Technologies

Best VR Headsets of 2022

Guess what? The Quest 2 still remains the best.

VR still isn’t an essential experience for anyone, but it can be a lot of fun and surprisingly useful at times. The hardware, however, is currently in transition. Sony’s $550 PSVR 2, which requires a PlayStation 5, arrives Feb. 22 but is available for preorder. There’s been a wave of new VR headsets lately, including the $1,500 Meta Quest Pro and the not-available-in-the-US Pico 4. Apple’s rumored headset should be on its way in 2023, along with the Quest 3. And yet, right now, the 2-year-old Meta Quest 2 is still by far the best choice. Right now, a couple of our favorite VR headsets also have Black Friday sales: the Quest 2 and HP Reverb G2.

The cost of a new VR headset might be going up these days, and the $400 Quest 2 jumped up in price earlier this year (it used to be $299, but is back on sale for $350 in a limited Black Friday bundle). Even so, it still offers a completely wireless experience, with access to a great library of fantastic games like Resident Evil 4 and The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. It can also be connected to a PC to play titles like Half-Life: Alyx, or run a variety of PC VR applications. Meta keeps improving its software over time with added extras.

Anyone in the VR/AR industry looking to explore next-gen face tracking or mixed reality might consider the Quest Pro, but its high price means it won’t make sense for anyone else right now. Keep in mind, Meta is releasing the Quest 3 next year, at a price expected to be similar to the Quest 2 and possibly with some features that are on the Quest Pro. (The Pico 4 gives some hints of how the Quest 3 could be upgraded.) You might want to wait for it, or for the other VR headsets on the horizon.

Apple is expected to have some form of advanced VR/AR headset next year that could also be super expensive. Sony’s PlayStation VR 2, also coming in 2023, requires a PlayStation 5 but has fantastic new controllers and could boast unique games. And in the meantime, we may see more experimental, phone-connected headsets like the HTC Vive Flow start to pop up.

VR in 2022 remains an impressive but still limited proposition. Thanks to tremendous advancements in the visuals, tracking and overall performance of VR hardware, the best VR headset options have become more realistic and immersive. More advanced metaverse platforms and social worlds have given VR owners more to explore, too. Even so, VR still hasn’t become a necessary product for most people.

VR’s strongest applications tend to be gaming and fitness. For fitness, a standalone headset like the Quest 2 is practically mandatory, to avoid wire tangles and make sure you can move around. (The Quest 2 also has a fitness tracker app and syncs with Apple Health.)

Will you want a headset that works with your phone? Qualcomm’s been making headway on a wave of VR and AR headsets that plug right into phones, but at the moment the software for these devices is a work in progress. Neither Google nor Apple really supports VR at a seamless system level for phones yet, meaning devices have to figure out awkward solutions.

If you’re a PC gamer,a PC-connected VR headset still offers the most versatile collection of software for an immersive VR experience, and also lets you use that headset for creative and business tools. Note that a more powerful VR systemwill still be largely tethered to a desktop or laptop and may require external sensors.

And what about console gaming? The aging PlayStation VRstill exists, but you’re better off waiting for the PSVR 2 if you have a PS5.

We update this best VR headset list periodically, but note that prices are subject to change.

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for Jan. 29, #963

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for Jan. 29 #963.

Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

What a fun NYT Connections puzzle today! There’s a favorite children’s story in one group, and four classic author surnames that, naturally, don’t show up in an «author surname» category. Read on for clues and all of today’s Connections answers.

The Times has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including the number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.

Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time

Hints for today’s Connections groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Maybe it’s Maybelline.

Green group hint: Too hot, too cold, just right.

Blue group hint: Raise a cup.

Purple group hint: They all sound like words with a similar meaning.

Answers for today’s Connections groups

Yellow group: Makeup.

Green group: Featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Blue group: Ending with drinking vessels.

Purple group: Homophones of words meaning «brutal.»

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is makeup. The four answers are bronzer, foundation, liner and stain.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is featured in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The four answers are bear, bed, Goldilocks and porridge.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is ending with drinking vessels. The four answers are fiberglass, Silverstein, smug and stumbler.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is homophones of words meaning «brutal.» The four answers are Gorey, Grimm, grizzly and Scarry.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Jan. 29, #493

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Jan. 29, No. 493.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition features some tricky terms. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Checkmate!

Green group hint: Think Nadia Comăneci.

Blue group hint: Soccer stars.

Purple group hint: H2O.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Chess pieces.

Green group: Gymnastics terms.

Blue group: Premier League Golden Boot winners.

Purple group: Water ____.

Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words

What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?

The yellow words in today’s Connections

The theme is chess pieces. The four answers are bishop, pawn, queen and rook.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is gymnastics terms. The four answers are handspring, round-off, salto and twist.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is Premier League Golden Boot winners. The four answers are

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is water ____. The four answers are bottle, boy, hazard and polo.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Technologies

Google Gives Chrome an AI Side Panel and Lets Gemini Browse for You

The update also includes Nano Banana image tools and deeper integrations with Google apps like Gmail, Calendar, Maps and Flights.

Google is turning Chrome into something closer to a digital copilot.

In the next wave of Gemini updates rolling out, Google on Wednesday revealed a set of new AI-powered features coming directly to its browser, aimed at reducing the frustrations of exploring the internet each day. Built on Gemini 3, the updates introduce an always-available side panel, deeper app integrations, creative image tools and a new browser agent called auto browse that can complete multistep tasks on your behalf.

Essentially, Google wants Chrome to be like an AI wingman that browses, compares and multitasks for you.

Now you can automate browsing

To me, the standout new addition is auto browse, a browser agent designed to handle tedious and time-consuming chores. Instead of hopping between tabs, filling out forms or manually comparing prices of things like products or flights, you can ask Chrome to do the legwork.

Auto browse can research flights and hotels across different dates, collect documents, schedule appointments, manage subscriptions and help with tasks like renewing a driver’s license or filing expense reports.

In a live demo I saw, Product Lead Charmaine D’Silva used the new tools to plan a family vacation. Gemini compared destinations and prices across multiple travel sites, checked school calendars to see when her kids were off and lined up schedules to find workable travel windows. When it came time to book, though, D’Silva emphasized that the final decision and purchase were still hers, underscoring Google’s plan to keep humans in control for key tasks like booking and purchases.

The feature is rolling out to AI Pro and Ultra subscribers in the US now, signaling Google’s broader push toward more agentic AI experiences.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

A new side panel experience

Another update rolling out now is a redesigned Gemini side panel in Chrome, available across MacOS, Windows and Chromebook Plus. Instead of opening a separate tab, Gemini now lives alongside whatever you’re working on, making it easier to multitask without breaking your flow. Testers have used it to summarize reviews across sites, compare shopping options and juggle packed calendars while keeping their main task front and center.

AI image editing with Nano Banana

Chrome is also trying to become more creative. Google is bringing Nano Banana, its AI image editing and generation tool, directly into the browser. You can now edit and reimagine images you find on the web without downloading files or switching apps — whether that’s mocking up a living room redesign or turning raw data into an infographic at work.

Chrome connects with other Google apps

Under the hood, Gemini in Chrome is becoming more connected to the rest of Google’s ecosystem. Integrations with Gmail, Calendar, Maps, YouTube, Google Flights and Shopping will allow the assistant to pull in relevant context and take action across apps. Planning a trip, for example, could involve referencing an old email, checking flight options and drafting a follow-up email to your travel companions. Now all in one place.

More to come

Looking ahead, Google says personal intelligence is coming to Chrome in the coming months. With user opt-in, Gemini will remember context from past interactions to deliver more tailored, proactive help across the web, while giving you control over what data is connected and when.