Light Start – Google VR, SpaceX dates, Kickstarter numbers, and the beginning of Dark Souls III
Brett Venter
Google said to be working on something a little sturdier than Cardboard in the virtual reality space
Google threw Cardboard our way, the folded cardboard VR headset, early on in the virtual reality wars (which are still coming, by the way). But they might be looking at something more complex, along the lines of Samsung’s Gear VR headset, if a report from the Financial Times is on the ball. The report claims that Cardboard has a sturdier descendant on the way, with improved lenses and a plastic casing, and it will also reportedly be “…compatible with a much broader range of Android devices than Gear VR.” The ability to handle virtual reality will apparently be added directly to Android and we can expect a reveal later this year. It could be that Google I/O this year is going to be a lot more varied than previously expected.
SpaceX expected to be giving that ocean landing another crack this month
SpaceX will, weather permitting, be launching a new satellite into orbit on 24 February, which is just around the corner. Yay. The satellite, SES-9, will be going into place some 36,000km above the planet, which is a bit higher than the Falcon 9 rockets usually go so attempting to touch down at the landing pad might not be doable. And they don’t want to lose another rocket, do they? The launch will chew up most of the fuel, meaning that if SpaceX are going to attempt another landing, it’s going to be in the ocean. If they do go for it, and there’s no reason to expect them not to, it’ll be their fourth attempt at placing a returning rocket on a barge in the sea. Fourth time lucky? We hope so, and we’ll be keeping our eyes on the skies on 24 February.
Kickstarter releases some new numbers, with 100,000 being the most important one
Kickstarter have dropped a bunch of numbers. A whole bunch of numbers. 100 of them, to be exact, but the one we’re concerned with most is 100,000. That’s how many Kickstarter projects have been successfully funded since the crowdfunding service took to the internet in 2009. That long ago? Yup, afraid so. The rest of the numbers on the list of 100 cover everything from how long the last 100 projects took to fund (3 days) to how many students used satellite ping-pong balls for space experiments (3,200) to how many Kickstarter-funded movies have been nominated for an Oscar (11). Grab the entire educational list at the link below.
The fire fades and the Lords of Cinder rise in Dark Souls III’s opening cinematic
Why are we not playing this yet? Bandai Namco have revealed the opening cinematic for built-on-frustration title Dark Souls III, detailing some of what is sure to be an epic journey through the lands of Lothric to face off against the Lords of Cinder. A brooding, dark setting, tough-as-nails gameplay and some beat-your-head-against-the-wall tactical choices should be the order of the day. We can’t think of a better way to spend some game-time than overcoming some nearly-impossible odds and this looks like just the place to do it. Some people like it rough, you know.
