon isn't waiting for the advent of courier drones to ship your orders faster than usual: the Wall Street Journal reports that the e-commerce giant has been testing its own US delivery network in New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Described in job listings as Last Mile, the initiative is meant to outperform established shippers like FedEx and UPS. These companies are increasing costs, can't always meet capacity and are "impeding innovation in delivery services," Amazon says in one job description.
Virtuix Omni virtual reality treadmill ships in July for early adopters
Virtuix's Omni treadmill, a virtual reality platform that allows users to run and walk in any direction in games using their real-life legs, will begin shipping in July for those that already pre-ordered one. The $500 package includes the treadmill unit, a pair of shoes, a support harness, mini-game and tracking software and hardware. The cost doesn't include shipping, but it does come with a one-year warranty. Those that decide to pre-order a unit now will receive it in September, according to Eurogamer. Virtuix began taking pre-orders for the omnidirectional treadmill in August 2013 following a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that ended in July. The VR hardware developer raised $1.1 million on the crowdfunding platform, and pushed well past its $150,000 goal in its first day. We've seen videos of early demos of the Omni in action, including one accompanied by the Oculus Rift and Team Fortress 2. [Image: Virtuix]
Newegg's $50 Premier is like Amazon Prime, but without the video streaming
While Amazon's debating whether or not it should hike Prime subscription fees in the US, now its decision may have to take into consideration a potential competitor. This morning, Newegg introduced Premier, a $50 shipping service that aims to cope with the likes of Amazon Prime. For that yearly fee, Newegg promises to get stuff to your doorstep in three days or less, as well as a number of other benefits including no restocking fees, free returns and dedicated customer service. You will, however, miss out on the Instant Video streaming offered through Prime, but this also means you'll end up saving $29 per year -- which is something that could make sense to folks who are already subscribed to Netflix. Or, there's always Newegg's free option, Super Eggsaver; just be prepared to wait a lot longer for your online purchases to arrive.
Amazon is thinking about shipping you packages you haven't ordered yet
Looking forward to buying the next season of Game of Thrones on Blu-ray? Amazon may already be preparing to send it to you. The retail giant is working on an idea it calls "anticipatory shipping" as a way to reduce package transit times. It's everything the name implies -- according to a December patent, the system will send items out before they are ordered. That doesn't mean you'll start receiving unannounced packages from Seattle, however: the patent's examples illustrate a speculative shipment system that deploys goods to specific geographical areas. If a customer in that area places an order that matches a nearby package, it would then be redirected to its final destination. Sure, our next box-set might not land with the fanfare of a drone delivery, but anything that gets us our R.R. Martin fix sooner is certainly a good thing.
Mac Pro back on sale in Europe following previous ban
EU bureaucrats famously revoked their ban on ugly fruit, but they never showed such leniency to Apple. The older Mac Pro breached rules requiring extra shielding on fans and electrical ports and as a result it hasn't been seen on European store shelves since last March. Fortunately, however, the new 2013 Mac Pro passes muster, and some customers in France are seeing shipping estimates as early as mid-January -- although most folks who order their canister of computing today should expect to receive it sometime in February.
Goji Smart Lock gives you remote access to your front door starting in March (updated with video)
We haven't seen the smart lock since June, and in that time Goji's been getting busy. It's added three new features to the "electronic deadbolt": a proximity sensor, accelerometer and Zigbee, which allows you to manage your front- or back-door access while you're away from home. As a refresher, Goji allows you to send out an unlimited number of virtual keys restricted by time and date, giving the holders wireless access to your home via Bluetooth or WiFi. Should a knocker come twist your knob, the 1-megapixel camera will snap their portrait and alert you to their presence, allowing you final say in who gets to come in. The Android- and iOS-compatible security system is still available for pre-order online for $278 and will ship in March. It will also be available from Staples and other retail outlets soon for $299.
All Intel microprocessors shipped in 2014 will be conflict-mineral-free
Intel has announced that its entire 2014 line of microprocessors will be conflict-mineral free (tin, tantalum and tungsten), in its CES keynote address. Previously, the company joined the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition and its Conflict-Free Smelter group in an effort to separate itself from the blood-for-materials market. This looks like the logical next step in those efforts. If you're at the show and want to learn more, the outfit is holding a discussion panel at its booth on Wednesday.
UPS and FedEx buckle under holiday load, leaving retailers and families in the lurch
Didn't get your Christmas presents in time? You're far from alone. Seems that both FedEx and UPS greatly underestimated the number of packages that would be passing through their systems this holiday season. More consumers are doing their gift shopping from the comfort and safety of their computers, bombarding our already stretched parcel services -- it's not surprising that something had to give. According to a spokesperson, FedEx handled roughly 275 million packages between Thanksgiving and December 22nd, while the US Postal Service said it saw a 19 percent increase in volume over last year (UPS declined to say exactly how much its expectations were exceeded). While these companies insist that the vast majority of packages were delivered by their promised December 24th deadline, a small portion did not make it in time to be placed under the tree on Christmas morning. Both the delivery companies and retailers are working to repair the damage, but the writing may be on the wall for 2014. The deadline for Christmas orders will undoubtedly be earlier next year, but the more immediate problem will be making things right with consumers this year.
Motorola gets snowed in, delays Moto G shipments due to winter storm
Winter storm Dion has been wreaking icy havoc across the US for a few days, but now it's hitting technophiles where it hurts: phone shipments. Customers who pre-ordered the Moto G have been receiving emails from Motorola, explaining that bad weather has stalled operations at the company's Fort Worth facility. Long story short, Moto G deliveries are going to be to be delayed, and there's no firm date on when the devices will ship out. The email posted on Android Central does mention a December 17th shipping date, but the website reports that it varies from person to person. Whatever date they get, buyers will receive their orders the next day, thanks to Motorola spreading goodwill (and softening the blow) by shipping out all units overnight for free. [Thanks, Dom]
Weekly Roundup: Amazon Prime Air drones, LG G Flex review, hands-on with the YotaPhone and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
IK Multimedia ships iLoud wireless Bluetooth speaker for musicians with $300 price tag
We first got our mitts on IK Multimedia's iLoud wireless speaker (above left) back at NAMM in January and now you can do that same. If you're in need of a refresher, the Bluetooth unit houses a 1/4-inch input with the outfit's iRig circuitry, power and gain controls, an aux input and front-mounted volume knob inside a black soft-touch shell. You'll have to dish out $300 to score the 40W of sound and, unfortunately, there's no mention of when we'll see the smaller less expensive iLoud mini (above right) that should ring up for $200 when it arrives.
PlayStation 3 up to 80 million consoles shipped worldwide
The PlayStation 3 passed the threshold of 80 million units shipped on November 2, just ahead of its successor's launch next week. Given the figure was 70 million this time last year, Sony shipped around 10 million PS3 consoles across the prior 12 months. To compare the PS3 with its rivals, the Xbox 360 just beat it to the 80 mill mark back in September. Of course, both consoles still sit way behind Nintendo's Wii, which reached the nine figures of 100 million in June. Another item of note from Sony's announcement is staggering, although it's difficult to quantify exactly. According to the company, the number of "software titles" released for the PS3 is 4,332 as of the end of September 2013 - that's excluding downloadable games. We'd have to think there's a fair few different versions of games in there, but it's still a huge number, even if the console is coming up to its 7th birthday. To the people who've played all 4,332 games, we salute you, you crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy, crazy people.
Flameseeker Chronicles: Cultivating positive growth in Guild Wars 2
Guild Wars 2's Tower of Nightmares release has been with us for the past week, transforming formerly beautiful (if centaur-populated) Kessex Hills into a toxic wasteland. The source of the devastation is a massive, thistle-topped structure in Viathan Lake, which was built and defended by the Krait and Nightmare Court. A whole lot of mystery is tied up in that thing, from Krait religion to Nightmare ambitions to the involvement of Scarlet Briar, but Marjory Delaqua and her partner Kasmeer Meade are on the case. The Pact has also gotten involved by aiding with research and demolishing the tower plant's offshoots, which are spreading on the wind like dandelions, only I wouldn't recommend adding them to salads, and they're not fluffy. The ArenaNet team responsible for this release has made some praiseworthy improvements over previous releases, which supports the idea that GW2's living world is still a work in progress with lots of room to grow. Combined with some interesting developer responses from the collaborative development initiative, I think it paints a promising picture of where the story is going in the upcoming months.
eBay introduces celebrity-curated collections, expands same-day delivery
Starting today, eBay is introducing a new feature designed to streamline your shopping experience: curated collections. Basically, curators handpick products from eBay's database and arrange them into collections; as part of the initial push, the company is including a few relatively big names among its list of "expert curators" like Solange Knowles, Pharrell Williams and Kelly Oxford, with the best of the best featured on the new eBay Today page. You'll also be able to customize your profile by following your favorite collections, users and interests. Additionally, eBay announced in-store pickup for select retailers (only Toys R Us and Best Buy to start) and the expansion of its same-day delivery service, eBay Now, to 25 markets by the end of 2014, including Chicago, Dallas and London. And if you're as busy as a bee, you'll be happy to know that scheduled delivery is coming at some point in the near future. For more info, check out the press release after the break.
Monster Hunter 4 ships 3 million in a month
More than three million shipments a month after it was released shows Japan is very much in love with Monster Hunter 4. The monster figure includes all download sales of the 3DS game, which was released in the country on September 14. To top it off, the series' total sales are now more than a whopping 26 million. You only have to wander around Tokyo with a 3DS to realize how doolally Japan is for Capcom's action-RPG. 53 of the 158 people that I StreetPass-ed during our Tokyo Game Show trip were playing Monster Hunter 4 (yup, I just counted it), and that was the week after it came out. A fair proportion of the rest were clinging on to MH3 Ultimate.
Mad Catz M.O.J.O. Android console will stream PC games to your TV
When Mad Catz made pre-orders for its M.O.J.O. Android gaming console live, it did so with a curious bit about support for PC streaming. But any mention was quickly removed from the site and, when contacted for comment, the company remained silent. Now, however, Mad Catz has confirmed to Engadget that, yes, the M.O.J.O. will allow users to stream PC games to their TVs and the ability will be enabled via a software update "available shortly after launch." We've also received final specs for the micro-console which you can find after the break, although it all falls in line with what's been reported previously, so don't expect any new revelations. Does the addition of PC streaming -- a feature included in NVIDIA's Shield and planned for Valve's planned Steam Machines -- make the $250 M.O.J.O. a more attractive holiday purchase? Feel free to sound off in the comments below.
