Have you ever wanted to walk on the moon or ride on a rollercoaster from the comfort of your home? Well now you can do both, kind of. Andrew Sasaki has developed some really interesting applications for Google Cardboard. I tried out the following applications: VR Moon, RollerCoaster, VR Flight Simulator for Google Cardboard, VR World for Google Cardboard, VR Horse Simulator for Google Cardboard, and Virtual Reality Vacation for Google Cardboard. Most of the applications were complete rubbish. However, several of the applications were better than I expected. The best application of the bunch was RollerCoaster. It puts you in a virtual roller coaster and it feels pretty awesome. I actually felt a little light headed after the ride. I can’t compare it to riding an actual roller coaster, because I have never been on one before. I also liked the VR Moon application. It gave me a really cool perspective of what it would feel like to walk on the moon. I definitely recommend trying these two apps out if you have Google Cardboard. The other apps were a bit of a mess, but they’re all free. If you want to check them out click here.
The cardboard app is a fantastic demonstration of what Google Cardboard is capable of. It has several really cool demos. The cardboard app consists of the following demos: explorer, exhibit, urban hike, kaleidoscope, and arctic journey. My favorite one was the Arctic journey because it really shows what Google Cardboard can do. It allows you to play, create, learn, and fly. It also looks really nice, and gives you a really spectacular view of the arctic sky. I also liked the explorer demo. It allowed me to look at a dinosaur exhibit, an aviation museum, and a space shuttle. I didn’t care for the kaleidoscope demo; I didn’t think it had much to offer. Overall, the cardboard application has some really nice demos. I can’t wait to see what else Google has in store for us.
Within is a virtual reality application that was founded in 2014. It has a variety of VR videos that can be viewed with a VR headset like Google Cardboard. Some of the videos it features include music videos, documentaries, and shorts. One Republic has a really cool music video that shifts perspectives from one room to another room. Another video, called displaced, shows the struggles that 3 kids go through in Syria. It almost feels like you are there, especially if you are using headphones. It is really cool how all the videos have a 360 perspective. If you don’t have VR you can check them out here. There were some very strange videos as well. One video had a train coming right at you, and then shifted to a baby inside the womb. Another video called Invasion had a little bunny rabbit saving planet Earth. Overall, the VR experience was very fluid; the only thing that was lacking was the quality of the videos. If you are dying to swim with dolphins then I definitely recommend this application.
In this video I unbox the new NES Classic. The NES Classic is a great little system that plays old Nintendo games. It has 30 playable games included, and up to two players can play. I really like the system so far. However the controller cord is very short, and I did get an extension for it. Let me know what you think of the NES Classic.
This morning Nintendo revealed the Nintendo Switch. They have been teasing us for weeks with the Nintendo NX. Nintendo NX was the code name for the Nintendo Switch. The Nintendo Switch is a home and portable console. The controller on the Nintendo Switch breaks apart to be used as two controllers. The system also takes cartridges; the last home system to be cartridge based was the Nintendo 64. Nintendo also showed off a variety of games. This includes Splatoon, Mario Kart, NBA 2K, Skyrim, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario. The Nintendo Switch looks like a really cool piece of tech and I can’t wait to try it out. Playing console games on the go has always been an intriguing idea. What do you think of the Nintendo Switch?
Last week Nintendo was at the Apple event, and they had a big reveal. They revealed Super Mario Run for iPhone and iPad. It marks the first time that Mario can legally be played on a smartphone. The game is going to be released this December.
Super Mario Run has three different modes. In the first mode you get to play through challenging courses. In the second mode you get to compete against others using play data, and the third mode allows you to create your own levels.
I think it’s awesome that Mario is coming to smart devices, and I think it will definitely help Nintendo. I can’t wait to try out the new game when it launches. Will you be downloading Super Mario Run when it launches this December?
Today Apple announced the iPhone 7. The new iPhone has a faster processor, better battery life and a better camera. I am really looking forward to trying out this iteration of the device. The upgraded camera has optical image stabilization, 12 megapixels and a Quad-Led True Tone flash. I think that the new camera is a standout feature for the device.
The iPhone 7 has a powerful A10 processor. It also has a much stronger battery. The battery on the new iPhone lasts two hours longer than the battery on the iPhone 6s. This is reason alone to pick up the new phone.
However, the iPhone 7 does have one major flaw; Apple decided not to include a headphone jack. They introduced new wireless headphones called AirPods. AirPods use Bluetooth technology to connect to all your Apple devices. With the charging case AirPods have a battery life of 24 hours. They look pretty cool, but they cost 159 dollars. I guess buying cheap headphone replacements is out of the question.
One last thing I want to mention is that the new iPhone is water resistant. This is great news for people who like to talk in the rain. What do you think of the iPhone 7?
Microsoft is currently rolling out the Xbox One summer update. This update is fairly impressive. It adds a lot of new features to the Xbox One. It adds Cortana voice control, background music, dashboard improvements, and language region independence. It also adds some other smaller features like Facebook integration. The new user interface works well and feels very similar to the previous user interface. However the store is different to make way for the cross buy between Xbox One and PC. It is great that Microsoft is adding the ability to play Pandora music during a game. What do you think of the new Microsoft update?
The Amazon Echo is an incredible and powerful device. When I first took it out of the package I had to do an initial setup to connect it to the internet. The process is fairly simple. The first thing I had to do was download the Alexa app on to my iPhone. After I downloaded the application I booted it up and it walked me through the setup process.
What is Amazon Echo?
Amazon Echo is a personal assistant that can help you complete everyday tasks. It can play music, turn lights on, answer questions, set timers, and control the thermostat. In order to activate the Amazon Echo I had to say Alexa first. It is a very responsive device and I think it will help people transition from regular homes to smart homes. One of the Amazon Echo’s core features is the ability to order products from Amazon. If you are running low on paper towels you can quickly order more with the Amazon Echo.
What are the Specs of the Amazon Echo?
The Amazon Echo has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It’s dimensions are 9.25″ X 3.25″ X 3.25″ and it weighs 37.5 oz. It also has a 2.5 inch woofer and 2.0 tweeter. The echo has a built in microphone and volume control ring as well.
What I like about the Amazon Echo
The Amazon Echo is very useful if you have a quick question. I like to ask it about the weather on a daily basis. It will give you a quick recap of the weather. You can also ask it for the weekly forecast. I also like to use the Amazon Echo to turn the lights on and off. The ability to control your lights from the comfort of your couch is amazing.
The speaker is also great for playing music while cooking. I really like how I can quickly change the song with my voice or control the volume with my voice. It connects to a variety of music apps. This includes Spotify, TuneIn, and Pandora.
What I don’t like about the Amazon Echo
One thing I don’t like about the Amazon Echo is its ability to answer personal questions. I feel like they could have given the device more of a personality. The personal answers that it does give are always short. It would be great if you could have a full on conversation with the AI.
Overall the Amazon Echo is a great device. It is really good at answering short factual questions. It can give you detailed weather information, or tell you the score of a sports game. However it is not good at answering long opinion based questions. It also has trouble with longer factual questions. The Amazon Echo is the first personal assistant that can really change the future. It is a great music player and smart home solution. What do you think about the Amazon Echo?
Nintendo focused heavily on their new Legend of Zelda game at E3. The new game is called The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild. It is an open world Zelda game that is coming out in 2017. It looks like it is shaping up to be one of the most expansive Zelda games yet. The trailer shows Link climbing up walls, hunting animals, fighting goblins and cooking. It also shows off a new kind of rock monster enemy. I watched some of the game play as well. Link has a stamina bar for running and climbing up walls. Link can also use a cool new item that can magnetically pick up and move things in the environment.
They also revealed more details for the upcoming Pokemon Sun and Moon game. The new game will have a new battle mode called Battle Royal. Battle Royal is a free for all four player battle mode. It looks like it will add a new element to the game. Nintendo also announced three new Pokemon. They showed us Pikipek, Yungoos and Grubbin
Nintendo revealed the release date for Pokemon Go Plus. It will be coming out in July 2016 and it will cost $35. The mobile app is shaping up to be pretty cool. The game will allow you to catch certain Pokemon based on your location. When it first comes out it will focus on the original 150 Pokemon. The game will allow players to level up their Pokemon with candy.
Nintendo showed off a variety of other games, but their big focus this E3 was Zelda and Pokemon. Some of the other games they showed off include Paper Mario Color Splash, Box Box Boy, Mario Party Star Rush, Dragon Quest 7 Fragments of the Forgotten, Ever Oasis, Yo-Kai Watch 2, Monster Hunter Generations and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. I was disappointed that they didn’t say anything about the Nintendo NX. I don’t think Nintendo had a bad showing, it just wasn’t anything spectacular. I am excited for the new Zelda game and I can’t wait to see more of it. What do you think about the new Zelda and Pokemon games?
Microsoft had their big press conference earlier today. They officially revealed the new Xbox One S. The Xbox One S has 4K Ultra HD, an internal power supply, 2TB of storage and it also has High Dynamic Range. It is definitely a nice upgrade from the original Xbox One. The new Xbox One S is also 40% smaller. It will cost $399 and it will be released this August.
Microsoft also showed off a variety of upcoming games for the Xbox One and PC. They showed off Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Halo Wars 2, ReCore, Killer Instinct: Season 3, Sea of Thieves, Scalebound, State of Decay 2 and Crackdown 3. I think ReCore looked like a pretty neat game. ReCore is an action adventure game that pits you against robotic foes. The game comes from the makers of Metroid Prime. Gears of War 4 looked like a sequel that fans of the series will be excited to play. I have never been a big fan of the series, but this one might be worth trying out. Sea of Thieves looked like a very strange game. It is a shared-world adventure game that pits you against your pirate friends.
Microsoft also announced Xbox Play Anywhere. This program allows you to purchase a game on PC and play it on Xbox or vice versa. It is similar to the cross buy that Sony had for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. There were several other cool announcements. One of those announcements was the reveal of Project Scorpio. Project Scorpio is a more powerful version of the Xbox One that is coming out in 2017. Overall I think Microsoft had a decent conference. They showed off some great new games and a powerful upgraded console. I can’t wait to see what Microsoft has in store for the future. What do you think of the new Xbox One S?
Nintendo recently revealed that the Nintendo NX will be coming out in March 2017. The Nintendo NX is the company’s latest effort at a new console. They also revealed that Zelda Wii U will be coming to the NX. The game is delayed to 2017. Zelda Wii U has already been delayed before. I am disappointed that the latest Zelda game is delayed again. However I think that releasing the NX in 2017 gives the company more time to flesh out the system. It also gives them more time to create a truly unique open world Zelda game. What do you think about the latest Nintendo News?
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