TECH

Sony’s PS5 Has Sold More Units In 12 Hours Than The PS4 Sold In The First 12 Weeks

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When Sony opened up pre-orders for its highly-anticipated PlayStation 5, they perhaps underestimated the demand for the next-gen console. One major problem during the pre-order window was server issues which caused many potential consumers to be unsuccessful in securing the console. Despite the problems, the tech company has now revealed that the PS5 managed to pre-sell more units during the first 12 hours of pre-orders than the PS4 did during its first 12 weeks of launch.

The demand as expressed by the level of pre-order has been very, very considerable. It may well be that not everybody who wants to buy a PS5 on launch day will be able to find one [although the company is] working as hard as we ever can [to make sure there’ll be enough supply for the holiday season at the end of the year.]

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan via Reuters

Sony’s PlayStation 5 launches on November 12, starting at $399 USD for the digital version and $499 USD for the disk version

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Garmin Introduces Its Instinct Esports Smartwatch

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Streamers and players will now be capable of can broadcasting their biometric stats to their viewers with Garmin’s new Esports Instinct smartwatch.

With the Instinct Esports Edition, esports athletes can tap into that same technology to track and examine how their body responds to intense competition. Players can also use Instinct’s data to make adjustments in their daily lives, whether it be altering sleep patterns or activity levels, which can result in increased cognitive and physical performance during play.

Garmin

Players will be able to update viewers on their live stress levels and heart rate with Garmin’s STR3AMUP function. This function comes in handy when engulfed in playing intense match-ups. Other functions include smartphone syncing and a Body Battery Energy Monitor which determines energy through sleep. The Body Battery Energy Monitor lets the user know if they should be playing or resting.

The watch will have a suggested retail price of approximately $300 USD. Check out the Garmin website for more info.

Google Introduces Price Tracking and Comparisons Tool for Shopping Online

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Google is implementing a new tool to make your online shopping experience easier to find the best deals. The new feature the tech company is introducing is called Price Insights. This feature lets shoppers of the product see if the price is higher or lower than average.

Price Insights positions Google to strategically battle competitors that have similar ways of showing consumers the average price of items. Users will be able to select a product and, in turn, sign up to be notified whenever there is a price drop. The tool also digs throughout the internet instantaneously to see if there are better prices.

Google’s plan is to gradually roll out its Price Insights tool to selected regions first and then make it available around the world.

Quibi Is Shutting Down After Six Months

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After six months of operation, popular streaming service Quibi Holdings LLC is apparently shutting down according to those in the know.

Initially, Quibi had hopes of setting itself up as the new up and coming streaming service, rivaling competitors like Hulu, Netflix and others. Things seem different now as expectations didn’t match up with the outcome as far as subscriber count. By this point, the company was expected to have millions of subscribers but have only amassed a few hundred thousand so far.

Many factors could’ve contributed to Quibi’s abysmal outcome. The current pandemic seems to be the main culprit of any business shutting down or perhaps the streaming service’s unique viewing experience could have played a part as well as it delivered shows in 5- to 10-minute “chapters” formatted to fit a smartphone screen.

On Wednesday, Quibi investors were called by founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, telling them he is shutting the service down. In shutting down the service, Katzenberg plans to return as much capital as possible to investors while employees will be laid off and paid a severance.

Maintain Posture With the Herman Miller’s New Sayl Edition Gaming Chair

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Herman Miller puts emphasis on posture with the Sayl chair. The Sayl is a special edition gaming chair that is “inspired by the architecture and the less-is-more engineering of suspension bridges.”

This gaming chair utilizes an unframed 3D Intelligent back with elastomer strands that focus on tension support for areas needing it not so much in areas that don’t require the attention. Sayl also has Harmonic Tilt which is designed to help posture, supporting the body and spine with the included contour seat pad. The seat pad can also be adjusted to alleviate pressure from the legs.

via: Herman Miller

Have your choice of Herman Miller’s Sayl gaming chair in black, red, green, purple, blue, and white which is available now for $725 USD.

Sony Announces PlayStation 5 Price + Release Date

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Sony held its live event today and has officially announced that the PlayStation 5 will cost $499.99 USD while the Digital Edition will be priced at $399.99 USD. Both versions of Sony’s next-gen console are slated to launch on November 12.

In retrospect, the PlayStation 4 originally landed at $399 USD and its Pro model sold for the same price a couple years later. The backwards compatibility feature of the PS5 allows for users to still play their PS4 titles, although there is a limited amount of games reported so far.

As of now, there is no word of preorder details but one can expect an official announcement soon.

Sony Has Released Several Special Themed Dualshock 4 Controllers For The PS4

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Even though Sony has already introduced its next-generation console in the PlayStation 5, they have also just announced themed Dualshock 4 controllers that will release for the PlayStation 4. With the release of these controllers, as well as more PS4 games announced at their State Of Play Event, it seems like the brand will continue to support its current-gen consoles simultaneously with next-gen systems.

These controllers will come in an array of color schemes like Red Camouflage, Berry Blue, Green Camouflage, Magma Red, Midnight Blue, Electric Purple, Rose Gold, and Steel Black. Priced at $64.99 USD, head over to PlayStation’s website to purchase now.

Virgin Galactic Introduces The Mach 3 Aircraft For High-Speed Commercial Flights

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Virgin Galactic unveils its latest concept in the Mach 3 aircraft. The idea for the company is to create a high-speed commercial air travel option with the assist from none other than Rolls Royce.

Virgin Galactic will create a Mach 3 certified delta-wing aircraft, capable of carrying up to 19 people and operating at an altitude of 60,000 feet. there are also plans to have custom cabin floor plans for customers traveling first class or business. In working with Rolls Royce to develop its propulsion technology, Virgin Galactic also plans to use sustainable aviation fuel.

The design philosophy of the aircraft is geared around making high speed travel practical, sustainable, safe, and reliable while making customer experience a top priority. The next stage in the process will see the team define specific system architectures and decide on which materials to use for the aircraft’s design and manufacturing.

Virgin Galactic Spokesperson

We are excited to complete the Mission Concept Review and unveil this initial design concept of a high-speed aircraft, which we envision as blending safe and reliable commercial travel with an unrivaled customer experience. We are pleased to collaborate with the innovative team at Rolls-Royce as we strive to develop sustainable, cutting-edge propulsion systems for the aircraft, and we are pleased to be working with the FAA to ensure our designs can make a practical impact from the start. We have made great progress so far, and we look forward to opening up a new frontier in high-speed travel.

George Whiteside, Chief Space Officer at Virgin Galactic

Apple Takes The Crown As The World’s Most Valuable Company

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Apple is now the most valuable publicly-traded company in the world. The tech giant surpassed Saudi state oil giant Aramco at the close of Friday’s market per NBC News.

We’re conscious of the fact that these results stand in stark relief during a time of real economic adversity.

Tim Cook, Apple CEO

Apple shares closed up by 10.47 percent, resulting in a market valuation of $1.84 trillion. Subsequently, Saudi Aramco now stands at $1.76 trillion.

Apple boasted a bold third-quarter fiscal earning of $59.7 billion with a 4-for-1 stock split which brought shares up to over 44 percent this year. March saw the company at one of its lowest points due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but all that seems like an afterthought with its strong performance the last couple of months.

VOMA Will Be The World’s First Interactive Virtual Museum

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The Virtual Online Museum of Art (VOMA) will now become the world’s first virtual museum thats fully interactive. The museum will be curated by Museum Director Lee Cavaliere and built by artist Stuart Semple. VOMA will showcase works from institutions such as Musée d’Orsay, Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the Art Institute of Chicago. Also of note, the exhibitions will be free for anyone that wants to see it.

A virtual viewing room can feel like a lonely place – quiet, empty, sometimes slightly uneasy. In building and curating VOMA, we wanted to get away from that feeling, which is not all that different from walking into a snooty, silent gallery space and feeling a bit self-conscious. We wanted to integrate the sense of community and buzz of going to a cool museum, where there are often so many different shows going on, and immersive or interactive experiences.

Stuart Semple

When entering the VOMA, the experience allows you to go anywhere on the premisses, including the museum’s grounds. VOMO introduces ground-breaking technologies that makes the digital-hybrid world change according to the time of day or the season with such detail, down to the environmental changes of light, wind and rain. With the current pandemic of COVID-19, museums and galleries have been forced to reconsider how certain works are shown in regards to social distancing. The introduction of VOMA is a step towards new and innovated ways to keep the scope of the museum and art world alive.

Be sure to go to VOMA’s website beginning August 14 for the opening of the museum.