screens | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Wed, 15 Feb 2017 12:52:02 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png screens | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 Gabe Newell and Valve talk 200Hz VR screens, next-gen headsets and more https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/jon-martindale/gabe-newell-and-valve-talk-200hz-vr-screens-next-gen-headsets-and-more/ https://www.kitguru.net/tech-news/featured-tech-news/jon-martindale/gabe-newell-and-valve-talk-200hz-vr-screens-next-gen-headsets-and-more/#respond Wed, 15 Feb 2017 11:10:41 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=321759 Valve CEO Gabe Newell and members of the company's virtual reality developmental team sat down recently with the Valve News Network to talk about what it's been working on lately and what we can expect in the future. During it they discussed the idea of content before price cuts, newer, higher resolution displays and the …

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Valve CEO Gabe Newell and members of the company's virtual reality developmental team sat down recently with the Valve News Network to talk about what it's been working on lately and what we can expect in the future. During it they discussed the idea of content before price cuts, newer, higher resolution displays and the potential for native wireless VR.

“It's not about building better hardware, it's about building better games,” said Newell during the chat, where he said that Valve's hardware development was really to facilitate the creation of new content, rather than a sign that Valve would be looking to make more money from a new, hardware-focused side to the business. Indeed the fact that it partnered with HTC for its Vive headset should highlight that it's not looking to be a mass-manufacturer.

What it is looking to do though, is help build the next-generation of headset. We can likely expect a new-generation of headset within the next couple of years, with a much higher-resolution display screen and a 200Hz refresh rate. We should also see new basestation sensors and those knuckle controllers that were seen prototyped last year.

It's possible the new controller standard will arrive before a second generation Vive headset, but Gabe and Valve were not forthcoming about exactly when we can expect them.

When asked why VR wasn't taking off quite as quickly as some might have expected, Newell said that he thinks it's less to do with the price and more to do with available software. If VR hardware was 80 per cent cheaper, he doesn't think it would be more successful than it is and in-fact that could hurt the platform. Instead Valve wants to see killer applications released for virtual reality and that's what will aid user growth.

That's not to say that Valve is unhappy with the current state of VR. Valve's DJ Powers said during the chat that 30 VR apps had earned more than $250,000 so far, showing that games and content are being successful in VR and suggests that the market is going to grow and lead to bigger titles over the coming years.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: I like that Valve is taking its time with a second generation Vive release. While I wouldn't be surprised to see a third party competitor arrive before then, it means those with Vive's now can get their money's worth.

[Thanks to Reddit for the heads up]

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3D liquid crystals set to revolutionise monitor technology https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/harrison/3d-liquid-crystals-set-to-revolutionise-monitor-technology/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/harrison/3d-liquid-crystals-set-to-revolutionise-monitor-technology/#comments Fri, 28 Dec 2012 08:51:58 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=120350 Scientists at the University if Colorado have successfully created a system whereby particles can be injected into liquid crystal – bringing order to chaos – and opening up the possibility of a revolutionary new kind of screen within the decade. That's now been explained and augmented by a clever maths chap from Amherst College. KitGuru …

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Scientists at the University if Colorado have successfully created a system whereby particles can be injected into liquid crystal – bringing order to chaos – and opening up the possibility of a revolutionary new kind of screen within the decade. That's now been explained and augmented by a clever maths chap from Amherst College. KitGuru injects some biscuit particles into liquid caffeine and sets about the research.

A brilliant mathematician called Robert Kusner spent over 30 years considering what happens when particles are introduced to liquid crystal. Well, actually, he started with some questions about geometry and topology and, half a lifetime later, it looks like his work could yield a phenomenal change for all of us technology users and abusers.

Injecting a particle into liquid crystal creates some amazingly beautiful patterns, which means that light is being adjusted. If that adjustment could be controlled, then you could usher in a new way of manufacturing screens.

You know that the universe has a sense of humour, when you realise that Robert works at Amherst College (part of the University of Massachusetts) and his college's motto is ‘Let them give light to the world'.

His work started with the complex mathematics around geometry, topology, curves and surfaces. Probably the most common example of this kind of occurrence would be the various ways that soap bubbles change colour – as time progresses and/or as a bubble comes into contact with various pollutants/particles.

In another interesting twist, the question as to why soap bubbles change colour was part of the Oxbridge entrance exams, last century. If the professors setting the questions had given it a little more thought, then maybe Britain could have pioneered the wonderfully named ‘topological liquid crystal colloids‘. Never mind. Toodle-pip, hats off and congratulations to the fine American professors behind this revolution. At least he is a Member and Visiting Fellow of Isaac Newton College Cambridge.

One of Robert's collaborators on this project was Ivan Smalyukh, who summed up the achievement succinctly by saying “Our study shows that interaction between particles and molecular alignment in liquid crystals follows the predictions of topological theorems, making it possible to use these theorems in designing new composite materials with unique properties that cannot be encountered in nature or synthesized by chemists. These findings lay the groundwork for new applications in experimental studies of low-dimensional topology, with important potential ramifications for many branches of science and technology”.

Right now, we'd imagine that all of the universities involved will be in constant contact with the major LED powers of our time. If all goes well, then maybe Robert's research could be instrumental in making 4K TV ‘something affordable for the masses'.

In terms of personal beliefs, Robert is a firm advocate of alternative transport and has been pushing a bicycle-centric agenda for more than 15 years. We reckon he'll have a much greater chance of pushing these kind of policy changes through once he's revolutionised the world of IT.

Truly great scientists all know that their best work comes on the shoulders of giants – as well as the army of researches who spend years working on the mundane. Without the work of all those people, Robert may not have been able to apply his specific knowledge and opened up a new industry. That's it, just a nod to the faceless mass of experts before we show you a shot of the hero himself.
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In his early days, before helping to revolutionise the world of modern computing, Robert worked as an engineer, farmer and did a bit of house building. But his work at Amherst College into the beautiful patterns that can be created when particles are injected into liquid crystal, could well change the way we see the world

KitGuru says: Speaking with a senior engineer at Sony about 10 years ago, we were told that the Japanese giant was surprised that current LED/LCD/TFT technologies had lasted so long. Sony had NOT invested in its own manufacturing etc, because it genuinely believed that the screens we use today were ‘transient' – a stop gap on the way to something better. With the help of Robert Kusner's work, that future may be here very soon, but will Sony still be making TVs when it does?

Comment below or in the KitGuru forums.

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