Vital stats HTC Vive Pro 2

IT’S NOT AS QUEASY AS IT LOOKS

HTC Vive Pro 2

Rtba / vive.com

The built-in headphones have 3D spatial sound and are certified for Hi-Res Audio.

Could this beefed-up VR headset eliminate motion blur and tummy troubles? Maybe, provided you’ve got the PC to run it…

● Real gone grid Performance gains are important all across the gadget-sphere, but with VR headsets you can really see them with your eyes… and sometimes feel them in your stomach. Luckily, HTC’s latest Vive headset claims to bring an improvement in every department. With a 5K screen and a dual-lens design that ups the field of view to 120°, the PC-powered Vive Pro 2 aims to all but eliminate the screen door effect (where you can see the gaps between pixels) and let you see more of your virtual world of choice up close.

● Motional rescue The Vive Pro 2’s panel has a 120Hz refresh rate, resulting in less motion blur and a more immersive and (we’re promised) more comfortable experience. On top of that, it’s the first VR headset to use lossless Display Stream Compression (DSC), which ensures maximum visual quality while maintaining backwards compatibility with DisplayPort 1.2, meaning even older graphics cards will benefit from the new tech. ● Snugger baby love If you’re paying large sums for a VR headset, you’ll want to know that sticking it on your head isn’t going to be a chore. Good thing, then, that the Vivo Pro 2 has fine-adjustable interpupillary distance, evenly distributed weight and quick-adjust sizing dials.

● Vive talkin’ HTC mercifully doesn’t demand that you replace all your old VR gear to accommodate the Vive Pro 2. The new headset is compatible with older Vive trackers, as well as older SteamVR base stations, controllers and other accessories. More on those to your right…

THE PANEL’S 120HZ REFRESH RATE MEANS LESS MOTION BLUR, MORE COMFORT

NOWADD THESE…

● Vive Facial Tracker

What’s the point of throwing a rock at someone in VR if you can’t wink at them afterwards? The new Facial Tracker captures face movements from all angles, from scowls to smiles. Rtba / vive.com

● Vive Tracker 3.0

Vive likes to ensure movements are accurately replicated on screen so the virtual world feels real; this latest tracker is 15% lighter and 75% longer-lasting than its predecessor. R2 000 / bhphotovideo.com

● Vive Wireless Adapter

The Oculus Quest 2 has proved that wireless VR is the way forward… so this adapter untethers you from your PC while maintaining a low-latency VR experience. R6 100 / takealot.com Put your mind at wrist FITBIT LUXE

Fitbit’s thinnest fitness tracker yet is inspired by jewellery design techniques... but forget blingy Swarovski crystals, because the Luxe is more ‘Indian yoga retreat’ than ‘night at Sun City’. The emphasis is on a holistic approach to fitness, taking into account sleep, stress and nutrition, as well as all the regular stuff like calories and distance. The only in-your-face feature is the vivid AMOLED display, suitable for smartphone notifications, but even that can easily be hushed. Subscribe to Fitbit Premium (R150/m) and you’ll unlock benefits such as guided meditation by none other than New Age champ Deepak Chopra. It’s fully waterproof, for dunking yourself in the River Ganges. R3 000 / fitbit.com

Groove is in the chart LEGO ART WORLD MAP

Move over, Colosseum – there’s an even bigger Lego set in town. The World Map features a whopping 11,695 (!) elements, most of which are round tiles that you plug into 40 interconnecting baseplates. The land is white, with a subtle shadow, providing contrast with ocean floors whose colours are inspired by bathymetric mapping. Naturally, putting all this together takes time – a lot of time – and so Lego has provided a soundtrack while you work, where travel experts tell tales of far-flung places they’ve visited. You can mark off those you’ve experienced for real too, with cone pieces that transform your plastic masterpiece into a kind of offline brick-built Google Maps. R5 000 / greatyellowbrick.co.za

A rather novel idea LEGO IDEAS TYPEWRITER

This Lego Ideas typewriter is more than just the sum of its 2 079 parts. Lego could have just made it look pretty and called it a day but no, they had to go and make it functional as well. The carriage actually moves as you type, there’s a fabric strip included that brings to mind an actual printer ribbon, and each of the strikers has the correct key emblazoned on it. You can even feed paper into this marvel correctly. If not for the fact that it is made entirely from Lego (and thus can’t take the punishment), you could actually type that novel you’ve been meaning to write on this thing. R4 000 / greatyellowbrick.co.za BMW time machines BMW CHRONOGRAPH

Costing a fair amount less than a single month’s payments on an actual BMW, these new chronograph movement wristwatches won’t look out of place on your wrist as you tool about the city in your fancy German-engineered vehicle. They’re not smart, so don’t expect notifications, but they are rather smart. If you get what we mean. It’s a style thing. Just look at the replicated grille. And, if your budget doesn’t start at five grand, there are also new silicon-banded wristwatches based on the M Motorsport label starting at R1 900 to check out. Unlike its namesake, the M logo etched into the face doesn’t make it run any faster. from R5 600 / watchrepublic.co.za

Working better under pressure XIAOMI MI PORTABLE ELECTRIC AIR COMPRESSOR

Xiaomi makes some interesting kit but this little portable air compressor is the serious business. It’s got profiles for cars, bikes (both motor and pedal), as well as balls and then a freestyle option, automatic cutout once you reach your desired programmable pressure and controls similar to that of the old Apple iPod. The 2,000 mAh battery will get at least one (and up to five) flat tyres completely inflated. Just don’t expect service station inflation speeds. It’ll take about six minutes to transform your soft, rubber-encased thingy into something nice and er… firm? Road bike tyres inflate in about three minutes (each). R900 / syntech.co.za

(Don’t) add another zero JBL QUANTUM 800

We’re used to seeing the JBL name on speakers, it’s about time we got familiar with them on smaller speakers that live on your ears. The Quantum 800 cans from the audio brand target (mostly) the PC gaming market, offering up comfortable design, noise cancellation, a decent microphone (though it’ll do better if you’re a PC player) and substantial audio performance at a price point that isn’t about to kick your wallet in its squishy nether regions. They’ll also work just fine on consoles but you lose access to JBL’s QuantumEngine software – which drops a few of these cans’ best features off the map. R3 800 / jblsouthafrica.co.za

Disciple of roar FENDER FINAL FANTASY XIV STRATOCASTER

Fender’s limited-edition Final Fantasy XIV Stratocaster celebrates the company’s 75th anniversary with an unexpected gaming tie-in. This black Strat has been accented with blue and purple to represent the “crystals of darkness and light”, a key component in FFXIV lore, while the playability and sound are said to “mirror the world” of the game (somehow). The guitar features a slim maple neck with rosewood fingerboard, while a trio of V-Mod pickups bring the fantastical tones. Sadly there’s no online multiplayer mode on a guitar, but you could always team up with a bassist and a drummer. Rtba (late 2021) / fender.com

WTF IS APPLE SPATIAL AUDIO?

Is this the US spelling of ‘special audio’? Now, now. Spatial Audio – with Dolby Atmos, no less – creates immersive, multidimensional sound and clarity that comes from all around and above you, so think of it like surround sound but for music rather than dumb films. Sony is already doing something similar with 360 Reality Audio, but now there’s an Apple version and they won’t shut up about it.

Presumably it’s expensive? Actually that’s the good bit, because Spatial Audio songs on Apple Music are available at no extra cost, which is a pretty hefty shot across the bows of streaming rivals like Spotify and Tidal. The upgrade is in addition to a catalogue of 75 million songs in Lossless Audio also available to Apple Music subscribers for R60/m a month.

But I need Apple headphones, right? Well, yes, you’ve got that bit right. Spatial Audio tracks will play on Apple Music by default in iOS 14.6 on all Apple AirPods and Beats headphones with an H1 or W1 chip, as well as the built-in speakers on the latest iPhones, iPads and Macs. How about HomePods? You’ll need a new Apple TV 4K (reviewed on p64) to go with them.

How do I set it up, then? In Apple Music’s settings under Audio there’s an option to set Dolby Atmos to ‘Automatic’, ‘Always On’ or ‘Off’. Apple’s also building Spatial Audio authoring tools directly into music-making apps like Logic Pro – later this year it plans to release an update to Logic so anyone can create and mix songs in the format.

What’s there right now, Ed Sheeran? Inevitably, along with “some of the world’s biggest artists and music across all genres”, and Apple has slapped a Spatial Audio badge on song details to make them easily discernible. There’s also a set of curated playlists remixed for the format.