Category: Technica Aquarius

Enlarge / Will E3 ever come back, either physically or digitally? (credit: Aurich Lawson | Getty Images)

Update 4:22 pm EDT: The ESA confirmed to Ars “that there will also be no digital E3 showcase in 2022,” but the organization promises that “a revitalized physical and digital E3 experience” will return in summer 2023 to “celebrate new and exciting video games and industry innovations.”

An ESA spokesperson told Ars:

Our members look to the ESA to deliver an experience that revitalizes the event in a new and exciting way,” “That’s why we are using this time to shape plans for 2023 and are working with our members to ensure that the revitalized showcase sets a new standard for hybrid industry events and fan engagement… We look forward to the individual showcases planned for 2022 and will join the community in celebrating and promoting the new titles being presented. ESA made the decision to focus its resources and use this time to shape our plans and deliver an all-new experience that delights fans, who have the highest expectations for the premier event in video games.

Original story 3:35 pm EDT: E3’s years-long spin down the drain has become more drastic due to a major cancellation to all “E3”-related events this summer.

Enlarge / The near-final version of the upcoming Dyson Zone mask-and-headphones system. (credit: Dyson)

In an announcement timed dangerously close to April 1, Dyson confirmed this week that it is working on the Dyson Zone, one of the most intense consumer-facing masks we’ve ever seen. What’s more, the company elected to combine this face-mounted air purifier with its first noise-canceling headphones—which contribute to the filtering process.

At least one outlet says it tested this perfect addition to your Mega Man cosplay project, which suggests this is an actual product and not an April Fool’s joke. Curiously, the world’s first face-on impressions of the device, as provided by The Verge, recount the company’s press release spiel before getting to the heart of why a face-dominating system like the Dyson Zone has us apprehensive.

“The Zone headphones are very big and noticeably heavy,” The Verge’s Chaim Gartenberg says, and a single look at this head-mounted system clarifies why that might be the case.

Enlarge / Roccat Burst Pro Air. (credit: Roccat)

Some of the most advanced wireless mice are on the heftier side, making constantly pushing them around a lot of work. A lighter mouse, on the other hand, is easier to travel with. One trend has companies cutting holes into their mouse chassis to trim ounces, but the wireless gaming mouse Turtle Beach sub-brand Roccat announced today manages to lighten the weight and avoid honeycomb holes.

Roccat’s Burst Pro Air weighs 2.86 ounces (81 g), a big weight reduction compared to powerhouse wireless productivity mice, like the Logitech MX Master 3 (4.97 ounces / 141 g) and Razer Pro Click (3.73 ounces / 106 g). All three mice let you use a USB-A dongle for your wireless connection, as well as Bluetooth, and are rechargeable. But the Burst Pro Air’s weight class makes it a reasonable consideration for anyone tired of heavy mice. Those ounces can add up, whether you have a medical issue or have just been at the PC for a while.

Gaming brand Roccat designed the mouse for PC gamers who’ll be swiping, flinging, flicking, and clicking rapidly, taking the design from its wired Burst Pro. But unlike some other ultralight gaming mice, such as the Glorious Model O- Wireless (about 2.43 ounces / 69 g) or SteelSeries Aerox 3 Wireless (2.4 ounces / 68 g), the Burst Pro Air doesn’t have open gaps in its chassis.

Enlarge / The Privacy Sandbox settings. (credit: Google)

Google is on a quest to kill the third-party web cookie, which is often used by advertisers to track users for targeted ads. Unlike other browser companies like Apple and Mozilla, which block third-party cookies outright, Google is one of the world’s largest advertising companies. It doesn’t want to kill the third-party cookie without first protecting its primary revenue source. Google seems to view user tracking as a mandatory part of Internet usage, and instead of third-party cookies, it wants to build a user-tracking system directly into its Chrome browser. Google’s eye-roll-inducing name for this advertising system is the “Privacy Sandbox,” and on Thursday, the company released its latest tracking solution in Chrome’s nightly “Canary” builds.

The latest Chromium Blog post laid out the current timeline, “Starting today, developers can begin testing globally the Topics, FLEDGE, and Attribution Reporting APIs in the Canary version of Chrome. We’ll progress to a limited number of Chrome Beta users as soon as possible. Once things are working smoothly in Beta, we’ll make API testing available in the stable version of Chrome to expand testing to more Chrome users.”

Topics will have Chrome locally track your browsing history and build a list of interests, which Chrome will then share with advertisers whenever they ask for ad targeting. If you want a breakdown of the API name-checked in Google’s statement, the FLEDGE API is responsible for both running an ad action directly on your device and picking an advertiser and then targeting users based on behavior, like leaving an item in a shopping cart. The Attribution Reporting API is responsible for measuring ad clicks, impressions, and tracking purchase conversions.