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 Strands Hints, Answers and Help for Oct. 23 #599

Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 599.

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

Today’s NYT Strands puzzle might be Halloween-themed, as the answers are all rather dangerous. Some of them are a bit tough to unscramble, so if you need hints and answers, read on.

I go into depth about the rules for Strands in this story.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections and Mini Crossword answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: NYT Connections Turns 1: These Are the 5 Toughest Puzzles So Far

Hint for today’s Strands puzzle

Today’s Strands theme is: Please don’t eat me!

If that doesn’t help you, here’s a clue: Remember Mr. Yuk?

Clue words to unlock in-game hints

Your goal is to find hidden words that fit the puzzle’s theme. If you’re stuck, find any words you can. Every time you find three words of four letters or more, Strands will reveal one of the theme words. These are the words I used to get those hints but any words of four or more letters that you find will work:

POND, NOON, NODE, BALE, SOCK, LOVE, LOCK, MOCK, LEER, REEL, GLOVE, DAIS, LEAN, LEAD, REEL

Answers for today’s Strands puzzle

These are the answers that tie into the theme. The goal of the puzzle is to find them all, including the spangram, a theme word that reaches from one side of the puzzle to the other. When you have all of them (I originally thought there were always eight but learned that the number can vary), every letter on the board will be used. Here are the nonspangram answers:

AZALEA, HEMLOCK, FOXGLOVE, OLEANDER, BELLADONNA

Today’s Strands spangram

Today’s Strands spangram is POISONOUS. To find it, look for the P that is the first letter on the far left of the top row, and wind down and across.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Oct. 23, #395

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Oct. 23, No. 395.

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 has one of those crazy purple categories, where you wonder if anyone saw the connection, or if people just put that grouping together because only those four words were left. If you’re struggling 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 show up in the NYT Games app but appears 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: Fan noise.

Green group hint: Strategies for hoops.

Blue group hint: Minor league.

Purple group hint: Look for a connection to hoops.

Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Yellow group: Sounds from the crowd.

Green group: Basketball offenses.

Blue group: Triple-A baseball teams.

Purple group: Ends with a basketball stat.

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 sounds from the crowd. The four answers are boo, cheer, clap and whistle.

The green words in today’s Connections

The theme is basketball offenses. The four answers are motion, pick and roll, Princeton and triangle.

The blue words in today’s Connections

The theme is triple-A baseball teams. The four answers are Aces, Jumbo Shrimp, Sounds and Storm Chasers.

The purple words in today’s Connections

The theme is ends with a basketball stat. The four answers are afoul, bassist, counterpoint and sunblock.

Technologies

Amazon’s Delivery Drivers Will Soon Wear AI Smart Glasses to Work

The goal is to streamline the delivery process while keeping drivers safe.

Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is developing new AI-powered smart glasses to simplify the delivery experience for its drivers. CNET smart glasses expert Scott Stein mentioned this wearable rollout last month, and now the plan is in its final testing stages.

The goal is to simplify package delivery by reducing the need for drivers to look at their phones, the label on the package they’re delivering and their surroundings to find the correct address.

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

A heads-up display will activate as soon as the driver parks, pointing out potential hazards and tasks that must be completed. From there, drivers can locate and scan packages, follow turn-by-turn directions and snap a photograph to prove delivery completion without needing to take out their phone.

The company is testing the glasses in select North American markets.

Watch: See our Instagram post with a video showing the glasses

A representative for Amazon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

To fight battery drain, the glasses pair with a controller attached to the employee’s delivery vest, allowing them to replace depleted batteries and access operational controls. The glasses will support an employee’s eyeglass prescription. An emergency button will be within reach to ensure the driver’s safety.

Amazon is already planning future versions of the glasses, which will feature «real-time defect detection,» notifying the driver if a package was delivered to the incorrect address. They plan to add features to the glasses to detect if pets are in the yard and adjust to low light.