Project Holodeck and Oculus Rift hope to kickstart every gamers' VR dream for $500 (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/23/project-holodeck-and-oculus-rift/

Star Trek: The Next Generation may be coming to your living rooms soon courtesy of some hot new Blu-ray pressing, but one of the most compelling pieces of the technology shown on that series still remains elusive: the holodeck. Don't get down, sunshine, because we might soon be making our first, tentative steps into a virtual courtesy of Project Holodeck. It's underway at USC's School of Cinematic Arts as well as the Viterbi School of Engineering and starts out with a pair of Project Oculus glasses. These glasses, which were shown off at E3 by none other than John Carmack, cram a 1,280 x 800 display into a pair of glasses that present a wide, truly immersive field of view. Pair that with a PlayStation Move for head tracking and a Razer Hydra controller and you have the beginnings of a proper virtual reality environment.

An early concept of what the complete system might feel like can be found after the break, a couple of people acting out a sequence from Skies of Arcadia, which could be called a spiritual inspiration for the first game designed for Project Holodeck: Wild Skies. In it, two people "pilot a massive airship through a exotic world of floating islands" -- though whether they look as kawaii as their Dreamcast predecessors remains to be seen. When you might actually get your hands on the system is also unknown, but one piece of the puzzle, the Oc! ulus Rif t glasses, are said to be hitting Kickstarter any day now -- for an anticipated price of just $500. Bat'leth and copy of Workin' out with Worf not included.

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Project Holodeck and Oculus Rift hope to kickstart every gamers' VR dream for $500 (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 20:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Arduino Leonardo finally launches with new pin layout, lower price (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/23/arduino-leonardo-finally-launches/

We caught our first glimpse at the new, simplified Arduino Leonardo at Maker Faire back in September of last year. At the time, we were promised a late October shipping date, but it failed to materialize. Finally, Massimo Banzi has taken the wraps off the slimmed down microcontroller and its now in stock at retailers across the web. The Leonardo sports a new pin layout, dubbed R3 (which the Uno has also been updated with), that will become standard across all Arduino boards. That's a big deal for shield makers who only have to design and manufacture an add-on once to ensure it's compatible with the entire product line. The new layout also adds some extra pins and versatility, especially in the realm of shields, which can use to the new IOREF pin to determine the voltage of the processor and thus its model. That means a shield doesn't have to be designed specifically with the new ARM-based Due in mind. The other big news is that the circuitry for converting USB to serial communication and the processor itself have been combined, which not only simplifies the design and drives down costs, but allows it to communicate directly with a computer and imitate all sorts of accessories (such as keyboards and mice). Best of all, is the price. The Leonardo, complete with headers, costs just $25 -- a good $10 less than the Uno -- while the headerless, solder-friendly! version retails for $22.50. Check out the video after the break for a few more details from Massimo himself.

Continue reading Arduino Leonardo finally launches with new pin layout, lower price (video)

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Arduino Leonardo finally launches with new pin layout, lower price (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft digs deep into Windows 8's hardware graphics boost, says fast just isn't slick enough

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/23/microsoft-digs-deep-into-windows-8-hardware-graphics-boost/

While Microsoft has been exploring the sensory experiences that will go into Windows 8, like sight and touch, there's only one thing that many enthusiasts care about: speed. To their delight, Redmond has just devoted one of its pre-release blog posts to showing just how much faster its hardware graphics acceleration will be in a Metro-focused universe. The goal is a hiccup-free 60Hz frame rate, and virtually everything in Windows 8 centers on that ambition. Baked-in transition effects, optimized geometry and even improved font rendering give modern computers a huge jump in performance versus Windows 7. Microsoft is just as keen to expose that power, as well: Direct3D 11.1 is now the root of all video acceleration in the pipeline, making it both easier and faster to mix 2D and 3D. All told, Windows 8 promises to get responsiveness freaks and benchmark lovers all hot and bothered. If either label describes you, the source link might satiate your lust until October 26th.

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Microsoft digs deep into Windows 8's hardware graphics boost, says fast just isn't slick enough o! riginall y appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 Jul 2012 23:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ARM and TSMC team up on 64-bit chips and FinFET transistors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/24/arm-and-tsmc-team-up-on-64-bit-chips-and-finfet-transistors/

ARM and TSMC are renewing their vows and plan to continue collaborating well into the future, as they work to optimize the 64-bit v8 architecture for the Taiwanese company's FinFET transistor tech. The two will push next-gen ARM chips to 20nm and beyond, and hopefully shorten the time to market for new designs. The FinFET process should also help boost frequencies, while keeping power consumption low -- a key to the continued success of the RISC architecture. The FinFET architecture is similar to Intel's own tri-gate transistor technology that was instrumental to nudging the Core architecture forward with Ivy Bridge. After those 64-bit ARM chips are up and running at 20nm and powering your next-gen smartphone, TSMC will begin to look at even smaller processes, with an eye on 15nm next. You'll find the entire joint profession of their love for one another after the break.

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ARM and TSMC team up on 64-bit chips and FinFET transistors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers develop femtosecond laser that can diagnose, blast cancerous tumors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/24/femtosecond-laser-diagnoses-burns-cancerous-tumors/

Researchers at the University of Tennessee's Center for Laser Applications have developed a femtosecond laser that can non-invasively diagnose, map, irradiate and burn cancerous tumors. Utilizing a beam that pulses at one-quadrillionth of a second, the technology is able to seek out growths and obliterate them with an increased burst of intensity. "Using ultra-short light pulses gives us the ability to focus in a well confined region and the ability for intense radiation," says Associate Professor of Physics Christian Parigger. "This allows us to come in and leave a specific area quickly so we can diagnose and attack tumorous cells fast." The swift, precise technique can avoiding heating up adjacent, healthy tissues and has potential for use in outpatient procedures, particularly for people afflicted with brain tumors. For now, however, the scientists are working with the non-profit University of Tennessee Research Foundation to bring their tech to market. Roll past the jump for the press release and a glimpse of the laser in action.

Continue reading Researchers develop femtosecond laser that can diagnose, blast cancerous tumors

Filed under: Science

Researchers develop femtosecond laser that can diagnose, blast cancerous tumors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jul 2012 05:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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