Valve and HTC's Vive priced at $800

HTC today announced that the Vive virtual reality kit created in conjunction with Valve will launch in April for $799. The Vive headset will come packed with two wireless controllers, room-scale movement sensors, and (for a limited time) two games: Job Simulator and Fantastic Contraption.

HTC has revealed the recommended PC specs for use with its SteamVR-powered Vive headset, as reported by Upload VR. For the most part, they are consistent with those published by Oculus VR, though the Vive's 4GB RAM requirement is half that suggested for the Rift.

PlayStation VR launching this fall - GameStop CEO

It looks like PlayStation VR will trail the competition to market. In an interview with Fox News this week, GameStop CEO Paul Raines narrowed the release window on the console maker's entry into virtual reality.

"It's a big launch," Raines said. "We're getting ready for it. We will launch the Sony product this fall, and we are in discussions with the other two players."

So far, Sony has only said it will launch PlayStation VR sometime this year. A fall release would have it lagging behind the high-profile launches of two other major VR headsets, Oculus Rift (with a launch scheduled for March 28) and HTC Vive (debuting in April). Regardless of when the headsets launch or which ones prove to be the most successful, Raines said GameStop has plenty of advantages that should help it "dominate" the market.

Google is exploring wireless charging for self-driving cars

IEEE Spectrum found two FCC filings about Google's foray into resonant magnetic induction.

Self-driving cars are poised to be an incredible tool of the future, but they won't be much use if they can't hold a charge. It looks like Google wants to solve this problem via resonant magnetic induction, a form of wireless charging that could use manhole-style transmitters embedded in pavement to juice up driverless vehicles, IEEE Spectrum reports.


The outlet spotted documents that Google filed with the Federal Communications Commission outlining its work with Hevo Power and Momentum Dynamics. These companies were cleared to install experimental chargers at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California, and in its nearby Castle facility used to test self-driving cars.

The idea is that self-driving vehicles would hover over a charging pad for a few minutes to power up, or pass over a series of transmitters as the car is in motion, scoring a nearly constant charge.

Wireless charging solves a few problems for the makers of self-driving people-movers. An efficient system would allow Google and other manufacturers to use smaller, lighter batteries than the ones in current electric vehicles, slashing the cars' overall price. Plus, accessible wireless charging removes a barrier to traveling for children, the elderly and people with certain disabilities, IEEE notes.