Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR)

The Nvidia GTX 1070-equipped Alienware 15 R3 is currently on sale at Best Buy for USD $1450, or $350 less than its retail price.

The new UFS 2.1 storage memory chips integrate Toshiba's 64-layer BICS 3D TLC NAND technology, and will target mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets and standalone VR headsets. Providing sequential read speeds of up to 900 MB/s, sequential write speeds of up to 180 MB/s and improved random read/write performance for the 64 GB memory chip, Toshiba promises even better specs for the higher capacity versions.

The new Kryo cores should include four ARM Cortex-A75 processors and four efficient Cortex-A53 cores, along with the Adreno 630 GPU. The Snapdragon 845 is also expected to support quad 25 MP cameras (2 front + 2 rear) and the X20 modem with 1.2 Gbps downlink speeds.

Other new features include enhanced audio return channel, variable refresh rate, quick media switching, quick frame transport, auto low latency mode, and display stream compression (DSC). The 2.1 standard actually allows 8K@120Hz and 10K@120Hz, but only through DSC. A new "Ultra High Speed HDMI" cable with 48 Gbps throughput will also be required.

HoloTouch claims Microsoft's HoloLens is infringing on two of its patents involving a touch-less way of controlling devices, and a design that optimizes the power consumption, size and weight of a holographic head-mounted device.

DJI is getting serious about drone racing. The latest version of its Goggles is targeted at the burgeoning drone racing market and offers a number of feature upgrades over its standard model.

Apple is rumored to be developing its own Augmented Reality (AR) headset independent of its existing mobile offerings, running custom parts and software. The company is said to be targeting a late-2019 to early-2020 launch for the headset.

Apple has acquired mixed reality headset startup Vrvana for a reported US$30 million. With its own headset rumored for 2018, it is likely that we will see Vrvana's unique technology rolled into Apple's own product.

The upcoming iteration of the Dell XPS 15 will finally have full speed 4-lane Thunderbolt 3 along with possibly a 5K display option according to Dell's VP Gaming and XPS, Frank Azor, who also confirms that Dell is waiting for Intel to ship its 8th generation H-series processors.

Apple will be reportedly using the A11X Bionic CPU in the next generation iPads, which is an octa-core CPU based off TSMCs 7nm fabrication process.

HTC and Logitech have partnered to create a tactile keyboard experience for SteamVR. The system is compatible with the HTC Vive VR headset and is currently rolling out to interested developers.

It's the holiday season, which means Black Friday deals are coming. Dell is kicking things off with some enticing deals on XPS and Alienware notebooks and desktops. The sale is on now until 8 AM EST on November 3.

The Mali-D71 display processor introduces the new CoreLink MMU-600 and Assertiev Display 5 units that enable the HDR10 color space and VR features at 4K resolutions / 120 fps. These chips should be launched with early 2019 smartphones.

The 360 Round is the first camera that features genuine 3D VR recording capabilities. It comes with 17 lenses and it can record and stream in 4K. The included proprietary Samsung software makes it easy to edit the footage and preview it on a Samsung Gear headset.

The previously announced Dell Visor headset for Windows augmented reality is now shipping with global availability. Dell's design gives a sleek and modern headset, and a pair of controllers that look like a mix of those for the Vive and Rift.

Microsoft's new Surface Book 2 13.5-inch ticks all the right boxes for a capable prosumer laptop while still retaining the platform's unique features. The new notebook is now available in completely fanless variants and features the latest 8th generation Intel CPUs and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 graphics.

Oculus revealed their new standalone Oculus Go VR headset during the keynote for the first day of the fourth Occulus Connect conference. The Oculus Go is a VR headset and controller which doesn't need an external device to process video.

Just as rumored at the end of September, the Samsung HMD Odyssey is a Windows-based mixed reality headset that features AKG audio in a sleek and compact design. This accessory can be pre-ordered for US$499 and is scheduled to arrive in early November.

Samsung's Windows-based mixed reality headset has surfaced ahead of its official unveiling next week. The device features audio powered by AKG in what looks to be a sleek and compact design.

Apple has released the latest version of macOS to its users. Dubbed macOS High Sierra, the new version brings the most significant system changes in decades in some instances.

The Kickstarter campaign initiated by Pimax raised the US$200,000 funding goal in less then 2 hours, so the company is now expected to ship the first models in February 2018. The 8K headset comes with dual 4K displays and can be pre-ordered for US$449, while the 5K version integrates dual 2560x1440 displays and costs US$349.

Qualcomm's CEO recently unveiled that the first 5G smartphones for the masses will hit the market in 2019, about one year earlier than previously expected.

The new GS63VR/73VR Stealth Pro VR-ready gaming laptops are powered by the latest Intel gen 7 Core i7 CPUs and the GTX 1070 8 GB GDDR5 (Max-Q) GPU. MSI claims these are the slimmest and lightest VR-ready gaming laptops out there, with the 17.3-inch model weighing 5.3 lbs, and the 15.6-inch one weighing 3.96 lbs.

The new 4.7-inch iPhone 8 and the 5.5-inch iPhone 8 Plus come with a new processor, upgrades to the camera system, augmented reality features, louder speakers, wireless charging, and a new glass and aluminum build.

After initially claiming that the Google Pixel 2 smartphone will be the first with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 836, Evan Blass now suggests that it will miss out on the unannounced chipset.

Gamers worldwide spent at least 1.5 billion Euros in the last 6 months on new PC gaming gear. The success of eSports and growing push for mixed reality and VR headsets are expected to generate even higher numbers for the rest of 2017.

At its IFA 2017 keynote in Berlin, Microsoft announced that the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will start officially rolling out starting October 17. Microsoft's partners will also start shipping affordable Windows Mixed Reality headsets alongside the new OS update.

Apple has sent invitations for its iPhone 8 launch event, which will be held for the first time in the Steve Jobs Theater inside Apple's 'spaceship' campus.

The LG V30 has been made official at IFA. The 6-inch smartphone features a curved P-OLED display, a rear camera with a large F1.6 aperture and high-end audio features.

Asus claims that its new ROG Chimera gaming notebook is the first in the world to feature a display with a 144Hz refresh rate. Also notable is its in-built support for Microsoft's Xbox One wireless controllers.

Google has announced the availability of an early preview of the ARCore API for developers to create AR experiences for qualified Android devices. The initial preview is restricted to the Pixel phones and variants of the Samsung Galaxy S8.

The 16 nm VPU consumes only 1.5 W and enables learning algorithms to train themselves in order to identify images and words or analyze video feeds. The Myriad X chip brings these capabilities to devices like drones, cameras, robots and VR / AR headsets.

The PS VR bundle will see a significant price cut beginning September 1 bringing the cost of owning a PS VR bundle and the PS4 to just US$700, making this the cheapest VR implementation one can get.

Dell has decided to get into the VR headset market with its own Visor VR. The new headset has been competitively priced and appears to bring a more refined design than the competition.

Apple has scheduled a product announcement event on September 12 and all expectations are that this could very well be the event that the Cupertino giant would announce the new iPhones and the Watch Series 3 to the world.

If you recently purchased a Gear VR headset and were hoping it would work with the Note 8, you're fresh out of luck. The upcoming handset is too large to fit inside, but Samsung is launching a new version that will accommodate it and previous Samsung devices.

HTC matches the US$200 price cut Oculus gave its Rift VR headset, slashing the price of its Vive VR headset to US$599.

Sony has hired a research company to investigate the PS VR users about their user experience. The questions in the survey are quite revealing in terms of the concerns that customers may have expressed about the PS VR user experience. It also gives a few clues as to what features and enhancements Sony may be planning on making for any potential PS VR 2.0.

Intel has announced that it will be retiring the Atom x5-Z8100P, the CPU used in the Microsoft HoloLens, by end of October this year. With Microsoft likely being the only customer using this SoC, it could have very well been the EOL initiator for these CPUs.

Users of Firefox 55 will now be able to interact with online VR content thanks to WebVR support coming to the stable release. Mozilla has also introduced a new screenshot tool which simplifies the sharing process by providing one-click uploading and automatically copying the link to your clipboard.

While Verizon began selling a carrier-exclusive version of the ZenFone AR yesterday, Amazon has now posted an unlocked variant with two options, one of which is $50 cheaper than Verizon's. The unlocked ZenFone AR is only compatible with GSM networks.

Verizon Wireless customers can get the world's first handset with support for both Google Daydream VR and Tango AR for US$648, but there is also the choice to go with 24 monthly payments of US$27 each.

The Acer and HP Windows Mixed Reality Headsets are now listed on the Microsoft Store for US$299 and US$329 respectively. The requirements listed are much higher than what was originally promised, but since these are targeted at developers, those might only be the specifications for development.