Consumers wishing to step into the world of virtual reality (VR) have two main form factors to choose from. The first is a mobile VR option such as the Samsung’s Gear VR and the recently unveiled Google Daydream. The second is a tethered VR headset such as the Oculus Rift, the HTC Vive and the PlayStation VR.
Each form factor has its pros and cons.
For mobile VR headsets, the advantages rest on the ease with which users can set up and operate the devices, as well as the cheaper cost to entry. However, these mobile headsets rely on smartphones, so aspects such as visuals, latency, battery life and overall immersion don’t quite live up to their more expensive tethered counterparts.
But while tethered VR headsets undoubtedly provide consumers with a superior overall experience, there is one major obstacle that stands in the way – cost. Sony’s PSVR is the cheapest of the bunch, but will still set consumers back US$400 for just the headset and cables. For $500, consumers can upgrade to a bundle that also includes the required PlayStation Camera and Move controllers. And both of those bundles exclude the obligatory PS4 console at an additional $300 or so.
And remember, this is the cheapest tethered option on the market.
By comparison, Facebook’s Oculus Rift comes in at $600, with the HTC Vive weighing in at $800. Motion controllers for the Oculus Rift will set you back an additional $200 each, while both of these options also need to be tethered to incredibly powerful PCs that will cost users anything from $500 to upwards of $1,000, depending on the headset requirements.
Facebook purchased Oculus for $2 billion back in 2014, and at this year’s Oculus Connect 3 conference in San Jose, California in the first week of October, Mark Zuckerberg repeated his desire to make VR the next major computing platform.
But for that to happen, consumers not only need to be won over in terms of content and price, but also by the range of form factors on offer. Right now, consumers craving a more immersive experience than a mobile VR headset only really have the tethered option to turn to. But that hopefully won’t be the case for much longer.
That’s because at the Oculus Connect 3 conference, Mr Zuckerberg took the wraps off a concept standalone VR headset. Known as Santa Cruz for now, Mr Zuckerberg sees this new device sitting somewhere between the market’s existing mobile and tethered offerings. Crucially, it will offer positional tracking and computing hardware that is built into the back of the headset.
This is the form factor that the market has been waiting for. Microsoft’s HoloLens AR headset already has all the computing power built into the device and doesn’t require any additional wires to be connected to an expensive PC. But this is new ground for VR. And while the introduction of a standalone VR headset won’t guarantee a home run for Oculus, it is certainly a swing in the right direction.
Securing a position of dominance is certainly going to be extremely tough, with Oculus facing challengers on all fronts. In the mobile VR space, its Gear VR partnership with Samsung faces stiff competition from Google’s recently unveiled Daydream headset and platform. And in the tethered space, Sony’s newly released PSVR looks set to take a hefty lead over the Rift, thanks in large part to its lower prices and installed base of more than 40 million-plus PS4 consoles.
Things are developing extremely quickly in the world of VR, and while Oculus may be on the right track with its future mobile VR offering, success seems less likely for the tethered Rift. With consumers valuing ease of use and accessibility as the most important factors, the next generation of powerful VR headsets will be wireless standalone devices that share much more in common with the Santa Cruz concept than with the Rift.
Saad Elkhadem is a senior research analyst at IDC
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Predictions
Predicted winners for final round of games before play-offs:
- Friday: Delhi v Chennai - Chennai
- Saturday: Rajasthan v Bangalore - Bangalore
- Saturday: Hyderabad v Kolkata - Hyderabad
- Sunday: Delhi v Mumbai - Mumbai
- Sunday - Chennai v Punjab - Chennai
Final top-four (who will make play-offs): Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Bangalore
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
- Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
- Ovarian tissue surgically removed
- Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
- Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
- Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
THE SPECS – Honda CR-V Touring AWD
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Power: 184hp at 6,400rpm
Torque: 244Nm at 3,900rpm
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
0-100kmh in 9.4 seconds
Top speed: 202kmh
Fuel consumption: 6.8L/100km
Price: From Dh122,900
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
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