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Where does virtual reality go next? Right now, there seem to be two paths: Portable and self-contained headsets or those connected to computers and consoles. Valve is clearly betting on the second way with the Index, its first VR hardware. It crams in just about every feature you’d expect from a high-end headset, including some truly transformative finger-sensing controllers. It’s just too bad the entire Index package costs $999, putting it out of reach for most people. It’s a boundary-pushing headset meant to keep the VR industry from getting stale.

A post shared by Engadget (@engadget) on Jun 28, 2019 at 10:31am PDT

1. Star Wars animated series 'Maul: Shadow Lord' season 2 confirmed

   Ahead of its premiere, Dave Filoni has revealed that the Star Wars animated series Maul: Shadow Lord will return for a second season. The Lucasfilm co-president revealed that season 2 is already in the works, telling ...

2. Look Outside's April 1 update that let you kiss enemies is now a permanent 'smooch mode'

   For April Fools' Day, the developer ofLook Outside released an update that added a new option to your interactions with NPCs: kissing. Instead of just fighting or talking to enemies and surviving neighbors in the cursed apartment building, you

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3. Sony's gaming division just bought an AI startup that turns photos into 3D volumes

   Sony Interactive Entertainment, owner of the PlayStation brand, has acquired Cinemersive Labs, a UK startup developing tools to convert 2D photos and videos into 3D volumes. The startup team will join Sony's ...

4. VR game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City launches on April 30

   Everyone's four favorite anthropomorphic turtles are returning to the world of video games. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Empire City will be released on April 30 for the Meta Quest, Steam VR and Pico. It is made by VR game company Cortopia Studios and will retail for

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5. OpenAI brings ChatGPT's Voice mode to CarPlay

   In a surprise release, OpenAI has made ChatGPT's Voice mode available through Apple CarPlay. If you're running the latest version of both ...

6. CFTC sues three states for trying to regulate prediction markets

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7. PSA: YouTube will be streaming Coachella for free next week

   Coachella officially kicks off next Friday, April 10. But for anyone who doesn’t want to fly out to the desert or fork over upwards of $650 for a ticket, YouTube is going to livestream the concert for free so you can enjoy it on your own terms.

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8. Indie Pass is a forthcoming subscription service exclusively for indie games

   Publisher and game management platform indie.io just announced the pending launch of something called Indie Pass. This is a subscription service, so it's sort of like Game Pass but for indie titles.

   It launches on April 13 and will offer

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9. Russia closes loophole to fully block payments for Apple services

   Russia has closed a loophole that allowed its citizens to pay for Apple digital services. "As of April 1, 2026, payment processing is no longer available for purchases made on the App Store or other Apple Media Services in Russia," the company wrote in a support document (via ...

10. Google releases Gemma 4, a family of open models built off of Gemini 3

    When Google released Gemini 3 Pro at the end of last year, it was a significant step forward for the company's proprietary large language models. Now, the company is bringing some of the same technology and research

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