Plus: Creepy video calls are coming to Windows 11, and the Pentagon reveals its X-rated secrets | Apple watchers are counting down to June 6 | You might finally be able to buy an Xbox Series X
Created for techradar.com@quicklydone.com | Web Version
Hey everyone! It's Matt Hanson, TechRadar's Computing Editor here, filling in for Gareth. I'll be your humble guide to this week's… er… Week in Review. Off to a good start.
Fans of this newsletter may know that the boss is off for a few weeks of well-deserved rest – or, as much rest as it's possible to have with a newborn baby around – and with Gerald Lynch having been kidnapped or something (I'd better check on him, actually), it's up to me to round up the hottest, coolest and everything in betweenest tech news from this week.
It's been a pretty interesting week, with the global chip shortage seemingly, hopefully, coming to an end, which means more affordable graphics cards are finally on the horizon; and as I explain below, the Xbox Series X appears to be getting easier to buy as well.
We've also had a glimpse of what Apple is planning for its WWDC 2022 event, and Microsoft showed off some cool (and creepy) new features coming to a Windows 11 device near you.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will be taking the stage for WWDC 2022 (Apple)
Apple will be hosting its 2022 WWDC developer event (there’s no way I’m ever going to call it ‘Dub Dub’, no matter how much the company wants that to be A Thing) between June 6 and June 10, and once again it’ll be fully remote.
While the bulk of WWDC is aimed at app developers and can be a little on the dry and technical side, these events always give us an exciting glimpse at what Apple is working on, especially when it comes to the software that powers its devices, be it iOS for iPhones, iPadOS for iPads, or macOS for Macs and MacBooks.
We could also get some glimpses of features coming to new Macs, iPhones and iPads in the future, so if you’re an Apple fan you’re definitely going to want to check it out, and we’ll be covering the event live of course. My big hope? FaceID coming to macOS, allowing users to log into their MacBook just by glancing at their webcam.
The Xbox Series X is becoming easier to get hold of (Shutterstock/Miguel Lagoa)
The past few years have been a bit of a nightmare for all of us in various ways, and gamers have been among those affected by the global chip shortage, which has made trying to get hold of a new console (or graphics card) extremely difficult. However, it looks like things could finally be looking up, with many people reporting that they're finding it easier to get hold of the elusive Xbox Series X.
It seems to me that there are a few factors at play here. For a start, chip shortages are gradually easing, and we've seen other devices, and GPUs, becoming more readily available. It could also be the case that, getting on for two years after its launch, the hype around the Xbox Series X has died down a little, so there's not the same scramble to get one – especially compared to the more popular PS5, which still sells out almost as soon as new stock comes in.
The XboxEra podcast has another theory: Microsoft made a significant investment a year ago to prioritize chip production for Xbox Series X consoles. This apparently involved the company offering chip makers more money to produce chips for the Xbox ahead of fulfilling orders from other customers.
While this wouldn't be the first time Microsoft has dipped into its vast bank balance to get the upper hand over the competition, I'm not sold on this theory. These chip foundries (many based in Taiwan) serve some of the biggest companies in the world, including Apple, Nvidia and Sony, and they wouldn't want to disappoint their other customers just because Microsoft waved its checkbook around.
What is certain, though, is that Xbox Series X consoles are becoming easier to buy – and that's great news for gamers.
Can't take my eyes off you… a potentially unnerving feature is coming to Windows 11 (Microsoft)
This week Microsoft held an event at which it showed off what it believes to be the 'future of hybrid working'. Now, before you think Microsoft missed a trick by not holding this event during TechRadar's recent Sleep Week as a great way to combat insomnia, it was actually a really interesting glimpse of what's coming to Windows 11.
Our live blog covering the event highlighted some of the most exciting new features, and two in particular caught my eye: tabs are coming to File Explorer, which will enable you to browse the files and folders on your PC in a similar fashion to how you browse multiple web pages, and folders are also coming to the Start menu, which should make organizing our apps and documents much easier, and restores a feature that many of us relied on in previous versions of Windows.
Not every new feature looks as promising, though. I was particularly freaked out by a new feature that will use AI to make a person's eyes in video calls look like they're staring directly at you, even when that person isn't. While the idea is to avoid the distracting issue of people looking away from the camera as they look at their monitor while talking, the effect is pretty creepy, and a great example of the limits of AI and the 'uncanny valley' effect.
Peloton has a new way to help you stay in shape (Peloton)
When the Peloton Guide was first announced last year, it was met with a whole load of skepticism. "Surely this is just an overpriced Kinect ripoff?!", I'm sure some people exclaimed.
It's basically a webcam that you add to your TV which guides you through strength-training exercises, but with a typical Peloton twist: a big upfront cost ($295 / £275), plus a monthly subscription. If it sounds like I'm not entirely sure of this product, you're right.
For me, exercise is something that happens to other people, and the only time you'll see me running is if I am being chased by a bear. However, our intrepid writer Axel Metz has tried out the Peloton Guide, and he came away pretty impressed with it.
The expert advice from Peloton's trainers means you can pick up new exercises and safely perform them with the correct techniques, and the tracking of the camera is much more advanced than that of the Kinect. Axel certainly sounds enthusiastic, although that high price and subscription does make me wonder why you wouldn't just go to the gym instead. Fortunately, I'm in such fantastic shape that I don't have to do either.
Annoying or helpful? Ads could soon appear over your favorite shows (Vizio / Fox)
There aren't many stories that make me audibly cry "ewwww!" but this was one of them. As our awesome Home Entertainment Editor Olivia Tambini writes, Vizio is planning on introducing Jump Ads, which will add banner adverts over the top of certain TV shows you watch.
While it sounds pretty gross – watching TV often involves sitting through quite enough adverts as it is – the more I read about the feature, the more I… didn't hate it. For one thing, it looks like the ads will only appear over certain shows. And the banners will only advertise ways to watch additional episodes, or catch up on any you've missed.
This actually sounds quite useful, allowing you to quickly access more episodes of a show that has you hooked, and if Vizio's Jump Ads do indeed take this form, I'm not too worried. However, if this turns into a slippery slope, leading to adverts for unconnected services or products being pushed to viewers who are just trying to watch their favorite show in peace, then I'll be right back to "ewwww!".
When first-person shooters get real (Enough_Dance_956)
I’m a big Razer fan, and I have a bunch of its peripherals dangling out of my gaming PC. However, while the brand’s products are great for gaming, I’ve never thought that one of them might save my life.
That’s exactly what apparently happened to one gamer, who says a Razer Kraken gaming headset deflected a stray bullet. Reddit user Enough_Dance_956 says they were minding their own business at home when the bullet flew through their window and ricocheted off the headset.
They appear to have had an incredibly lucky escape (although perhaps you’re not that lucky if you live somewhere where stray bullets are an everyday hazard), as the bullet bounced off the thin strip of the headset. The story is also a testament to Razer’s build quality, as there aren’t many gaming headsets out there that could withstand a bullet.
The story, originally posted on Reddit, has plenty of photos to back it up, and while some posters point out that the whole thing could easily have been faked, Razer clearly believed the story, as it offered Enough_Dance_956 a replacement headset.
POLL QUESTION:
If you had to save the life of one of your gadgets, which would it be?
So the truth actually is out there. Maybe. According to a huge US government database, which was made public via a Freedom of Information request, encounters with UFOs have left people with radiation burns, damage to their nervous systems, and even an "unaccounted for pregnancy".
Documents detailing these apparent liaisons with exterrestrial life were compiled by the secretive Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) wing of the US Department of Defense. So, does this mean that UFOs and alien encounters are real? The X-Files fan in me certainly wishes that was the case (as long as it was the good kind of aliens that stop at a naughty probe, rather than the ones that melt your face with their blood), but these claims are pretty outlandish.
Also, the FOI request was made by The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper, which is refusing to release the full content of the reports, which means checking the validity of these claims is going to be difficult.
I want to believe – but I'm not convinced.
This is from the editor
Thanks for reading! Hopefully these stories have given you an insight into some of the tech we'll be seeing later this year – I'm certainly feeling more optimistic about the industry we cover, and it's always nice to be able to look to the future and be excited.
If you haven't already, make sure you sign up to receive this newsletter every week – and if you've got any thoughts you'd like to share, you can email Gareth when he's back from his break (remembering to include NEWSLETTER in the subject line).
As for me, I'm going to go play some Elden Ring and maybe write about laptops or something.
Have a great weekend!
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