Samsung Gear S2

Samsung Gear S2

Farwell, Android Wear. Hello, Tizen. Samsung's latest smartwatch abandons the Android Wear OS in favor of the company's homegrown Tizen OS, which proves to be a smart choice indeed. The Samsung Gear S2 ($299.99) has a user-friendly interface that's worlds easier to use than Android Wear. And the watch itself has a great design that combines the round face and stainless steel case of a traditional timepiece with a futuristic, rotating bezel that makes navigation even easier. But there's still some room for Tizen to grow, as a dearth of apps and weak voice recognition keep the Gear S2 from nabbing a higher score. 

Pricing and Design
The Samsung Gear S2 comes in two flavors: There's the regular Gear S2 for $299.99, and the $349.99 Gear S2 classic. The regular Gear S2 comes with a black or white silicone wristband, while the classic model has black leather strap. No matter which version you choose, the watch face is made of matte stainless steel. We reviewed the $299.99 model, with a white band and a silver face. 

There are also 3G versions of each watch available with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon service. Pricing and availability will vary according to carrier; T-Mobile, for instance, offers the option to add the watch to your plan for $5 per month.

The standard Gear S2 model is extremely comfortable and light on the wrist, with a simple clasp and an adjustable buckle to stay in place. No matter which model you choose, you're sure to be happy with the watch's most distinguishing feature, a rotating bezel. Similar to the digital crown on the side of the Apple Watch, you physically turn the bezel around the watch face like a dial in order to make selections. It's precise, quick, and feels very satisfying to use thanks to the little clicks it makes. 

The watch also has a Back button in the two o'clock position, and a Home button in the four o'clock position. The Home button brings you to the default watch face or to your main app library if you're already at your home watch face. The Back button brings you back one step in whatever app you're in. Of course, you can also tap your way through the interface without bothering with the bezel. I'll discuss navigation more in a bit, but the Gear S2 is the most easily navigable smartwatch I've tested.

Left to right: Apple Watch, Samsung Gear S2, Moto 360

The Gear S2's round watch face measures 1.66 inches around, 0.44 inches thick, and weighs 1.7 ounces. The Huawei Watch, by comparison, is slightly larger at 1.7 inches wide, 0.44 inches thick, and 2.13 ounches. The Motorola Moto 360, meanwhile, meastures 1.8 inches wide, 0.44 inches thick, and 3.28 ounces. The variations might seem slight on paper, but you can really feel a difference on your wrist.

The watch is rated IP68 for water-resistance, which means it can withstand splashes at the sink, but you shouldn't take it to the beach or in the shower.

Display
The Gear S2 has a 1.2-inch circular Super AMOLED display with a 360-by-360-pixel resolution that works out to a sharp 302 pixels per inch. It doesn't get quite as bright as the Huawei Watch, but I was always able to see it outside, even with the brightness set to low. The screen is not always-on by default, but there is an option to do so if you wish. Without it on, the screen still activates quickly when you life your wrist, and it never accidentally turned on in my testing, which is very helpful for conserving battery. The screen turns off fast, though—after about five seconds—which can get a little annoying when you're trying to read an email, text, or CNN headline. However, a quick tap or turn of the bezel keeps the screen activated.  

Samsung uses an ambient light sensor to adjust brightness depending on surroundings, without the "flat tire" effect that cuts off the Moto 360's circular display in a horizontal line at the bottom. It's also easy to adjust the brightness on your own: just swipe down on the display and tap the Brightness setting. I didn't detect any prismatic screen aberration here like I did on the Moto 360, unless you count some very slight reflections of light around the edge of the bezel.

The watch can be paired with Bluetooth 4.1 devices, including headesets or speakers for music playback, or mobile devices that run Android 4.4 or later. Unlike Pebble or Android Wear devices, there is no iOS support. To start the pairing process, you need to download the free Samsung Gear Manager app on your Android device and follow the simple on-screen instructions. I easily paired the Gear S2 with a Samsung Galaxy S6. Once connected, you have a number of options at your command, like customizing the watch face, managing apps and notifications, and sending music files to the watch, which comes with 4GB of internal storage.  

Features, Performance, and Tizen

The Gear S2 has an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyroscope, proximity sensors, and a heart rate sensor. Unlike the Sony SmartWatch 3, there is no GPS, but there is Wi-Fi, which extends the range of the watch when connected to a wireless network.

The heart rate sensor here works better than the one in the Huawei Watch or the Moto 360 by automatically measuring your heart rate throughout the day. By default it checks in about five times per day, though you can adjust it to check more or less frequently. You can also check manually, and it lets you know whether your heart rate is average when you're resting, in a state before exercise, or after exercise. The watch reported resting numbers in the low-to-mid sixties while sitting in a relaxed state, which is on par with measurements taken by the Huawei Watch.

The watch counts steps and detects when you're exercising or resting for too long, similar to the Apple Watch. You can also keep track of the amount of water or caffeine you've been drinking. And you can install the Nike+ running app for more detailed fitness analysis. However, like I usually advise, you probably want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker rather than a smartwatch if fitness is your primary concern. The Misfit Flash Link is great if you're on a budget, while the Fitbit Charge HR is worth the splurge.  

Powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, the Gear S2 uses Samsung's proprietary operating system, Tizen. It has the best user interface for a smartwatch yet, though it does have one annoying flaw. For some reason, the Gear S2 doesn't go back to the app you were previously using after it goes to sleep. Instead, it goes back to the default watch face every time it wakes up. That can be frustrating if you want to keep reading a story, or reply to a text when suddenly the screen shuts off from inactivity. Thakfully, the watch keeps images and headlines loaded in news apps when you finally return to them.

The strength of Tizen lies in its layout, which is a pleasure to navigate. Turning the bezel or swiping to the left brings up any notifications, which you can tap to open or swipe up to dismiss. Swiping or turning the bezel to the right brings up the main menu for Apps, a list of favorite contacts, Settings, or the S Voice assistant. Keep swiping or rotating the bezel and you can see a whole collection of apps around the perimeter of the screen, as if they were numbers on a watch face, including the calendar, heart rate monitor, music playback control, pedometer, or whatever other apps you want to include. It beats swiping through endless vertical lists and cards like in Android Wear. However, you still have to tap on the touch screen to make selections. It would've been nice to be able to push the bezel in to make selections, but since your fingers are already on the watch anyway, it's not a big deal.

Unfortunately, Tizen's selection of third-party apps is weak compared with Android Wear, Apple, and Pebble. There are no music streaming services besides Samsung's Milk Music, little in the way of fitness apps besides Samsung's S Health, and nothing when it comes to note-taking apps or popular social media like Facebook or Twitter. There are some useful apps available, like Bloomberg, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Yelp, but Samsung needs to lure many more companies if it wants to compete.

And although watch apps aren't available, you can still receive and respond to phone notifications from Facebook, Google Hangouts, and Twitter on the Gear S2 with a robust set of options. You can choose from some short, canned phrases or send an emoticon. You can also respond with voice-to-text, though unfortunately this feature is hit-or-miss; I never reached a point in testing where I felt like I could rely on it to quickly send an accurate message. Surprisingly, the Gear S2 also offers a phone number pad-style keyboard with three letters assigned to each number so you can type out messages. It's a slow process, but predictive text helps things along. A friend texted me some good news and I was able to type in "Wow, that's great! Congrats!" fairly easily.  

Don't expect to take calls on the Gear S2, though. You can use it to dial a call, but you'll have to take out your phone or put on a Bluetooth headset if you want to take things any further. 

Battery life is (relatively) excellent. Samsung promises up to three days of use, which is accurate if you keep the display set to power off automatically. With it set to always-on, the watched lasted for nearly two days, which is still better than any other smartwatch with a color display I've tested (with the exception of the Pebble Time, which can last for about a week, albeit with a much dimmer, lower-resolution display). The Gear S2 can also be set to go into Power-Saving mode, which turns the screen monochrome when you're running low on battery. It charges with an included magnetic dock and micro USB cable.

Conclusions
The Samsung Gear S2 should certainly sit alongside the Apple Watch and the Pebble family as one of the better smartwatch options on the market. It sports a sleek design, a user-friendly interface that blows the confusing Android Wear out of the water, very good battery life (for a smartwatch), and a unique, rotating bezel. Unfortunately, a paltry selection of apps holds it back, especially when Apple and Pebble have so many to choose from. And underwhelming voice recognition ultimately makes the Apple and Pebble watches easier to use. I'd certainly choose the Gear 2 over Android Wear options like the Huawei Watch and the Moto 360, but it's a harder pick from there.

The Apple Watch remains the smartwatch for dyed-in-the-wool Apple users, with a reliable heart rate sensor that works as you exercise, NFC so you can pay without flashing your credit card, the best selection of third-party apps, and an intuitive interface similar to that of the Gear S2. But our Editors' Choice remains with the Pebble family, which we highly recommended to smartwatch newcomers. The original Pebble is inexpensive, is compatible with both Android and iOS, and works with many useful apps. The Pebble Time adds a color screen and reliable voice-to-text messaging. Or you could wait for the Pebble Time Round, which is the Pebble Time with a traditional round watch face. The Samsung Gear S2 is definitely an intriguing new option, but it's worth waiting for the second generation.

Martian Alpha T10

Martian Alpha T10

The Martian Alpha T10 ($279) is not a Timex, not yet a smartwatch. At first look, it's a military-inspired wristwatch. Look closer, though, and you'll find a small, thin OLED display near the bottom of its face. It's not much of a screen—and it makes reading text messages a longer process than it should be—but the Alpha T10 is good at delivering notifications, locating your phone, and taking calls. It can't run apps, and it has only the most rudimentary fitness tracking features, so it's no  killer. But for an analog device with a foot in the digital world, it's a decent—albeit pricey—option.

Design and Display
The Alpha T10 is about as the same size as most other recent smartwatches we've tested. Its measures 1.69 inches in diameter and 0.55 inches thick. That's roughly equivalent to the , which measures 1.81 inches around and 0.44 inches thick. It uses a 24-hour military-style time dial encased in a nylon resin case (the part of the watch that acts as a base for the watch face) that feels tough to the touch. The watch face numbers look simplistic, but are raised stainless steel, which is a classy touch. The wristband is made of a comfortable and smooth rubbery silicone with a stainless steel clasp. 

The 0.7-inch, 96-by-16-pixel OLED display is located on the bottom of the watch face. It displays text messages and social media updates by scrolling the text left-to-right in a rather slow ticker-style fashion. This was cute at first, but quickly wore out its welcome as I found myself staring at the watch, waiting for a message to finish scrolling by when I could've just reached into my pocket for my phone and read the note in its entirety. Still, it's nice to see the text come in on your watch and know that you can always check it on your phone later. 

Back to the design. The watch has an upper command button, a middle adjustment crown, and a lower select button used for making selections, all on the right side of the watch. The lower button also doubles as a Power switch. Holding it down for about five or so powers the watch on or turns it off. An RGB LED in the watch face's lower left corner indicates the power status and doubles as an ineffective flashlight. 

A micro USB port for charging resides on the upper left corner, and a micro USB cable comes included. Unfortunately, the tiny flap that protects the port fell off almost immediately, under very little pressure, so I don't have high hopes for it lasting a very long time.

The Alpha is rated IPX-4 for water resistance, so it can withstand splashes and even the shower (hence the importance of the charging port protective flap), but it shouldn't be submered in water for long periods of time. I would take it off before going for a swim.

The watch uses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery good for five days of use (which powers all of the smartwatch features), with a seperate analog watch battery that will last up to two years. I obviously couldn't test the analog battery, but the rechargeable battery definitely lasted the full five days without needing a recharge, which is great a great result in this product category.

Pairing, Features, and Performance

To set the Alpha's time, simply pull out the crown and rotate it, just like you would on a traditional watch. Pairing with your phone is pretty easy as well. First download the free, rather bland-looking Martian app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Then enable Bluetooth on your device, and follow the simple on-screen instructions. The Alpha is compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 devices running iOS 7.1 and above, as well as devices running Android 3.0 or later. 

You can control which notifications you receive with the Martian app. iPhone users have the ability to receive every notification that is shown in Apple's Notification Center. Android users, meanwhile, can receive notifications from any installed app that provides push notifications. The app also provides an alert filter, which lets you decide which notifications make it to the watch's display. If you only want to receive text messages, you can do that. But if you want to see everything, you can do that too.

The Martian Alpha also allows you to customize vibration patterns for notifications, so you'll know what kind of message you're receiving without looking at your wrist. You basically program sequences of vibrations and pauses, like Morse code for text messages—it works pretty well. You can also tap the watch glass to dismiss incoming notifications, or to recall the most recent message you received in the last five minutes.  

You can speak into a microphone embedded in the watch case in order to place calls, set reminders, or have text messages read aloud. The mic requires you to speak pretty loudly, so it isn't all that convenient, and the sound that comes back out of the watch is rather tinny. It certainly isn't the greatest microphone/speaker combo in the world, but I was able to carry on entire phone conversations with listeners on the other end unaware that I was using a watch to talk to them.  

By clicking on the side buttons, you can activate the dim flashlight feature, or enter Camera mode, in which you can use the watch as a remote trigger for your smartphone camera, which is pretty useful. A Leash mode causes the watch to vibrate if you travel out of Bluetooth range of your paired phone, and a Find Phone option triggers an alarm to sound on your connected phone, even if the volume is turned off. I was only able to move about 30 feet away from my phone before losing connection, which seems rather short considering Bluetooth 4.0 should reach up to 100 feet. I also found the tone of the Find Phone alarm to be a little too low.

There's an accelerometer, so you can also count steps and track distance by linking the Alpha to health and fitness apps like Runmeter. It's a nice addition, but for more substantial results, you'll want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker like the splurge-worthy  or the inexpensive .

Conclusions
The Martian Alpha T10 is a watch made for those that value a traditional, military-inspired aesthetic, but appreciate modern digital features. And in this regard, it mostly succeeds. The Alpha delivers notifcations to your wrist, and it works well enough as a speakerphone and a remote trigger for your camera. But if that's all you want, $279 is a pretty hefty price to pay, especially when the  is still available. You'll lose the speakerphone, but for $129, that seems like a fair trade.

If you want more advanced options from your smartwatch, like a larger digital screen and downloadable apps, our current Editors' Choice is the . You don't get the analog look of the Alpha T10, but there's a fully digital screen and a thriving app ecosystem.

Activity Trackers and Wearables

Activity Trackers and Wearables

No longer a fad, wearables are here to stay. The Apple Watch made the world pay attention, and now there are almost as many types of smartwatches and fitness trackers as there are grains of sand. Okay, maybe not that many, but there are plenty more options now than there were a year ago.

At CES 2016, the next generation of wearables will be revealed; gadgets that are smarter and hopefully faster. Smartwatches and activity trackers will continue to cross-pollinate and improve, manufacturers will emphasize fashion even more, and a few all-new devices will emerge. Here's what we're likely going to see, and not see, at the show.

New Style, Old Software

Since there's a whole section of the show dedicated to wearables this year, expect every company, large and small, burgeoning and unknown, to display their wares.

Google's widespread smartwatch platform, Android Wear, will likely forego any major updates since it just had one a few months ago that allowed iPhone users to partake in the operating system's clunky interface. We'll definitely see more Android Wear-powered hardware at CES, but whether it's a Motorola Moto 360 or a Huawei Watch, it's the same basic experience. That won't change for a little while. What will change is the style. Huawei, at least, is rumored to be showing off a smaller smartwatch aimed towards women and men with slimmer wrists. That's good, because many current Android Wear watches, like the Fossil Q Founder (below), could use a diet.  

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Other major companies, like Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung, will likely sit CES 2016 out. Apple will of course show off the rumored Apple Watch 2 at one of its own events. The Moto 360 Sport will hit store shelves the week of CES. The Samsung Gear S2 just came out although, hopefully, Samsung will announce more support for its Tizen OS. And the troubled LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition will probably not appear at all. If we're going to see anything new from these names it will be at Mobile World Congress.

There's a slight chance Pebble could show off a new smartwatch at CES 2016. The Pebble Steel was revealed at CES 2015, and the Pebble Time not too long after. The Pebble Time Round is fresh out of the oven, but a new announcement could help the company keep momentum. Perhaps a Pebble Time Round with a larger display and longer battery life?

Smarter, Healthier More Accurate Trackers
Expect smarter fitness trackers at CES 2016. They're going to gain more control over your phone, with better functionality for calls, notifications, and social-networking features. The Fitbit Surge (above) already alerts you to calls and texts, so some kind of Facebook or Twitter integration doesn't seem too off the mark, perhaps with more robust, smartwatch-like LCD displays. Basically, the boundary between fitness trackers and smartwatches will continue to blur, with a more fashion-friendly attitude.

Speaking of Fitbit, we know for sure the fitness company will be there with the only wearables-dedicated press conference of the show. The news will undoubtedly be good, but it's uncertain whether it will be a brand-new device, like an upgrade to the Fitbit Charge HR, or some kind of software platform update.

Expect new fitness trackers to include more accurate heart rate sensors, step counters, and GPS. These technologies have come a long way this past year and they will continue to improve. There's no doubt that more partnerships between the tech and fashion worlds will arise, too. As for smart clothing, companies like Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour may have shirts and shoes to show off, but the true emphasis could be on health tracking and coaching that aims to improve your mental and physical states.

Return of the Rings

A blossoming category is "smart jewelry." Misfit already has similar devices, like the Misfit Flash Link that could pass as jewelry, but they've also proven to be functional and worthwhile, and not just for appearances. Smart jewelry tends to focus too much on form, and not enough on function. Like the Neyya Smart Ring, it tends to be a little too out-there to be considered useful, though that could change at CES 2016. Smart rings could have the potential to track your vital signs, such as your body temperature, movements, and pulse, and we'll likely see new variations on that idea at CES 2016.

Timex Metropolitan+

Timex Metropolitan+

The Timex Weekender has been my go-to watch for years. It's inexpensive, classic, and reliable—you don't have to charge it, and you can wear it in the shower. Even after testing plenty of fitness trackers and smartwatches, the Weekender remains my default accessory. The $125 Timex Metropolitan+ might change that. It has the same classic look as the Weekender, along with the added benefit of some fitness tracking capabilities. It looks great, connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and counts your steps and distance traveled. That's about it, though, so it's not quite a replacement for full-fledged fitness trackers like the . Still, if you're just looking for a watch that also tracks your steps, the Time Metropolitan+ is a fine choice.

Design and Features
The case of the Metropolitan+ measures 1.65 inches in diameter and 0.47 inches thick. That's slightly smaller than the (1.69 inches in diameter and 0.55 inches thick), a similar analog timepiece with basic smartwatch features. The Metropolitan+ is thicker and wider than my trusty Weekender, which measures 1.5 inches in diameter and 0.35 inches thick. It contains an accelerometer and a gyrometer, though, so the larger form factor is understandable.

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The Metropolitan+ comes with the black, textured leather band pictured here, but Timex sells a number of different straps for $20 apiece. Slip-through straps won't work with the Metropolitan+ like they do with the Weekender.

From left to right: Martian Alpha T10, Timex Metropolitan+, Timex Weekender 

The watch face, covered in mineral glass and encased in brushed stainless steel, has three separate dials. The center dial is the largest. It tells the time, with your usual hour, minute, and second hands, plus a large red-accented arm that indicates the number of steps or the distance you've traveled. So if the red hand is at four o'clock, for instance, and you have the watch set to steps, you've walked 4,000 steps.

A lower dial, located between between three and six o'clock, shows your daily step or distance progress, from zero to 100 percent. An upper dial, between 10 and 11 o'clock, displays what mode the watch is currently in. There's S for steps, D for distance, a Bluetooth icon for syncing the watch with the smartphone app, and an Off option (this turn off all of the activity tracking to extend battery life). You can select these options using the button located at the two o'clock position.

An adjustment crown sits at the three o'clock position. This turns the watch on when you first take it out of the box (just pull out the plastic battery tab first), and also sets the time when you pull it out and turn it, just like a standard watch. Push it all the way in and the watch face will glow a dull green for about three seconds.

Timex estimates the battery will last a year and a half. Once the battery runs out, you will have to replace it. You can do this at any regular watch vendor. That's a lot better than most fitness trackers, which need to be recharged one or more times per week. 

The Metropolitan+ is water-resistant, but not fully waterproof. You can take it in the shower and wash the dishes while wearing it, but no deep diving. And make sure not to press any of the buttons while submerged. If you expose the watch salt water, you should give it a rinse with fresh water right after.

Connectivity and App
To sync the Metropolitan+ with the free Timex Connected app, you first need to download the app on your Android or iOS device. Then, in the app, tap the watch icon in the upper right corner to start the sync process. The app will tell you to place the watch in Bluetooth mode by holding down the button in the two o'clock position until the upper dial reaches the Bluetooth icon. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds for the synchronization to place.

Afterwards, you'll see your miles, steps, and an estimation of calories burned in easy-to-read bar graphics, as well as numerical values. You can view your daily stats, as well as monthly and yearly. From the main page, you can go to Watch Control, where you can set your age, height, weight, and gender, as well as sensor sensitivity and distance adjustment. The last two options calibrate your stride length and the watch's sensitivity if it does not match your actual walking or running distance. Without doing this, the watch estimates everything based on your height and speed. Also good to keep in mind: The watch only holds your tracked data for seven days, so be sure to sync regularly if you don't want to lose your stats.

The Metropolitan+ yielded results about on par with the , give or take a few hundred steps. That's pretty good, but since these trackers are largely dependent on your stride length to begin with, you're going to get varying results no matter what. With that in mind, the option to adjust stride length and sensitivity in the Timex app is a good one.

From the Settings screen you can give your watch a nickname and adjust your calories, distance, and step goals. You can also remove the watch from the app's memory, factory reset it, or update its firmware. Timex says you'll be able to measure sleep metrics with the Metropolitan+ in the spring of 2016.

Conclusions
The Timex Metropolitan+ is easily one of the best-looking fitness trackers I've seen, and will undoubtedly appeal to those who can't get behind the chunky, unattractive design of most wrist-worn fitness trackers. It's also a bit less expensive and syncs faster than the , a similarly attractive wrist watch/fitness tracker hybrid. That said, the Metropolitan+ is really just a glorified pedometer. If you're looking to get serious about fitness tracking, you're still better off with a dedicated device, like the aforementioned Fitbit Surge and Fitbit Charge HR, or the . Each of these devices track for more stats, from heart rate to various exercises. The , meanwhile, is a solid option if you're on an extremely tight budget.

Asus Teases Augmented Reality Glasses

Asus Teases Augmented Reality Glasses

Move over HoloLens: Asus is building its own augmented reality headset, expected for release next year.

Details are scant; in fact, the Taiwanese company hasn't made any official announcements yet. But CEO Jerry Shen said during a Wednesday earnings webcast that Asus will enter the AR market.

"It should be next year when we come out with a product," Shen said, as reported by CNET. "We think AR will be very important for people's lives."

Shen also revealed plans to release a service robot next year, CNET said, though he did not elaborate.

Asus did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

Hyundai, meanwhile, is experimenting with AR in the car, tipping a new app that uses the technology to help drivers troubleshoot.

An alternative to the oft-ignored car manual, the Hyundai Virtual Guide (above) turns your smartphone or tablet into a how-to primer on repairs, maintenance, and vehicle features. Watch videos, look at 3D overlays, and read informational guides.

Expected later this year, the iOS and Android apps will be compatible with the 2015 Sonata; more vehicle models are coming soon.

"The Virtual Guide is aimed at educating our owners on how to use the functions and features of their vehicle," said Frank Ferrara, executive vice president of customer satisfaction at Hyundai. "We modernized the idea of an owner's manual to provide the highest-quality user experience for the growing population of tech savvy consumers."

Powered Samsung Gear VR

Powered Samsung Gear VR

Good news, Samsung Galaxy owners: Now you can see for yourself if virtual reality is really worth the hype.

Samsung on Tuesday started taking pre-orders for its new, $99 Oculus-powered Gear VR headset. The device works with Samsung's 2015 flagship smartphones, including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 Edge.

The Gear VR uses your phone's display to provide "the color, clarity and performance needed for an amazing virtual reality experience," Samsung said. The new consumer-version Gear VR up for pre-order today is 19 percent lighter than the Innovator Edition, and includes a new foam cushioning to make it more comfy to wear. The new model also includes improvements for the touchpad, which should offer geater control and easier navigation.

The headset can play "dozens of new made-for-VR games" headed to the Oculus platform this year, including CCP's Gunjack and Ustwo Games' Lands End. You'll also be able to watch content from Samsung's premium Milk VR service, Netflix, and Oculus Video, which offers "thousands" of videos and films from Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Twitch, and Vimeo.

The Gear VR is now available for pre-order in the U.S. via Samsung, Amazon, and Best Buy, and is slated to begin shipping on Nov. 20. It will also be available in Best Buy stores Nov. 20, T-Mobile on Nov. 27, and AT&T will carry it at some point in the near future as well.

For more, check out PCMag's Hands On With the Oculus Touch and New Gear VR.

Meanwhile on the VR front, Google on Monday expanded its Expeditions Pioneer Program for students to 15 new cities. The program is designed to enhance the in-class experience by letting students visit places they're learning about in school — like the bottom of the sea or the surface of Mars — in VR.

The Expeditions Pioneer Program will now be available in Alexandria, Va.; Baltimore; Cincinnati; Detroit; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; New Orleans; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; and Washington D.C. Outside of the U.S., Google is also launching the program in Toronto, Canada as well as Denmark and Singapore.

Apple's Other Secret Project: Virtual Reality?

Apple's Other Secret Project: Virtual Reality?

Is Apple going to launch a virtual reality headset alongside that electric car? Don't rule it out. According to the Financial Times, Apple has been growing a large research team in secret.

Tasked with looking into virtual reality and augmented reality, the team has already constructed some prototype headsets. We don't, however, know any details, like whether the company is focusing on standalone virtual reality headsets in the style of an Oculus Rift, headsets that would work in conjunction with an iPhone (like Samsung's Gear VR), or augmented reality headsets like Microsoft's HoloLens. It's possible Apple might be trying out a number of different uses, or that the company has come up with a new, novel way to approach virtual/augmented reality.

If you think Apple is going to spill the beans on what it's working on, well, the best you'll get is this vague statement from CEO Tim Cook during this week's earnings call: "It is really cool and has some interesting applications."

According to the Financial Times, Apple built up its VR team—now numbering in the hundreds—by poaching employees from places like Lytro and Microsoft. The company has also made a number of acquisitions (or acqui-hires) to boost its ranks: Faceshift, Metaio, PrimeSense and, its latest, Flyby Media.

Flyby Media specializes in augmented reality. Its first and singular app, Flyby Messenger, can scan one's surroundings and catalog the various items your smartphone or tablet sees. Friends can then send you messages to these objects—yes, that's right—and the app will notify you when you walk by them (assuming they're in the same place you left them, we gather). Rescan the object to get your message.

Apple likely doesn't care much about the messaging aspect, but it's said to be very keen on the company's recognition techniques—the exact kind of thing that would be useful for, say, a virtual reality/augmented reality hardware device. Flyby has also demoed other applications that can track your movement through a space by dropping dots over your smartphone's picture of your environment as a kind-of breadcrumb trail back to wherever you started from.

Riding Samsung's Gear VR Roller Coaster

Riding Samsung's Gear VR Roller Coaster

For those of us who were lucky enough to go to Universal Studios in Orlando as kids—but too scared to ride real roller coasters—the 4D rides offered all the adrenaline of a real roller coaster without any of the perceived  

In that regard, the Gear VR 4D roller coaster Samsung demoed at its Unpacked event here wasn't fundamentally new or revolutionary, but it was much better at maintaining immersion.

With the 4D rides in Universal Studios, you're strapped into a seat that's wildly bucking with every twist and turn, but in the corner of your eye you can see the edge of the screen, and it's obvious the ground and sides aren't moving. This is immersion breaking, because no matter what, there is always something breaking into the idea that you might actually be on the ride and in danger.

That's not the case with the Gear VR roller coaster demo. When you're wearing it you're fully immersed, to the point that if it wasn't for the noise of the crowd, it would have been easy to forget where I was. The fact that I could see above and below made me legitimately believe I was on a roller coaster, especially when combined with the fact that the seat reacted to my movement.

Even more impressive is the fact that the ride used real video footage, not the animated roller coaster we've seen for Google Cardboard. Having actual interaction during the ride, where another roller coaster passed me by and people waved, also helped maintain the illusion.

Taking the headset off and getting up, I was legitimately disoriented for a moment, something I've certainly never experienced at Universal. That said, we won't see the Gear VR replace the actual roller coaster experience, at least not until there's something that can replicate the feeling of dread as you wait in line—or maybe that's just me. There are still things that give away that you're on a VR ride, from the lack of wind in your hair and the physical feel of the Gear VR on your face to the noise from people around you.

But VR is where we're headed. With LG's 360 VR headset, Facebook's Oculus, and HTC's Vive, the push isn't just toward VR as a supplementary experience, it's to VR as a standalone experience that's just as valid as the physical one.

If my mind believed I was on a roller coaster and acted by releasing endorphins in response, who's to say that the experience wasn't "real"? Is the experience more legitimate when you drive an hour to the amusement park, pay the $20 entry fee, stand in line for another two hours, and ride the roller coaster? Today, most of you might say yes, but I think as the technology becomes increasingly realistic it will be harder to answer.

This was the question on my mind as I got up from the Gear VR roller coaster, and it's going to be a question that becomes increasingly important as VR tech is released to consumers. I'm not suggesting that we're all going to live in a Sword Art Online virtual MMO in the future, but we are at the beginning of VR tech blurring the edges of what's considered reality.

It's exciting and terrifying all at the same time, but what seems clear to me is that VR is here to stay. People want to experience this, and the long line at Samsung's demo was testament to that. See, not so different from real life after all.

Sony's Hands-Free 'N' Prototype Wearable

Sony's Hands-Free 'N' Prototype Wearable

 

When a smiling Japanese man invites you inside his tent on the side of the road at SXSW, you should take him up on his offer. Especially if that tent has a Sony logo on the outside.

When I accepted just such an offer, I got some hands-on time with a next-generation wearable prototype designed by Sony's Future Labs Program. Project N is part Google Glass and part Amazon Echo, but one that you can wear around your neck and operate completely hands-free.

The technicians at the Future Lab were clear that Project N is still very much a prototype—it didn't respond to every voice command. But it did well enough to give me an idea of what its potential could be in the wearable market. Whereas Glass required a small screen to present information, N attempts to provide the same features exclusively using voice commands.

At a glance, Project N looks like a narrow pair of sunglasses hanging around your neck—noticeable and somehow out of place. I don't think it is as distracting as Google Glass, but it does stand out.

The first thing I did when I put on the N was play music. The N creates a direct field of sound around your head. I could hear the sound clearly and loudly, but a person standing a few feet away could barely make out the song. The idea is that you can listen to music and interact with the audio assistant without disturbing those around you. The company also developed open-ear headphones that allow you to listen to music while still taking in ambient noise.

Like Google Glass, you can use N to take pictures of anything that is directly in front of you. Just ask it to "Take a Picture," and a small camera lens rolls forward, snaps the photo, and rolls back.

The N is primarily a voice and audio interface. You speak commands, and it answers you via audio. The voice recognition relies on a combination of local and cloud-based technologies. The prototype needed to be on Wi-Fi to work properly; it supports GPS, so theoretically it could be used to track your bike routes. Sony has partnered with Yelp and Strava to provide content for the platform, although I wasn't able to test these out.

There was no information provided about pricing or availability. This exhibition was just a way for Sony to collect feedback on a new device platform and allow its engineers to meet with actual users. The big question is how this device integrates with other personal assistants like Google Now, Apple's Siri, and Amazon's Alexa. Will it serve as a hardware front-end or a completely different personal assistant platform? Sony representatives wouldn't comment, but they did say they were looking for "a lot" more content partners.

Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 420X

Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 420X 

The Turtle Beach Ear Force Stealth 420X ($179) is an officially licensed Xbox One gaming headset. As such, it shares a similar design aesthetic to the console, featuring a sleek matte back body and subtle green highlights around the earpads and housing. More importantly, the 420X is the first Xbox One headset that can function completely wirelessly, including its microphone; Xbox One wireless headsets usually need a cable running to the controller to enable voice chat. At $179.95, the 420X is very pricey compared to a Xbox One-compatible headset like the wired, $80 . On the other end of the spectrum, the $300 , a long-standing high-end wireless gaming headset that now supports the Xbox One, needs to be physically connected to enable voice chat. The 420X can work completely untethered, making its $180 price tag seem much more reasonable.

The 420X is a circumaural (over-the-ear) headset, with perforated, synthetic-leather earpads that fit snugly around your ears. It is also extremely comfortable to wear thanks to the memory foam cushioning and the lightweight plastic frame. The 420X uses 50mm speakers with neodymium magnets, runs on a fifteen-hour, rechargeable lithium polymer battery, and includes a removable, omni-directional microphone.

The 420X is a fully wireless headset that lets you wander up to 30 feet away from the unit's small RF transmitter that attaches to your Xbox One console. It's also the only Xbox One headset designed with a wireless microphone, so you don't need to plug the headset into your controller to enjoy chatting with friends. Once the USB transmitter is inserted and the connection is set up, the only wire you'll ever see is the charging cable. That said, the 420X is mobile-compatible, and comes with a 3.5mm mobile cable and in-line mic to accommodate calls.

Lacks Noise-Cancellation, but Offers Mic Monitoring
There's no noise-cancelling technology here, so errant sounds permeated both earcups as I tested the headset on the noisy E3 show floor. Admittedly, the E3 environment is a less than ideal litmus test for a headset, but the 420x performed quite well despite the sound pollution. We'll put the 420X through the paces and give it a rating when the headset arrives in PC Labs.

I listened to Far Cry 4's introduction , and the 420x conveyed the deep and powerful sounds of political turmoil and violence better than I could have expected. Despite the occasional E3 background noise, the headset delivered the jolting sounds of explosions and gunfire with booming, bass-heavy flair.

But the 420x also rendered subtler sounds very well. Far Cry 4's eccentric villain, Pagan Min, delivered his ominously friendly rhetoric with crystal clarity. The 420x's surround sound carried Min's voice on the wide open mountain roadway, and again in his lavish, resonant palace. I was impressed.

Casual, Accessible Sound
The Turtle Beach 420X headset delivers good looks, pleasant sound, and a price point that isnt too extravagant, especially when comparing its completely wireless design with the Astro A50, which still requires a cable for the microphone. It's accessible, so gamers in search of a headset can enjoy good audio without succumbing to high-priced audiophilia. The sound won't be as good as an audiophile-approved headset, but it isn't supposed to be. It's the ease of use right out of the box, alongside the good sound quality, that makes Turtle Beach's headsets an attractive addition to your Xbox One gaming sessions.

Alienware 13

Alienware 13

As far as gaming laptop go, Alienwares are the flashiest, coolest looking machines available in the market at the moment. A futuristic design coupled with sleek, crisp edges topped by bright, back-lit keyboard makes Alienware one of the most recognizable gaming laptops brands due to its performance and high customizability. And in the Alienware 13, the iconic traits live on.
We took one out for test-play sessions where not only we attempted doing some work on it, we also tested its capabilities of playing games while traveling or being away from the comfort of a proper chair and table setup.
A current Alienware user myself with my main PC gaming machine being the MX17 R4, using a smaller, lighter machine in the Alienware 13 is definitely a step up. Gone are the days where I have to lug around over 4.5kgs of gear just to ensure I'll get a good dose of gaming while out on assignments. Weighing just over 2kgs, the Alienware 13 isn't actually light but as a gaming laptop, it's a darn impressive feat by Dell to cram all that power into a relatively compact chassis.

Do not expect to blend into the crowd when using the Alienware 13 at cafes or while waiting for your flight at the airport. The laptop stands out just for being an Alienware; its build alone will bring out the oohs and aahs from anyone who set their eyes on it thanks to its sleek Lamborghini-Reventon-ish design. Despite its plastic outer shell, the gunmetal-painted plastic feels solid to the touch without a hint of cheaponess to it. Money. Well. Spent.
On the thickness side of things, while thinnest amongst its Alienware brethren, the Alienware 13 is still chunky compared to most laptops (gaming and non-gaming) in the 13-inch screen range. But don't let its diminutive figure fool you. Under the hood lies serious gaming power - i5-5200U Processor (Dual-Core,3MB Cache,up to 2.7GHz w/ Turbo Boost ) with NVIDIA's GTX 960M with 2GB GDDR5 graphics card- which ensures your PC gaming sessions in the next couple of years or so remain solid and playable close to max settings for most modern games.
Battery life however is still an issue. While we are able to eke out roughly four to five hours of gaming from it, it is highly advisable to never leave home without a charger. Battery drain when idle while isn't significant enough to affect the laptop's usability when traveling, is quite a pain for moments when you plan to fire up Football Manager 2015 during that 30 minute window you have.
Its smaller size does come with several setbacks; the laptop doesn't come with as many ports as larger laptops do. To the right are two USB 3.0 ports and gigabit Ethernet. Another USB 3.0 port is available on the left along with jacks for power, headphones and microphone. The HDMI, Mini DisplayPort and a proprietary port to connect the graphics amplifier are placed to the back of the laptop. Still, nothing that cannot be fixed with a USB port hub or splitter.
Another gripe on Alienware 13 would the size and layout of the keyboard. While the keys feel solid during games and are able to withstand prolonged abuse, typing on it can be quite frustrating due to the keys' close placements. However, this is more down to personal preference.

Issues aside, the keyboards are indeed pretty with its customizable backlight feature allowing users to fully customize how their keyboards appear. There are four quadrants on the keyboard; each customizable with independent backlight effects allowing maximum personalization. On top of that, you get to choose what color the Alienware logo and start button glow in for that added umph when it comes to stamping your identity all over the laptop.
Summary
The Alienware 13 is a great option for portable gaming laptop without sacrificing performance. Sticking close to its Alienware lineage with leek design and cool customization features, the Alienware 13 is no way inferior to its larger brothers.
The Alienware 13 is available for purchase from all good computer stores as well as Dell's official site. Full details are also available on Dell's website.

Alienware Steam Machine

Alienware Steam Machine

 

Gaming fandom wars of the past are child's play compared with the real eternal struggle between consoles and gaming PCs. Console acolytes boast of the convenience and ubiquity of their chosen platforms. PC zealots claim that the knowledge needed to squeeze extra horsepower out of a gaming rig makes the reward all the sweeter. But now, Valve, the makers of acclaimed PC games and the all-powerful PC gaming digital marketplace Steam, has put forth a vision for peace between these two tribes. The company is partnering with manufacturers to create Steam Machines, desktop gaming PCs that offer the best of PC gaming in an approachable, console-like form. The Alienware Steam Machine ($749 as tested) is among the first of these boxes to hit the market, but while Valve's dream for PC gaming on your television is an exciting one, the choice of OS has made the reality much more limited. 

Design and FeaturesThe Alienware Steam Machine is essentially last year's , except instead of running Windows, it's running Valve's new Linux-based operating system, SteamOS. It's roughly the same size as the Alpha, at 3 by 8 by 8 inches (HWD), and the small form factor is closer to a last-gen system like the Nintendo Wii instead of more technically comparable consoles like the and the . You can adjust the color of the glowing logos on the desktop. It certainly looks compact and distinctive when compared with traditional gaming towers like the .

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The Steam Machine has the same array of ports as the Alienware Alpha: three USB 2.0 ports, two USB 3.0 ports, a digital audio (TOSLink) jack, and HDMI-in and -out ports for connecting the desktop to a television and connecting another video source to the desktop. You'll have to dedicate one of those USB ports to the wireless dongle that pairs up to four to the machine. The package comes with one controller. For wireless connectivity, there's 802.11ac Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

We didn't tear apart the Steam Machine, and if Valve and Alienware want it to be treated like a console, they can't expect casual users to want to do that either, but you can open up the device and start swapping out parts. The $449 base model includes an Intel Core i3 processor, a 500GB hard drive, 4GB DDR3, and a custom Nvidia GeForce GTX graphics card based on the mobile Nvidia GTX 860M. The $749 model I tested adds four more gigabytes of RAM, doubles the hard drive to 1TB, and features an Intel Core i7 processor. There are several other configurations between those two price points. All configurations also come with a handful of free games like Payday 2.

SteamOSUnless you were intrepid enough to build your own Steam Machine with beta source code, the Alienware Steam Machine will be many players' first introduction to SteamOS. This interface is a beefed-up version of Steam's Big Picture mode for presenting PC games in a TV-friendly format, and it excels at its one job. Aside from easily fixable resolution issues with some games, a TV displaying SteamOS is a fantastic way to enjoy your Steam library.

After signing into Steam or creating a new account, you can easily start buying, downloading, and playing games along with interacting with the larger Steam community. If you want to know the best button layout for playing an old PC game with a Steam Controller, you can look it up. You can download mods to your heart's content. The OS also lets you broadcast your gaming session or watch others stream theirs. You can even hop into a Web browser to visit a strategy guide or watch a funny Source Filmmaker video. Storing multiple accounts on one system and switching between them is also a breeze.

However, as neat as this interface is, you don't necessarily have to buy a Steam Machine to enjoy these benefits. Using a Steam Link to stream your existing gaming PC through a TV will work just as well. In fact, buying a Steam Machine, or any device exclusively running SteamOS, will just limit your gaming choices to titles available on Linux.

Whatever feelings Valve may have toward Microsoft, this is an inexplicable choice. Nearly all of the almost 5,000 games you can purchase on Steam run on Windows. Only a fourth of those run on Linux as well. Just using my own pre-existing Steam library as an example, I was able to find and enjoy some Linux-compatible games, like Hotline Miami, Super Meat Boy, Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and Valve's own Portal 2. But time and again I was told a game I was trying to download was not available on SteamOS. At least you can filter out incompatible games when browsing through the store. Look for the Valve logo next to the Windows and Mac logos to make sure the game will run. In the weeks since our initial impressions, the library has barely expanded. Hopefully, Linux support will pick up post-launch. And since there's no optical disc drive, if a game isn't available to download on Steam, you won't be playing it on your Steam Machine

Valve Steam Controller

Valve Steam Controller

Imaginative Nintendo peripherals aside, the video game controller has been somewhat stuck in place after reaching its current, agreed-upon form many years ago. We've seen small tweaks like the rumble triggers on the controller or the light bar on the DualShock 4, but the amount and arrangement of buttons and analogs sticks has remained mostly unchanged.

However, for PC gamers, a keyboard-and-mouse combo is king, not a controller. And as Valve attempts to merge PC- and console-gaming sensibilities with its Steam Machine initiative, it realizes that the controller as we previously knew it isn't going to fly. The Steam Controller ($xx) is Valve's solution for providing the best of both worlds for video game control schemes. The device's innovations excite, but its mediocre build quality and lingering compatability issues suggest the hardware is still a work in progress.

Design
The Steam Controller has gone through several revisions since it was first revealed two years ago. The initial design featured little more than the two circular trackpads placed where analog sticks usually go, but the final model is less radical by comparison. It sports four face buttons, four triggers, and a single analog stick, which are inputs you'll find on most other game controllers. To power the controller, you can either plug it into a Steam Machine over micro USB or use two AA batteries. (Note: It will stay powered if you keep it plugged in over micro USB, but it won't hold a charge without batteries.)

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Fortunately, the controller also retains some unique hardware features that give it capabilities beyond the typical gamepad. In addition to the top two levels of triggers, you can click each handle for a third, "grip" level of triggers. These buttons are a bit odd to look at, since their bulges make it seem as if the controller's back casing didn't fully snap in, but they're firm and responsive. Unfortunately, the other triggers feel mushy by comparison, and overall the controller feels almost too light. I plugged it into the I used for testing to power it over micro USB instead of wasting batteries. But without the two AA batteries inside (the only batteries included with the device) weighing it down, I feared the cheap plastic would fly out of my hands. Compare that with the metal parts and weighted, luxurious feel of the , also compatible with Windows PCs. Granted, that controller costs three times as much, but it's disappointing that the Steam Controller doesn't even feel as premium as a standard Xbox One Controller, DualShock 4, or Wii U Pro Controller.

The Steam Controller's biggest advantage over the competition is its set of trackpads. If you're accustomed to analog sticks or keyboards and mice, you might not immediately wrap your head around this new control method. However, after a few minutes of play, I was convinced it's a great compromise between mouse-level precision and controller convenience. Both pads provide haptic feedback and can be clicked in. The left pad also features a D-pad overlay, although it doesn't feel like there are any additional buttons for the cardinal directions.

The quality of trackpad implementation will vary from game to game, but I was able to easily perform actions typically accomplished via a stick or a mouse by touching the trackpads instead. I rolled my thumb along the surface to control a cursor in a Web browser and accurately aim the scope of a Portal gun. You can even use both thumbs in concert for tasks like typing on a virtual keyboard, which would otherwise require a tedious amount of scrolling with a single thumb.

Connection and Compatibility
After plugging the included USB dongle into your PC, whether it's a Steam Machine or a PC connected to your TV via Steam Link, just press the Valve logo on the controller to start pairing. The dongle can link up to four controllers at once, making it by far the most convenient way to play local multiplayer PC games like Samurai Gunn or TowerFall.

SteamOS's Linux-only status may cause some unexpected headaches over game compatibility on Steam Machines, but the Steam Controller will work with all games available on the Steam marketplace, even if they're only on Windows or Mac. Any game that supports standard controllers will work just fine with a Steam Controller. However, for older PC games that are only intended to be played with a keyboard and mouse, you'll have to make some adjustments to your control scheme. Fortunately, the trackpads serve as a fine mouse replacement, and you can map any action to any of the numerous buttons. If you don't feel like creating a layout from scratch, Steam will suggest one for you. More developers will hopefully update their games with recommended Steam Controller setups over time, and you can even download control schemes created by the community. Still, it's annoying that it's not a guarantee every game will just work without manual button remapping. 

I played a variety of games to try out the Steam Controller's versatility. The twitchy platformer Super Meat Boy, AAA shooter , 2D fighter Skullgirls, wobbly fatherhood simulator Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and methodical action game Hotline Miami all played great and didn't require too many tweaks to the default button layout. I would've tried to put together a quick Source Filmmaker project, but the program wouldn't run on my machine. Plus, a controller probably isn't the best way to edit video.

When Mac users first got their hands on Steam Controllers, they reported numerous compatability issues. Valve ended up giving them free games along with the promise of a future fix, and fixes have been and will continue to roll out on a regular basis. However, I still encountered a handful of these problems even while using the most recent beta firmware available at the time of this writing. Single-player games eventually worked great, but multiplayer games like Nidhogg and RocketsRocketsRockets would either ignore the controller entirely or tie both controllers to one character. The issues persisted even after I tried manually remapping inputs. Perhaps the fault lies with developers and not Valve, and it's not like Mac has the most robust gaming scene, but for now you should think twice if you plan on playing Mac games with your Steam Controller.  

Steam in the Palm of Your Hand

As a fan of fresh ideas in video games, the stagnant state of video game controllers has bothered me for a long time. So I was pleased by how successfully the Steam Controller pushes the console controller forward with ideas from the PC. As exciting as these ideas are, though, the hardware itself feels like a rough draft waiting to be polished by either Valve itself or intrepid users, which is the most PC-gaming idea of all.

Valve Steam Link

Valve Steam Link

 Valve has been promoting its Steam Machine, Steam Controller, and Steam OS platform for some time now, but the Steam Link media streamer has fallen through the cracks. The $xx Link lets you stream your Steam games from any PC to any HDTV, much like the streaming features of the  to the , or an Nvidia GameStream-compatible PC to the . The Steam Link is easy to use and has a robust set of connectivity options, making it a viable option if you can't easily run an HDMI cable to your television. Because it works so painlessly and reliably, the Steam Link earns our Editors' Choice distinction, and stands as our strongest recommendation among the recent wave of Steam hardware.

Design and Setup

The Steam Link is a flat black plastic rectangle that measures 3.5 by 4.8 by 0.7 inches (HWD). Two of the narrow sides (the top and right, if you look at it from above) are stark, flat surfaces that end in sharp corners, while the other two (the bottom and left) are curved with bezels, and look more like finished sides. The flat sides hold all of the ports, with the power connector, HDMI output, Ethernet port, and two USB ports on the top, and a third USB port on the right. A Steam logo sits near the curved lower left corner. The box rests on a black rubberized foot that keeps it stable on most surfaces.

You'll need to hook up your own input device before you can do anything with the Steam Link. USB keyboards and mice,  and  controllers, the Steam Controller, and Bluetooth devices are all supported. I successfully got the Steam Link to work with a wired keyboard, a wired mouse, an Xbox One gamepad, and a Steam Controller (which doesn't require the USB adapter included with the controller; the wireless connection circuitry is built into the Steam Link). The Link gets its required power through the included wall adapter, and, of course, you'll need an HDMI connection to your HDTV (HDMI and Ethernet cables are also included).

Once the Steam Link is plugged in and you have a way to control it, it's ready to set up. It was easy to configure the device to work with our lab's FiOS test network, with onscreen instructions that prompt you to choose the network and enter the password. Connecting to our Steam test machine was similarly painless; once the Steam Link was on the network, it detected the system and displayed a four-digit PIN to enter on the PC. After I typed in the number, the PC was linked and automatically jumped into Steam's Big Picture mode for navigating through the Link. Big Picture is Steam's leanback mode that provides a couch-friendly interface with large, easy-to-identify menu items.

How It Works

The Steam Link extends the Steam library of your networked computer to whatever HDTV the device is plugged into. Whatever you do on your HDTV will reflect in the display of your connected PC. Because of this, you can't do anything with your PC while it's streaming.

Besides browsing and playing games, you can access other Big Picture features. You can bring up your Friends list, see what other people are playing, and even browse the Web. Unlike Google's  or the , however, you can't mirror everything on your PC to your HDTV. The Steam Link is limited to content on Steam accessible through the Big Picture interface, but nothing outside of that ecosystem.

The Steam Link only streams within your home network, so you can't stream your games remotely over the Internet like you can with the PlayStation or Nvidia systems. But our tests have found out-of-the-home game streaming to be unreliable and laggy to begin with, so you're not missing out on a very useful feature.

Gameplay

Performance depends entirely on the speed of your router and the state of your home network's Wi-Fi signal. Internet connection speed (like our lab's FiOS connection) doesn't matter, since the Steam Link only streams games within a home network. You can reduce the risk of lag and video artifacts by using a very fast router that supports dual-band 802.11ac, and by plugging either your PC or the Steam Link directly into your router with an Ethernet cable. Valve actually recommends an Ethernet connection, though this isn't feasible for all home setups.

Even with both my test PC and the Steam Link connected to the PC Lab test network via Wi-Fi in a fairly congested environment, games were surprisingly responsive. The 8-bit graphics of Shovel Knight looked crisp, and I could engage in pixel-perfect platforming most of the time. Occasional hiccups caused video artifacts and input glitches at times, but I resolved them with fiddling with the precise placement of the Steam Link itself.

More impressively, the graphics-intensive  was nearly flawless. I could see where the Steam Link had to wrestle a bit with video compression to make it play well. However, the timing of my inputs remained responsive enough that I could parry and counterattack enemies with ease. For a character action game like this, that's the most important task, and the Steam Link passed with flying colors.

For $xx, the Valve Steam Link effectively extends your gaming PC to your television over Wi-Fi, and it works remarkably well. The whole idea of game streaming is something that's handy on paper, but hasn't quite caught on with systems like the PlayStation Vita and Nvidia Shield. The Steam Link is a comprehensive, broadly compatible streamer that doesn't need a specific game system, handheld, or graphics card to work. If any device will get in-home game streaming to catch on, it'll be this one. That makes it worthy of Editors' Choice honors.

5 Awesome Features on the Valve Steam Controller

5 Awesome Features on the Valve Steam Controller

Valve is releasing its own controller alongside the Alienware Steam Machine and the Valve Steam Controller combines the customizability of PC gaming, the precision of a mouse, and the comfort of a traditional controller into one device. Below are five of the best features the Steam Controller has to offer.

1. Dual Trackpads

Certain genres, such as strategy and simulation games, have long been viewed as unsuited to consoles, namely because controllers are missing the pinpoint precision of a mouse. The dual trackpads on the Steam Controller solve this issue, allowing 1:1 input to better control your favorite city builder. They seem awkward and unusual at first, and they are definitely better for some genres than others, but these trackpads are real innovations that make a new field of games playable from the comfort of your couch. The left pad is superior to a normal directional pad, and can be configured with up to 11 unique inputs, while the right pad can act as the second analog in games that require twin-stick controls. 2. HD Haptic Feedback
You may be familiar with haptic feedback from your smartphone, the technology responsible for making your screen buzz and vibrate on touch, but the Steam Controller takes it to a new level. The controller's advanced version of this tech is included in the trackpads, as well as the triggers and other inputs, providing enhanced feedback you can really feel. It's able to create the sensation of a virtual trackball you can feel spinning, which helps make this unconventional controller more intuitive. When gaming, it goes a long way in providing meaningful feedback, letting you know your scrolling finger is having an impact. Further, it can even be configured by game, allowing you to customize just what kind of feedback you want in each title.

3. Fully Configurable Buttons

Not every game will fit the same button layout, and Valve has made it as simple as possible to remap the function of every button. A third-person RPG and a first-person shooter won't benefit from the same layout, and so the Steam Controller allows you to swap on a game-by-game basis. There are presets for setups like a traditional mouse or keyboard and mouse, and even better, the Steam community can upload profiles for specific games to save you from customizing each button yourself. There are dozens of possible combinations and configurations with modifiers, making this much more robust than a traditional controller.

4. Back Paddles

The Steam Controller includes two paddle buttons tucked in the back of the handles, which serve as two more programmable buttons. This type of input is popular with high-end aftermarket controllers often used by professional or hardcore eSports players, providing an always-accessible trigger than doesn't mess with your aiming thumb. If you're not playing a shooter, the paddles can still be mapped to any frequently used function you'd like for convenience. While a mouse and keyboard still win for accuracy on a PC, this is a nice extra to have included if you're playing from your favorite armchair on a big screen.

5. Pair Four Controllers

The Steam Controller comes with a wireless USB dongle, used to pair the controllers with your system. Four controllers can be connected at once, which has always been standard for consoles, but has positive implications for PC gaming. Rarely would anyone gather around your computer with four controllers to play a local multiplayer game, but the option is suddenly much more plausible if you're playing on a TV through your Steam Machine. Wireless connectivity streamlines the process further as opposed to messy wires, and so those games' unused multiplayer features of the past might become a lot more appealing.

Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows Now Shipping

Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows Now Shipping

The wireless adapter that will make Xbox One gaming on a Windows 10 PC a bit more comfortable is available now.
Microsoft is now shipping its Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows. The device, which was announced in June, allows PC gamers to control Xbox One games streaming to a PC or tablet with a wireless controller.
The wireless adapter is a major upgrade for multiplayer PC gaming. The accessory, which plugs into a USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 port, can accommodate inputs for up to eight controllers, four chat headsets, or two stereo headsets. The USB adapter communicates with the Xbox wireless controller for full wireless gaming, which Microsoft says will "enable the same gaming experience you're used to on Xbox One, including in-game chat and high-quality stereo audio."
The Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows costs $xxx, though it's currently listed as out of stock on the Microsoft Store. You can still get it bundled with an Xbox One wireless controller for $xx, though.
To get it to work, your PC will need to be running Windows 10; here's how Windows 7 and Windows 8 users can upgrade for free. Microsoft also has step-by-step instructions for streaming games on Windows 10.
"Be sure to try some of this year's blockbuster games with built-in controller support including Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta, and Fable Legends," Microsoft suggested.

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is Microsoft's top-of-the-line gamepad, with build quality, features, and a price tag that completely dwarf the standard  controller. This heavy-duty, customizable gamepad will run you $149.99, but it feels so good in the hand and it works so well with Xbox One and PC games that it earns our Editors' Choice. If you want to use it with a PC, though, you'll want to make sure you have Windows 10 installed to get the most out of the controller.

Design

The layout and shape of the Elite Controller are nearly identical to the standard Xbox One controller. It's a gently rounded gamepad with prominent hand grips and the now-standard Xbox-style dual analog layout, with the left stick horizontally even with the four face buttons on the right and the right stick positioned lower to be horizontally even with the direction pad on the left. Both the left and right sides of the controller have two large, pressure-sensitive triggers under the space your index fingers rest, with two flat bumper buttons above them. The Xbox logo (the "Nexus" button) and the Start/Select equivalent buttons are all in the same place, as well.

The big differences are a two-position mode selector switch located above and between the right analog stick and direction pad, and a set of four removable metal paddle buttons that snap magnetically into slots on the underside of the controller.These paddles can be mapped to function like any other button on the controller, including pressing the digital pad, clicking the analog sticks, and pulling the pressure-sensitive triggers (but not pulling the analog stick in any given direction). A small switch located above each pair of paddles mechanically limits the trigger buttons' range of motion, if you don't want to deal with the full pull distance of the triggers.

Besides removing the paddles, you can also take out and swap the caps of the analog sticks and the direction pad, all of which click into place with magnets. The Elite Controller comes with two pairs of analog sticks with concave rubber caps at different heights, a pair of DualShock 3-style convex rubber caps at the lower height, plus both a circular eight-direction cover and a standard cross-shaped cover for the direction pad. All of these components, along with the connectors built into the gamepad, are completely metal except for the rubber coatings of the caps of the analog sticks.

Non-control aspects of the controller are largely the same as the standard Xbox One gamepad, as well. A micro USB port on the top lets you connect the controller with an included cloth-wrapped cable to your Xbox One or a compatible PC either to charge or use as a wired controller. A small button for wireless pairing sits just to the left of the port. A connector on the bottom of the controller, between the hand grips, accepts the standard Xbox One gaming headset or adapter. A door on the underside of the controller, above the slots for the paddles, holds the two AA batteries required for the gamepad to function wirelessly.

Build Quality and Accessories

The controller feels much better in the hand than the original Xbox One controller. It has a satisfying heft, and the sturdiness of the metal parts, even though they're held in place by magnets, is very apparent compared with the plastic analog sticks and direction pad of the Xbox One gamepad. The Elite Controller's triggers and bumpers are a silver-colored plastic rather than metal, but they also feel more substantial than the original verisons. A nice rubberized texture on the grips brings it all together and makes the gamepad feel just right in the hand. I still prefer Sony's standard DualShock 4 for layout and trigger feel, but the Elite Controller's build quality is clearly on a higher level.

The Elite Controller comes with a hard zip-up carrying case with foam inserts for all of the interchangeable components, including the paddles if you don't wish to use them. The included USB cable is a lengthy nine feet, so you can easily use it as a wired controller from your couch. Two non-rechargeable batteries are also included so you can use the gamepad right away, but at $150, a built-in rechargeable option, like the battery built into the DualShock 4 controller, would have been preferred.

The Elite Controller stands as a stark contrast to Valve's , which we've also looked at. Both are functional Windows gamepads, but the Elite Controller uses a thoroughly conventional Xbox layout while the Steam Controller uses touch-sensitive pads as the focus of its control scheme. The build quality between the two is also drastically different; the Elite Controller feels nearly bulletproof and very solid, while I found the Steam Controller to feel a bit cheap.

Customization

When connected to an Xbox One, you can tweak the Elite Controller with mind-boggling granularity through the Xbox Accessories app. This Xbox One app lets you map the paddles (or any other button), adjust left and right thumbstick sensitivity individually, tweak the trigger positions and sensitivity of the trigger buttons, customize the rumble power of the gamepad in four different positions (left and right handle and left and right trigger), and even dim the light on the Nexus button (though not turn it off completely; the lowest setting is a very dim but visible 10-percent brightness). The Elite Controller can hold two configuration profiles at once, and you can swap them on the fly with the small mode switch in the middle of the gamepad.

These customization options are also available to Windows 10 users, along with wireless connectivity. If you want to use it with Windows 7 or 8, however, you'll need to use a wired connection with the included cable, and you won't have access to the Xbox Accessories app.

Performance

The Elite Wireless Controller feels great. I didn't find the need to adjust the sensitivity settings personally, but the options are still welcome and I did experiment with the paddle buttons and various mapping options. Killer Instinct played very well, and using the higher analog stick cap made my inputs feel more responsive and precise than with the default analog stick. There wasn't a hint of wiggle from the sticks, direction pad, or buttons—everything felt solid under my thumbs.

The controller worked flawlessly with a Windows 10 PC as well, getting recognized as soon as I plugged it in. Shovel Knight and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance worked with the gamepad as soon as I started them up, and they both felt extremely responsive. Revengeance was slightly floaty with the default sensitivity settings, but that's the sort of situation where the Xbox Accessories app can be used to tweak things to your liking.

The Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is a very expensive gamepad, and the sticker price alone will be enough to turn off some gamers. However, it's a rock-solid controller that's adjustable to a neurotic extent, and its compatibility with both Xbox One and Windows systems gives you plenty of options for use. If you're the kind of gamer who lives with your hands glued to a gamepad (and that gamepad isn't a DualShock 4 connected to a ), this could be a very good investment for you. It's built to last, feels great in the hand, and works with pretty much anything you can throw at it on a Microsoft platform, so it earns our Editors' Choice. If it's too pricey, or you prefer the PlayStation layout, there are a few roundabout ways to connect a DualShock 4 to your PC as an alternative.

Star Wars-Themed Infinity 3.0 Bundle Coming to Apple TV

Star Wars-Themed Infinity 3.0 Bundle Coming to Apple TV

Disney is giving Star Wars fan a new way to play its Infinity 3.0 Edition game this holiday season.

The company on Wednesday launched a Disney Infinity 3.0 Edition Starter Pack bundle for the new Apple TV. The $100 Star Wars-themed bundle, which includes a SteelSeries Nimbus Wireless Controller and a Bluetooth-enabled Disney Infinity Base, is now available at Apple retail stores nationwide.

"Apple TV represents an incredible opportunity for us to bring Disney Infinity to a new audience of players who may not have a game console in their household," John Blackburn, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Infinity, said in a statement. "We're offering the complete Disney Infinity 3.0 experience on this device, optimized for Apple TV, and we're already planning new Disney Infinity experiences for the App Store."

All the figures and Power Discs from the 1.0 and 2.0 versions of the game are compatible with the new Apple TV.

Besides the controller and base, the bundle comes with a Star Wars: Twilight of the Republic Play Set piece, Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano figures, and a Web code card for mobile and PC devices. Additional Play Sets, figures, and Power Discs are sold separately.

For the uninitiated, Disney Infinity is "basically a digital playground where characters from various different movies come together to fight, jump, race, and bonk bad guys across familiar locales and stories," PCMag's Timothy Torres said in his July preview of version 3.0. With the new Star Wars characters, Torres said the 3.0 Edition is likely "the best version of the lucrative toys-to-life franchise yet."

Big 'Xbox One Experience' Update Rolling Out Globally

Big 'Xbox One Experience' Update Rolling Out Globally

Microsoft's big Xbox One update rolls out today, but don't worry if you don't see it on your console just yet.

"It's important to note that not everyone will get the update at once, as it will be deploying globally to the Xbox One audience," Xbox Live's Larry Hryb wrote in a blog post. With an update this size, you can likely expect a few hiccups. too.

Machines running Instant-On power mode (Settings > Power & Startup) will upgrade in the background when in Connected Standby mode. Those consoles in Energy-Saving mode, meanwhile, will not automatically update, and instead require manual initiation via Settings > System.

Like Microsoft's Windows 10 OS notifications, all consoles not upgraded by Nov. 23 will receive a notification prompting the mandatory update.

First tipped in early October, the free Windows 10-powered upgrade promises "the fastest and most social Xbox experience ever," Redmond said last month.

Players can start and join parties, add friends, and check messages without leaving full-game mode or pausing the action. Also, play an initial 100 Xbox 360 titles, including Borderlands, on the Xbox One for free.

The Backward Compatibility feature begins rolling out today at 3:01 p.m. ET, when players can refresh their Game Collection to see previously purchased Xbox 360 titles ready to install on Xbox One.

Microsoft already announced 104 titles that will be compatible, but plans to add support for 'hundreds more" titles in the future.

Other new features include a Community area to see the latest updates and interact with other gamers by liking, commenting on, and sharing content; a revamped OneGuide for browsing TV listings and trending shows; one-click access to GameHubs for developer updates; and an optimized Store with access to games, apps, movies, TV, and music.

On the Xbox gaming front, Redmond recently rolled out new social features—including a Facebook friend finder—for its Xbox beta app on Windows 10.