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

Imminent Limits on AI Chip Exports Rescinded by Trump Administration

The so-called AI Diffusion Rule was set to go into effect this week. It’s now history.

A limitation on exports of AI processors made in the US that was set to go into effect on May 15 has now been rescinded after an order from the Department of Commerce (PDF).

The AI Diffusion Rule was set in motion at the end of the Biden administration and would have limited the number of AI processors that could be sold to foreign countries. It was meant to give the US an edge in the race for global AI technology, but critics, including tech companies, said it would hurt the companies making the processors by capping their sales.

The Trump administration’s move now lifts restrictions on companies such as Nvidia from selling processors meant for AI applications to other countries, including Mexico, China and Russia.

«These new requirements would have stifled American innovation and saddled companies with burdensome new regulatory requirements,» the Department of Commerce said in a statement. «The AI Diffusion Rule also would have undermined US diplomatic relations with dozens of countries by downgrading them to second-tier status.»

The Department of Commerce said it is still warning companies and the public about allowing US-made AI chips to be used for Chinese AI models and is discouraging the use of Huawei Ascend chips specifically for exported products.

‘Cautious relief’ among chipmakers

Some in the industry worried that the rule could have hurt startups or mid-tier players, but now, the mood is «cautious relief,» said one tech-industry executive.

«While most companies support the need for guardrails around advanced AI capabilities, the AI Diffusion Rule as originally framed created a lot of ambiguity — especially around how ‘diffusion’ would be interpreted in deployment, licensing or technical architecture,» said Dmitry Zakharchenko, chief software officer for Blaize, a California-based AI chip company.

Zakharchenko says the concern among companies like his wasn’t just sales but also cross-country research collaboration, AI model deployment and cloud-infrastructure partners.

«The risk was that overbroad policy could inadvertently restrict benign use cases, including public safety, industrial inspection, and transportation,» he said.

As for what comes next, Zakharchenko said that some of the companies that would have been affected are taking their own steps to mitigate risks from overseas. That, he said, is happening «both at the hardware level and through partner ecosystems.»

«That includes secure boot, encrypted pipelines, regional deployment controls and tighter collaboration with integrators who understand where and how inference workloads are run,» Zakharchenko said.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Thursday, May 15

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for May 15.

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.

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword is one of those where the same letter gets circled over and over. So if you see a pattern where a certain letter keeps showing up, fill them in, it might help you solve the puzzle. Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

The Mini Crossword is just one of many games in the Times’ games collection. 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 at those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Direction opposite of WSW
Answer: ENE

4A clue: Shoot out, as lava from a volcano
Answer: SPEW

5A clue: «In what place?»
Answer: WHERE

6A clue: Plants you didn’t plant, perhaps
Answer: WEEDS

7A clue: Like Mini crosswords … and a phonetic description of this puzzle?
Answer: EASY

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Fencing swords
Answer: EPEES

2D clue: Prone to geeking out
Answer: NERDY

3D clue: Farm animals that sound like vowels not seen in this puzzle?
Answer: EWES

4D clue: Stadium at which the Beatles performed an iconic 1965 concert
Answer: SHEA

5D clue: Org. for Hulk Hogan and John Cena
Answer: WWE

How to play more Mini Crosswords

The New York Times Games section offers a large number of online games, but only some of them are free for all to play. You can play the current day’s Mini Crossword for free, but you’ll need a subscription to the Times Games section to play older puzzles from the archives.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for May 15, #234

Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 234, for May 15.

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.

Connections: Sports Edition has a tough blue category, but you might get it easily if you’re a fan of a certain international sport. Read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it 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: Get to that ball.

Green group hint: Think Jack Nicklaus.

Blue group hint: Ted Lasso.

Purple group hint: J.R. Ewing.