Technologies

PlayStation VR 2 Unboxed: What’s Inside

While we finish our review of the PSVR 2, here’s what you get in the box.

Sony’s PlayStation VR 2 headset arrives Feb. 22, turning the PlayStation 5 into your own home virtual reality game system. Our complete review is coming, but in the meantime we’re unboxing the gadget and setting up the hardware. After our initial hands-on with the PSVR 2 headset back in the fall, we really wanted to know what was in the box.

To our pleasant surprise, the $550 ( 530, AU$880) PSVR 2 feels less cluttered than the first PlayStation VR did, and it’s sort of shocking when you unpack the box. There’s the headset with a single USB-C cable, a pair of PlayStation Sense controllers, a USB charge cable for the controllers, a pair of earbuds — and that’s it.

You probably wouldn’t expect much more than that if you’ve bought a modern VR headset like the Meta Quest 2, but it’s so much better than the tangle of breakout boxes and cables that the first PSVR required. The original 2016 PSVR needed a webcamlike PlayStation camera to attach to the TV for tracking, a breakout box with its own power supply, and cables you’d snake between the PS4, the headset and the box.

Now forget all that: All you need here is that one built-in USB-C cable.

Headset: Self-contained

The PlayStation VR 2 headset is lightweight and not all that different in feel from the original. It slides over glasses easily and has a rubberized eye mask, but this time you can adjust how far apart the lenses are for different eye needs, in addition to sliding closer or farther away for comfort. There are four cameras on the outside of the headset that handle all the room tracking, similar to how VR headsets like the Quest 2 work. There’s nothing else you need to plug in.

The visor design tightens in the back and stretches to fit heads, making it less constricting than elastic face straps like the Quest 2 has. But it also means a larger design that feels bulky, and you might want to make sfure you find a place to store it safely (and away from sunlight so the displays don’t get damaged).

There’s a small headphone jack along the top edge of the headset, where a customized pair of earbuds on a plastic rail plug right in. The buds can drop down and pop in your ears, and pop into little holders on the side when not in use. There’s no ambient speakers here like the Quest 2, so you’ll need headphones on. You could also plug in another pair, like Sony’s over-ear Pulse headset. There are a few extra bud tips included for various ear fits.

The USB-C cable is permanently attached to the PSVR 2, but it’s long. Long enough that I could easily snake it across a living room, at least. Is it long enough to feel like it’s not getting in the way, or too limiting? Stay tuned.

Controllers: Sleek and light

The controllers are super lightweight, as I mentioned back in the fall. Their ring design is elegant. And they feel almost like spheres I lower my hands into. The controls and triggers are very much like the DualSense controller, but split in two. They have USB-C charging ports and rechargeable batteries, and adjustable hand straps to stay on tight for active games.

Sony also sells a separate controller charge dock that was sent along with the headset for us to check out.

The dock is simple and flat, and comes with tiny dongles for the USB-C ports that add charge pins to dock with the charge base. It makes the charging feel almost contactless, and seems like a useful add-on. The tiny dongles, however, look like something you’d better keep in the controllers, otherwise you might lose them.

Review to come

We’ll have more impressions soon, so stay tuned for a full review. But we can say, at least, that the PSVR 2 package already feels like far less of a headache than the original was in 2016.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Saturday, March 14

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for March 14.

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

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? It’s the extra-long Saturday version, and a few of the clues are tricky. Read on for all the answers. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Book parts: Abbr.
Answer: PGS

4A clue: Silicon Valley company that operates a fleet of robotaxis
Answer: WAYMO

6A clue: To a much greater degree
Answer: WAYMORE

8A clue: Contents of a scuba diver’s tank
Answer: AIR

9A clue: South Korean automaker
Answer: KIA

10A clue: Stop on a train route
Answer: STATION

12A clue: Actress Merman of «Anything Goes»
Answer: ETHEL

13A clue: Find another purpose for
Answer: REUSE

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Employee’s hourly calculation
Answer: PAYRATE

2D clue: Workout spot
Answer: GYM

3D clue: «Great» mountains of Tennessee, familiarly
Answer: SMOKIES

4D clue: One giving you the dish?
Answer: WAITER

5D clue: Baltimore M.L.B. player
Answer: ORIOLE

6D clue: Used to be
Answer: WAS

7D clue: Suffix with Caesar or Euclid
Answer: EAN

11D clue: Night that NBC once aired «30 Rock» and «The Office»: Abbr.
Answer: THU

Technologies

AI Toys Can Pose Safety Concerns for Children, New Study Suggests Caution

When one child told the toy, «I love you,» it responded, «As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided.»

A new study from the University of Cambridge found that AI-enabled toys for young children can misinterpret emotional cues and are ineffective at supporting critical developmental play. The conclusions could be concerning for parents.

In one report examining how AI affects children in their early years, a chatbot-enabled toy struggled to recognize social cues during playtime. Researchers found that the toy did not effectively identify children’s emotions, raising alarm about how kids might interact with it.

The report recommends regulating AI toys for kids and requiring clear labeling of their capabilities and privacy policies. It also advises parents to keep these devices in shared spaces where kids can be monitored while playing.

The research behind the study had a limited number of participants, but was done in multiple parts: an online survey of 39 participants with kids in their earlier years, a focus group with nine participants who work with young children and an in-person workshop with 19 leaders and representatives from charities that work with early-years kids. That was followed by monitored playtime with 14 children and 11 parents or guardians with Gabbo, a chatbot-enabled toy from Curio Interactive.

Some findings indicated that the AI toy supported learning, particularly in language and communication skills. But the toy also misunderstood kids and sometimes responded inappropriately to emotional requests.

For instance, when one child told the toy, «I love you,» it responded, «As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided. Let me know how you would like to proceed,» according to the research.

Jenny Gibson, a professor of neurodiversity and developmental psychology at the Faculty of Education at Cambridge, who worked on the study, said that while parents may be excited about the educational benefits of new technology aimed at children, there are plenty of concerns.

Gibson posed overarching questions about the reason behind the tech.

«What would motivate [tech investors] to do the right thing by children … to put children ahead of profits? she said»

Gibson told CNET that while researchers are exploring the potential benefits of AI-based toys, risks remain.

«I would advise parents to take that seriously at this stage,» she said.

What’s next for AI toys

As more playthings are enabled with internet connectivity and AI features, these devices could become a major safety risk for children, especially if they replace real human connections or if interactions are not closely monitored.

Meanwhile, younger people are increasingly adopting chatbots such as ChatGPT, despite red flags. Multiple lawsuits against AI companies allege that AI companions or assistants can impact young people’s psychological safety, including some chatbots that have encouraged self-harm or negative self-image.

AI companies such as OpenAI and Google have responded by adding guardrails and restrictions for AI chatbots.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Gibson said she was surprised by the enthusiasm some parents showed for AI toys. She was also alarmed by the lack of research on AI’s effects on young children, noting that companies making such products should work directly with children, parents, and child development experts.

«What’s missing in the process is that expertise of what is good for children in these kinds of interactions,» she said.

Curio Interactive, the company behind the Gabbo toy, was aware of the research as it was happening but was not directly involved, Gibson said. The toy was chosen because it’s directly marketed to young kids, and the company had an understandable privacy policy. Gibson said the company seemed supportive of the project.

A representative for Curio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Technologies

Two Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Episodes Found Intact in Waterlogged Collection

The 1960s episodes featuring the first Doctor William Hartnell will air in the UK in April.

Whovians, rejoice. The BBC is about to unlock a piece of Doctor Who history that even the TARDIS might have forgotten. Two lost episodes of Doctor Who, the iconic sci-fi series, will broadcast in April, the showrunner for the current season confirmed.

The two 1965 episodes, The Nightmare Begins and Devil’s Planet, were donated to the charitable trust Film Is Fabulous by the estate of an anonymous collector.

«The collector did recognize what he had, but how he acquired them has been lost to time,» Professor Justin Smith Leicester of De Montfort University, who led the recovery effort, told the broadcaster.

The researchers said that while most of the donor’s private collection was destroyed by water damage, the Doctor Who episodes were intact.

Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies, celebrated the news on Instagram and said the episodes would air in the UK in April, though no US air date has been announced yet.

«Lost for 61 years! Best of all, these will be made available for FREE on the BBC iPlayer in April,» Davies wrote.

He expressed gratitude to Film Is Fabulous for finding the lost episodes and encouraged people to donate to the registered charity. «Maybe they’ll find more! As the Doctor says… ‘Daleks!'»

The episodes feature the first incarnation of the Doctor, played by William Hartnell, and a typical Dalek plot to take over Earth and the galaxy.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the BBC had a policy of destroying film or reusing videotapes, leading to dozens of episodes of Doctor Who and other popular UK shows like Dad’s Army and Top of the Pops going missing.

Old Doctor Who episodes do surface occasionally, and in 2016, the newly discovered soundtrack for one storyline was turned into an animated series called The Power of the Daleks.

Meanwhile, Disney ended its working relationship with the BBC last year, and star Ncuti Gatwa left the show. However, the UK broadcaster says that Doctor Who will continue, and Russell T Davies is working on a new Christmas special.