Samsung's Nightmare Continues With A Galaxy S7 Edge Explosion In The US

Samsung's nightmare seems far from over following the exploding Galaxy Note7 fiasco, after it was reported that a Galaxy S7 Edge has exploded in the US while it was on charging.PhoneArena reported that one of the customers living in the US found his Galaxy S7 edge burnt while he kept it for charging overnight. He was even using the charger supplied by the company with the smartphone.

The unlucky customer had gotten the smartphone two weeks back after replacing his Galaxy Note7 for the second time.This is not the first time when a Galaxy S7 explosion is being reported. Last month a man from Ohio reportedly sued Samsung for third-degree burns he received when his unit caught fire while it was in his pockets. Another unit exploded at midnight while it was charging with the Samsung-supplied charger.Last month, Samsung even sent messages to the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge owners that their smartphones are safe and they don't have to worry. On the other hand, there have been a couple of reports of Apple's new iPhone 7 exploding as well.

This wireless controller fixes the NES Classic’s biggest flaw

The NES Classic is coming out next week, and the early impressions of the diminutively packed collection of Nintendo history are extremely positive. But — as my colleague Andrew Webster noted in his initial hands-on — there’s one problem with the NES Classic. Along with the original NES-inspired design, the blocky retro controllers also have a 1980’s-era wired connection that, when used with today’s massive multi-foot screens, can put you a little too close to the TV.

But third-party controller company Nyko is already ready with the Miniboss, a wireless controller for the NES Classic. The Miniboss borrows Nintendo’s NES aesthetic, but plugs into the NES Classic with a small adaptor instead of a cable (similar to the GameCube’s WaveBird controller) for wireless play from up to 30 feet away. And should you prefer to stick with Nintendo’s own controllers, there’s also the Nyko’s Extend Link, which is simply just a six-foot long cord with Nintendo’s proprietary controller port on each end.The Miniboss controller will cost $19.99, compared to $9.99 for a second wired controller from Nintendo, while the Extend Link will run for $9.99. Both accessories will be available later on in November at Nyko’s website, Amazon, and GameStop.

PS4 Media Player will let you upload your own 360-degree photos and videos

The PlayStation 4 Media Player is getting a free update today, adding support for users' 360-degree photos and videos. PS4 owners can load this content onto a USB stick or their local media server, then activate "VR Mode" in the Media Player's options menu, and hey presto: 360-degree content of your choosing on your PlayStation VR headset.The content must be captured in "equirectangular format by a 360-degree omnidirectional camera," and supports the following formats: MKV, AVI, MP4, MPEG2 PS , MPEG2 TS, and AVCHD for videos; JPEG, BMP, and PNG for images.

The update (version 2.50) also includes improvements for audiophiles, adding support for the high-res FLAC audio format, and upscaling of non-high-res audio files thanks to Sony's DSEE HX technology. "What this means is any MP3s or AACs — files whose space-saving compression strips out some of a song’s subtleties — played through your PlayStation 4 will be automatically upscaled," says Sony.

How game designers find ways around VR motion sickness

Motion sickness has long been the bane of virtual reality. It’s associated most strongly with first-person shooters and walking games, which create a stark mismatch between your real and virtual body. Move too fast in the game, and your stomach won’t respond favorably in the real world. Yet play a game where the movements of your virtual character match your own, and you might run into a wall or your coffee table. VR game developers know these boundaries all too well, and they’re now beginning to move beyond these limitations in unique and fascinating ways.

The results were out in full force at last week’s annual Oculus Connect developer conference. Oculus is on the brink of releasing its Touch motion controllers, which means designers building for its Rift headset are dealing with more and more realistic body motion in VR. Take, for example, Lone Echo, a new Rift exclusive which uses the physics-bending freedom of zero-gravity to overcome the hurdles of in-game motion.

Google’s Daydream VR headset is coming November 10th

The Daydream View, Google’s new virtual reality headset, is officially coming November 10th. Google announced the news in a blog post today, and opened a Google Store page for the $79 headset, which can now be preordered. Verizon and Best Buy are also selling the Daydream View in the US, and other retailers and mobile companies will carry it in Canada, the UK, Germany, and Australia.The View is the first of what Google hopes will be many headsets to support its upcoming Daydream VR platform, which is built into Android Nougat. For now, it requires Google’s recently announced Pixel or Pixel XL phone to work, but other compatible phones are supposed to be announced in the coming months.

Currently, the View is only available in one color, Slate. Two additional colors, Crimson and Snow, will be available later. All headsets are made of soft cloth and foam, with a plastic frame. The Daydream View headset package includes a plastic remote control that charges via USB-C; you can buy a cable separately or use the one that came with the Pixel.Daydream is the followup to Google’s cheaper, simpler, and less sophisticated Cardboard platform. A variety of apps will be available at launch, including VR news apps from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, games like turret shooter Gunjack 2 and puzzler Danger Goat, and experiences like a tie-in to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Away, fools, and leave me to my VR egg

This is the Telepod, a virtual reality effects chair created by Japanese hardware and software company Eje. The Telepod provides “bodysonic vibration,” similar to the vibrating seats in 4D theaters. You plug a cable into the headphone jack of a Gear VR or other device, and it pulses to match the audio of an experience, while feeding sound back out via a built-in pair of over-ear headphones.The Telepod’s gentle rumbling evokes the feeling of falling asleep in your parents’ car as a kid, except that you’re wearing goggles and watching a girl group perform songs in a language you don’t understand. It is difficult to overstate how soothing this is.The chair is already on sale, but it costs $8,000, which effectively means it’s meant for public installations or the living rooms of the very, very wealthy. But today, it’s available to me and all other attendees of the VR Developers Conference in San Francisco. I am a responsible human adult, so I will not be spending the next several hours huddling in its soft black cushions, hiding from the world. I promise.

V-Moda's new earbuds can be bought with 3D-printed lion heads made from solid gold

V-Moda announced a new “Forza” line of headphones this week. The three Forza headphones are all in-ear models designed for fitness and sport use, which represents a bit of a departure from the over-ear style that the company is typically known for.

There’s the base model, the $100 Forza, which is a fairly standard pair of sports headphones with a sweat-proof plastic casing. Next, for a bit more money, there’s the $130 Forza Metallo, which are essentially the same headphones as the cheaper Forza but upgrade the casing from plastic to metal and the cable to a reinforced cord. Internally, both sets use 5.8mm drivers, support high-resolution audio, and connect via a standard 3.5mm jack. Lastly, there’s the top-tier model, the $170 Forza Metallo Wireless neckbuds, which takes the same metal earbuds as the standard Metallo and adds a titanium neckband for a claimed 10-plus hours of battery life over a Bluetooth connection.

 

But that’s not the important part. All of the Forza models are built to be customized by a variety of interchangeable decorative 3D-printed caps. V-Moda currently offers three different cap options for purchase — although more designs are shown on the site and may be offered at some point as well.

For now, there’s the gear-covered “Steampunk,” a “V-Design” option that features the V-Moda logo, and the obviously correct choice, “Lion,” which as the name may suggest is a miniature 3D-printed lion’s head. To take it one step further, V-Moda offers a choice of materials that you can select to 3D print your chosen caps out of, from the relatively cheap $20 acrylic to 10 different precious metals, including brass, 14K gold (both plated and solid), and, for those with a cool $7,500 to spare, pure platinum.

It’s hard to know if the Forza models are good headphones without listening to them. V-Moda has a good reputation in the audio world, and early word from my colleague Chris Welch is that the entry-level Forza earbuds sound good, for the price. But I do know this: these are the only headphones in the world that can come in the form of extravagantly expensive solid gold lion heads. And if that’s not worth something, I don’t know what is.