Technologies

Meow Wolf Enters the Mini-Golf Metaverse

Exclusive: Walkabout Mini Golf is adding a new VR course designed by immersive art pioneer Meow Wolf. The designers gave us hints of what’s to come.

Walkabout Mini Golf, one of the best multiplayer apps for VR headsets, is adding a course made by art collective Meow Wolf and based on the group’s real-world experiences. It’s Meow Wolf’s first big dip into virtual reality, and it’s scheduled to arrive later this year.

It’s not as strange a move as you might think for Meow Wolf, the group behind the cult hit House of Eternal Return, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a growing bunch of other in-person destinations (Omega Mart in Las Vegas, Convergence Station in Denver).

Or maybe it is.

But in a VR/AR landscape that still doesn’t really know what a metaverse is supposed to be, this collaboration could point toward creative teams actually trying to figure this out ahead of a wave of new headsets coming later this year.

Let me back up a bit. I find well-built, custom-crafted VR experiences wonderful. I also love immersive physical spaces and theater experiences that take similar care with how groups of people explore strange new worlds together.

VR and AR’s metaverse push of the last couple of years, however, has tried to just create big open social tools with no real guidance or superstructure. These places — VRChat, the soon-to-be-closed AltSpace VR, Meta’s flailing Horizon Worlds, Rec Room — seem to either be spots where fun stuff emerges, or confusing and poorly run experiments that feel empty or alienating unless you know who you’re meeting with and where you’re going.

Sometimes, I find that it’s the in-person experiences that can craft what the virtual ones can’t yet. Meow Wolf’s in-person, multilayered, maximally dense art collective spaces struck me as the sort of way to guide more-elaborate social virtual worlds of the future. The Meow Wolf–Walkabout collaboration sounds like a bizarre and whimsical mirror-world experience that’s also a foot in the door for Meow Wolf’s future explorations in VR and AR.

meow-wolf-walkabout-vr-2 — Meow Wolf’s course will involve an intelligent alien world called Numina that plays with reality.

Meow Wolf

Weird golf

«We’ve been dreaming about making mini-golf forever,» Caity Kennedy, one of Meow Wolf’s co-founders and the group’s senior creative director, said to me during a Zoom chat. «Since a lot of our exhibits are a big thing compartmentalized with a bunch of little things, mini-golf is like a pretty hilarious and very accessible version of that.»

Another Meow Wolf co-founder, Vince Kadlubek, had been playing in VR games and experiences for years, which led to the collaboration with the team at Walkabout Mini Golf. Meow Wolf had made its own AR companion app for the House of Eternal Return installation years ago, but translating some of those designs into a VR mini-golf course is a different type of crossover experience.

Kennedy already uses some VR art tools, including Gravity Sketch, to work on designs for Meow Wolf’s physical installations. Gravity Sketch was also used as a collaborative place to dream up the VR course. «We have VR artists, we have VR developers that are working on things,» Kennedy hinted, suggesting that Walkabout’s relatively contained structure might be a good starting point.

If you haven’t been paying attention, Walkabout Mini Golf has already become one of the best social VR destinations if you have a small group of friends. This game, and Demeo, are where I tend to join a few old friends for a casual game that lasts about an hour, allows us to chat and explore, and then stop. It feels like going for a walk, or getting coffee, or going to a museum. Or playing mini-golf. Unlike more-intense VR games, or way too open social worlds with no real focus, it gives us something to do while we’re talking. It works.

«It aligned a lot with our sense of humor,» Kennedy said of the collaboration. «You can be good at golf, you can be bad at golf, you can just not play golf and go explore.»

Golf as a strange doorway

Walkabout’s golf courses have already been getting a lot more immersive over time, becoming more like walk-through theme parks or stories than just a bunch of golf holes. A course based on the classic Jim Henson film Labyrinth is like a tour of the film’s plot, and even has a side labyrinth to wander around in. There are Jules Verne courses. There’s a Myst course.

The Meow Wolf course, based on the living other-dimensional jungle world of Numina that’s part of Meow Wolf’s in-person Convergence Station experience in Denver, is meant to be a sort of parallel virtual visit, or maybe a golf course that ends up being visited by and mutated by Numina.

Kennedy hints that the way Meow Wolf’s course will work is a lot stranger and more whimsical than even previous Walkabout courses, which of course excites me. Also, the presence of Numina as a character will loom large over the experience, a «living universe that is curious about us simple animals that are wandering around, falling down stairs and things.»

«It’s not just a duplicate,» Kennedy said of the VR version of Numina versus the physical creation in Denver. «There will be a familiar experience that is twisted and freed by the mechanics of virtual reality. People who’ve been to Numina in real life [at Meow Wolf] will see a lot of things that they got to see in real life, but a lot of people who have only seen pictures will get to wander around something akin to the pictures they’ve seen.

«But, lots of differences: I mean, gravity doesn’t exist in VR. We can make things slip. We don’t have to have electrical wires, or speakers or a lot of the things that limit what we’re able to do. And we’re able to have animation that we can’t do. There’s so much fluidity that is really only possible at the moment in VR.»

A massive furry art creature sculpture in a dim jungle world room — One of the areas in Numina at Meow Wolf’s Convergence Station in Denver. The VR experience will refer to the real-world place in strange ways.

Scott Stein/CNET

Virtual and real winking at each other

Disney has explored crossovers of the virtual and real. It’s created a Star Wars Tales From the Galaxy’s Edge VR game that’s set in the outer realms of the same planet Batuu as the real-life Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge parks. In theory, visiting the virtual game could inspire you to go to the actual park, or the game could be a living souvenir.

Future planned metaverse-ish explorations could have a similar vibe. Meow Wolf’s own physical spaces communicate with each other via telephones, and a ton of merchandise already extends the stories into some take-home souvenir directions. You can buy Omega Mart merchandise from the alternate-universe store’s gift shop, for example, or get books and artifacts, much like you can at Disney’s stores in Galaxy’s Edge. In some ways, Meow Wolf’s virtual spaces may aim to do the same.

«Mini-golf is not a collective world, so there can’t be live feeds into anything, but having connections between the two, where people can at least see one from the other, or use something they found in one to affect the other… this is going to be kind of our test case,» Kennedy said. «This is our first foray into connecting a real world exhibit with virtual reality.»

Lucas Martell, the director of Walkabout Mini Golf, said the Meow Wolf course «is going to be much more of an experience,» admitting that the company is starting to flex out with more experimental designs that start becoming more like one-hour excursions for groups, as opposed to just a casual sport.

Even though Walkabout is a VR game, the company has also released a phone-based version that’ll use augmented reality, sort of: Courses can be seen through the phone screen, and swings happen by moving your phone like a real putter. The phone version is arriving ahead of Meow Wolf’s course, meaning more people could try it out.

«The irony is that a lot of people playing probably haven’t even been to an actual Meow Wolf,» Martell said. Considering Meow Wolf is still an organization some people haven’t heard of, much less seen, a little mini golf game like Walkabout could be a chance to open up awareness to a whole bunch more people. As someone who’s been lucky enough to check out the real-world Meow Wolf spaces, I’m looking forward to visiting a small virtual shard of it in my home.

Meow Wolf’s course isn’t available until later this year, but I can’t wait to play it with a few friends. We could explore those strange spaces together in VR as we talk, just like we’d do in the real world, too.

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Technologies

Stop Headphone Headaches: 6 Tweaks I Use for All-Day Comfort

Headphone headaches are common, especially for gamers or remote workers. But a few important changes can help you use headsets for hours on end, pain-free.

Equipped with better drivers, the latest Bluetooth technology and upgraded chipsets, full-size headphones are delivering increasingly powerful performance for more affordable prices. However, some headphone models can cause real headaches.

In the past, I typically used lighter headsets for studying or communication, so headaches were never much of a problem until I started reviewing larger gaming and work headsets early in my tech reporting career.

After a few lengthy Overwatch and Destiny sessions, I noticed my head throbbing and my temples aching — and after researching the issue, I found many people had headphone headaches to share, especially when gaming or working for long periods with tight headphones. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

These headphone-induced headaches typically occur from a combo of pressure, weight, heat, wearing glasses and similar factors. But I have good news: it’s possible to treat headset woes like these with a few careful tweaks to your setup. Here’s what I’ve found works best, even when headphone sessions last for hours.

1. Try over-ear or open-ear headphones

On-ear headphones are smaller and lighter than the large earcups of over-ear models, and often more affordable, but they can also cause headaches. That may sound counterintuitive, but it’s due to the earbuds’ gripping design and the lack of padding in on-ear models. That includes popular music headphones like the Sony WH-CH520 or the Beats Solo 4.

The smaller earcup design of on-ear headphones typically puts more pressure directly on the ear, which gets very tiring during extended use. That’s especially true for people with glasses, who often experience pain with these headphones.

The best alternative, without sacrificing too much audio quality or extra features, is switching to over-ear headphones. These headphones have significantly larger, cushier earcups that create less pressure and improve noise isolation. In this case, going big may be the best way to ease your pain.

The other option is to use earbuds or innovative open-ear headphones like Shockz, which use bone conduction and other methods to reduce ear fatigue. You may lose audio quality compared with over-ear models, but it’s a pain-free option, especially for those relying on their glasses while they work, study or play.

2. Switch to a better ear cup material

If you’re adamant about sticking to over-the-ear headphones, consider a better ear pad material for your earcups, as it can significantly reduce pain. If your headset is stuck with basic foam covers, it’s time to find a model with thick memory foam or a similar material.

Likewise, if you find the padding material on your earcups is scratchy, stiff, or pulls on your ears, try switching out the covering material. Velour tends to work best for comfort levels, as does suede. If you find your earphones overheat your head and lead to headaches, consider trying a mesh fabric cover instead.

If you already have a gaming headset or professional over-ear headphones, look up your brand to see if they offer ear cup replacements in different materials. That may be pricey, but you can explore affordable alternatives like ear covers for $10 that can help some earcups feel smoother and cooler.

3. Experiment with adjusting your headband

Do your current headphones offer headband adjustments or similar customization? If not, I highly suggest looking for a pair that supports them. Even standard headsets can be heavy — the SteelSeries Arctis Nova 5, for example, clocks in at nearly 10 ounces— leaving it on your head for a few hours can cause discomfort. That’s why weight distribution is important.

The tension of your headband can directly affect the tension in your head. Too tight, and the headphones will apply uncomfortable pressure and pull at your hair. Too loose, and your earcups can feel like dead weight. If you get frequent headaches, try loosening your headband a little while still keeping it firm. Ear cup height adjustments can perform a similar role.

Additional note: Some headphones are heavy, like the AirPods Max (a hefty 13.6 ounces), but distribute the weight well. But lighter is often better. Check out our reviews and recommendations to see which headphones we call out for their stress-relieving designs.

4. Shift your volume to lower settings

I know you may want to pinpoint the sound of footsteps or hear every possible environmental sound, but it’s important to keep headphone volume at a safe level. Beyond a certain point, volume can be an active trigger of painful headaches, even if you don’t usually experience them.

If you’d like to dive into this topic, I highly recommend my colleague Anna Gragert’s account of earbud-related health issues and what she learned from talking to audiologists. If your volume is high enough to trigger ear pain and headaches, there’s also a good chance it’s causing long-term hearing loss or other problems.

The general rule for headset volume is to keep it significantly below 85 decibels, a tip recommended by Turtle Beach and other headphone brands. I suggest heading into your headphone app (if available) and tweaking your audio settings so the emphasis is placed on the sound details you want, letting you keep the overall volume lower.

If you prefer headphones for music and find yourself listening to your favorite album at a higher-than-usual volume, it’s a good idea to lower the volume to a quiet setting and chill with more lo-fi music to give yourself a break.

Brands like SteelSeries also produce headphones with volume-limiting features for this very purpose, placing a universal volume cap on headphones to help rein in bad habits or protect kids’ ears.

5. Turn down screen brightness or enable a blue light filter

Headphone pressure and volume aren’t the only causes of headaches. Your screen is also an important factor, especially if you’re staring at it for long periods in a dark room.

That’s why I also recommend turning down your screen brightness if you suffer from headphone headaches. Set your computer or TV to a lower brightness or dimmer mode when you start a session, and see if that keeps the headache at bay.

If your display supports it — typically in software settings or some game settings — you can also enable a blue light filter. These filters reduce the colder, bluer light on the display, which is most responsible for eye strain. It will slightly shift the visuals toward warmer hues and can also provide significant relief.

For glasses wearers, there’s another option: You can find glasses with blue light-blocking lenses for continual protection, no matter what screen you’re on. Again, these are best paired with over-ear or open-ear headphones to complete a comfortable headset setup.

6. Kill the noise-cancelling features for a while

Are active noise-canceling headphones giving you headaches? Those high-tech features, found in popular lines like Bose QuietComfort, larger Sony WH models and the AirPods Max, may actually be the problem. Active noise cancellation uses sound waves to cancel out ambient noise. It’s a neat trick, but not everyone responds the same.

Some people report feelings of pressure, dizziness and general weirdness when using noise cancellation. Similar to sudden altitude changes, it can trigger headaches for people trying to concentrate.

If your headphones have an active noise cancellation feature, switch it off to see if it helps reduce the pain and strain of long-term use. If it makes a noticeable difference, you should probably stick with passive noise cancellation on your headset.

With your headache issues sorted out, now is an excellent time to take a look at the best PC games we’ve tried and the best monitors for the action.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Tuesday, Feb. 24

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 24.

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? I thought 5-Down was very tricky, and not really representative of the clue, either. 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.