The Best In Gaming & Tech for Nov/Dec 2019
Crank Gaming
Handheld gaming took a hit from Smartphones, but that hasn’t stopped the developers of Firewatch from getting extremely experimental with the format and releasing Play Date. What will immediately stand out to you about this device is the fact it literally has a crank on the side. It isn’t used for powering the device and it’s black and white screen, but rather is an extra way of interacting with the games on the system. Think of it as its own Nintendo gimmick. Each week a new game is released onto the Play Date, made by top developers around the world willing to experiment with the form. Some games are long, some are short, all of them are fun.
The Droid You’re Looking For
What you’re looking at here is essentially the technology that made BB8 from the latest Star Wars films possible. These little golf ball-sized robots called Sphero SPRK+ can be controlled via a 10 metre bluetooth connection on your phone, and are also completely programmable. Technically, they’re a learning tool to get kids into programming, starting off with basic code blocks to teach them simple logic loops, all the way to getting them into writing Javascript.
Honestly though, getting these things doing burnouts on the linoleum and changing the LED colours to coax the cat into chasing it is a fun way to waste an evening. Popping open the outer shell exposes a micro-USB port and a quick charge via USB should get you a solid hour or so of drive time. I can see this being a hit on Christmas Day, as well as possibly helping with your kids future LinkedIn profile.
Good for a LARQ
Billing itself as the very first self-cleaning water bottle and water purification system, the LARQ water bottle sure does more than your average canteen.
At the touch of a button, a UV-C LED light destroys 99.9999% of bio-contaminants from the bottle in 60 seconds. No filter is required and it only needs charging once a month, or after a little over a week if you’re really thrashing it.
Every two hours it also turns itself on to keep the water inside fresh.
Temperature wise expect your cold water to remain chilled for 24 hours, and hot for 12. Unfortunately it won’t remove heavy metals and fluoride, so the government can still get you. Reportedly it’s effective against e. Coli, but please, don’t go drinking from dirty puddles just to find out.
Bottles are available in 500ml and 740ml sizes.
Rollova & Measure This
For too long we’ve used measuring sticks. STICKS. In the 21st century!? The time is right for the Rollova, a digital measuring device. Simply roll it between point A and point B to get an accurate reading of the distance via its OLED screen. With a 2 inch diametre you can easily pocket this little gadget in it’s genuine leather case. Get it coated in either stainless steel or 18 ct gold, if you’re feeling a little bit fancy. Limitations are the 18,000 hour standby time and a measuring length of up to 10 metres.
Settle in command
Have you ever had trouble letting people know how serious you are about gaming? Ever wanted to browse Facebook in something that looks like it was taken out of Total Recall? Acer knows your plight and has delivered just what you needed in the form of the Predator Thronos.
A control pad on the arm rest will transform your setup into almost any configuration you could possibly need. A scorpion arch that goes over your head and suspends three curved Predator displays in front of you, as well as the seat itself, can be adjusted up to 140 degrees. This mean you can recline and let the headshot come raining down (on you probably, as you get used to lying down playing games.)
Feel the blows via bass driven vibrations emanating through the seat to add extra natural immersion.
It’s also got a couple of cup holders, because once you’re strapped in, you’re probably not going to want to hop out for a while.
If you’re on a budget, you can get a non-motorized Predator Thronos Air version that is hand adjustable. But where’s the fun in that?
Your Thronos awaits.
Deliver us the moon
Platform: PS4, XBONE, PC, LINUX, MAC
A short but sweet change of pace sci-fi adventure, rich in story and completely devoid of the usual “bang bang, must shoot all the heads” of other games.
Puzzles and ambience permeate a story in which a lone astronaut must secure an energy source on the moon for an ailing earth.
Planet Zoo
Platform: PC Master Race
Remember when Zoo and theme park simulators were all the rage? Well they’re back with a vengance thanks to the efforts of Frontier Developments (of Elite Dangerous fame). Planet Zoo can most easily be compared to Zoo Tycoon for a new generation, and it’s amazing. The game takes care to not treat the animals like cash cows for drawing in crowds by taking big steps in allowing players a massive amount of depth when it comes to building habitats and taking care of animals. A smooth campaign mode eases you through some of the trickier concepts.
If you’re a Sim fan, get this game.
The Scroll of Power
Tech trends these days seem to follow a pattern of sustaining outdoor tech. When even your water bottle needs charging, you know that solutions aren’t far behind. The SOUL Solar Scroll is just such a solution, and happily one of the few Indiegogo projects that has actually shipped. SOUL looks like a water bottle measuring 57.2mm in diametre and 189.4mm in height. But pull the military grade rollable solar panel out the side and it becomes a mecca for all your gadgets to leech off. The 5200 mAh battery is enough to charge your phone twice when it’s fully juiced, which in full sun should only take 4-6 hours. It also works just fine while you’re on the move, simply hook it onto the back of your bag to catch all those rays. If you don’t want to wait for the sun, you can use it as a regular USB powerpack and plug it into the wall for 2-3 hours. Never be without power ever again, or something.
kickstarter.com/projects/1018909710/soul-solar-scroll-the-ultimate-solar-charger/description
Pinetime
While Apple is releasing its new $500 Apple Watch PINE64 is working on its own little project. Meet PineTime, a Linux smartwatch valued at $25. Made of zinc alloy and plastic, it comes with a charging dock, 20mm wristbands, a heart-rate monitor, and multi-day battery. It’ll have Bluetooth 5 and currently has an LCD screen. All these specs are subject to change though. It’s an open source project that’s currently looking for developers to chip in and see what they can do with the tech, so don’t expect these to be shipped any time soon.
If you’ve got the mind for it, sign up and grab a dev kit.