Tech Brew Ride Home - Wed. 01/05 – Sony’s VR Version 2 Deets

Episode Date: January 5, 2022

Let’s stand in front of the firehose of CES news. Sony details its new VR headset for PlayStations. Chip news from Intel, from Nvidia, from AMD, from Microsoft and Qualcomm. Two really big interesting raises, and a new autonomous tractor allows us to talk about John Deere, for the first time ever, I believe. Sponsors: RealVision.com/techmeme EditorX.com Links: Sony confirms PlayStation VR2’s specs, first official game (ArsTechnica) Intel Says New Core i9 Processor for Laptops is Faster Than Apple's M1 Max Chip (MacRumors) Nvidia unveils GeForce RTX 3050, 3070 Ti, 3080 Ti, and 3090 Ti graphics cards (GamesBeat) Nvidia still has no idea how to pronounce the name of its best gaming GPU (The Verge) AMD unveils Ryzen 6000 Series processors for laptops (GamesBeat) Qualcomm and Microsoft are partnering on chips for future AR glasses (CNET) John Deere's Self-Driving Tractor Stirs Debate on AI in Farming (Wired) OpenSea valued at $13.3 billion in new round of venture funding. (NYTimes) Visual collaboration company Miro valued at $17.5B following $400M in new funding (TechCrunch) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On April 4th, 2023, around 2 in the morning, a man was found stabbed multiple times on a sidewalk in downtown San Francisco. Hey, who did this to you? What happened next turned the story into a political firestorm. Reports have identified the victim as Bob Lee, the founder of Cash App. From Bloomberg Podcasts, this is Foundering, the Killing of Bob Lee, beginning April 16. Welcome to the TechMeme right home for Wednesday, January 5th, 2022. I'm Brian McCullough today. Let's stand in front of the fire hose of CES news a bit.

Sony details its new VR headset for PlayStation's, chip news from Intel, from Nvidia, from AMD, from Microsoft and Qualcomm, two really big interesting raises, and a new autonomous tractor allows us to talk about John Deere on this show for the first time ever, I believe. Here's what you miss today in the world of tech. everything you're going to hear today either comes from CES announcements directly or from announcements timed to go live this week because of CES. For example, Sony says it's long-rumored and much-expected VR headset PSVR2 for the PlayStation 5 will have a 4K HDR OLED display, 2,000 by 2040 pixels per eye resolution, 110 degree field of view, haptic feedback, and more.

So, is this an attempt to do a bit of a generational step forward, or merely a case of catching up to the leader in the clubhouse? By which I mean Oculus, quoting Ars Technica. The upcoming VR add-on, which will require a PlayStation 5 to function, is still missing crucial stats, like a release date, a price, or even a photo of what the primary headset will look like. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the meta-Quest 2, formerly the Oculus Quest 2, as it includes. includes a comparable pixel resolution of 2000 by 2040 pixels per eye, or roughly 15.7% more than the Quest 2's per eye count. Also a comparable field of view of 110 degrees, and a comparable inside-out array of cameras that will track a user's space without requiring an external device like the original PSVR's webcam. We previously knew that PSVR 2 would require a

hard-wired connection to PlayStation 5 consoles, unlike the default wireless freedom of the Quest 2. Today, however, Sony revealed two potentially huge differentiators over its VR headset competition, haptic feedback, and internal eye tracking. Neither of those features has been built directly into consumer-grade VR headsets prior to PSVR2, and the combination could be a major difference maker in the world of immersive gaming and entertainment. With haptic feedback, Sony's announcement suggests that users might, quote, feel a character's elevated pulse during tense moments, the rush of objects passing close to the character's head or the thrust of a vehicle as the character speeds forward, end quote.

Eye tracking, meanwhile, is advertised primarily as a form of control so that in-game elements like characters can respond directly to a user's gaze. But Sony also mentions the technical benefits that eye tracking can bring as part of a system known as foviated rendering. With such a system in place, wherever a user's pupil isn't aimed, a VR system can dynamically add blur and reduce pixel count in a way that natural peripheral vision might not perceive. And with fewer pixels being rendered, VR software can run at the faster frame rates that the standard demands. Commercial VR headsets have very little in the way of formal foviated rendering systems, with only select HTC headsets employing the feature, and not in a way universally embraced by VR game developers. Having such an efficient standard on a popular platform like PlayStation,

on the other hand, will likely accelerate its adoption. And in a serious piece of good news for PSVR2's potential screen quality, Sony confirmed that its new system will use an HDR-rated OLED panel not fast-switching LCD. Most major modern VR headsets have skipped the pricier OLED standard for some time. But suffice to say, OLED's pure black levels and highly responsive pixels are a boon in VR and are rated to refresh as quickly as 120 hertz inside of PSVR2, end quote. Intel has announced its 12th generation 14 core Intel I-9 processors and says that they outperform Apple's M1 Max. This is the fastest CPU ever, according to Intel, although the I-9 uses significantly

more power than the M-1-max, so quoting Mac rumors. The new core I-9 features a 14-core CPU with six performance cores and eight efficiency cores, while the 10-core M1 Max Chip has eight performance cores and two efficiency cores. The high-end Intel chip has a max turbo boost frequency of 5 gigahertz, but power draw can reach up to 115 watts, which is significantly more power than the M1 Max chip ever uses and not ideal for the thermal envelope of devices like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Intel shared a very basic performance versus power chart as part of its marketing with fine print indicating that performance was measured based on compiling binaries with the Spec CPU 2017 Benchmark Suite.

Interestingly, the chart claims that the new Core I-9 achieve faster performance per watt than the M1-max chip, but overall the M-1-max can still operate at much lower wattages than Intel's top-of-the-line mobile offering. Of course, we'll have to wait to see how the 12th-generation core processors perform in real-world testing. For a true comparison with the M-1 max chip, Intel's new chips are certainly fast, but Apple likely has... no regrets when switching to its own custom silicon given the power efficiency of its chips, which deliver impressive performance without running hot in thin and light systems like the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. And we're likely just months away from Apple unveiling its next generation

M2 chip that should take another leap forward in performance per watt. Intel's 12th generation mobile core processor lineup includes 28 chips, including mid-range and low-end core I-7 and I-5 options. The chips have entered final production and devices powered by them are expected to launch this year, end quote. By the way, Intel also announced a lineup of 12th-gen core Alderlake processors, including 22 desktop CPUs, ranging from $42 to $489 and 8H-series laptop CPUs. Hungry for more chip stuff, Nvidia, debuted the RTX 3070 tie up to 70% faster, than the 2070 and the 30-80 tie coming in February, two laptops that start at $1.5,000 to $2.5,000 respectively, and it also teased a 30-90 tie chip. Quoting Games beat. The 30-80 tie is aimed at laptops,

while the 30-50 is aimed at desktops. Details are scarce for the 30-90 tie, but you can expect it will fill out Nvidia's high-end graphics. Invidia made the announcement in a virtual event at the CES 2020 Tech Trade Show in Las Vegas. The company said that more than 160 gaming and NVIDIA studio laptops are being unveiled at the show. The company also announced new R-TX accelerated games and the expansion of both G-Force now, cloud gaming, and the launch of a free version of NVIDIA Omniverse for creators and artists, end quote. By the way, you pronunciation nerds out there, is it Thai or TI? I look this up, and it turns out that Invidia itself doesn't really know. It does what I do on the show when I do a segment where I say GIF,

and then the next sentence I pronounce it GIF. Invita uses both pronunciations interchangeably in a lot of their marketing videos, so you can see on the verge piece that I linked to in the show notes that they're leaving it open-ended. I decided that I'm going to go with Ty. More chips. AMD unveiled Risen 6,000 laptop CPUs using TSM's 6-Nameter process with a Microsoft Pluto security processor and up to double the graphics

performance of the Risen 5,000. Quoting Games Beat again. The new central processing units offer up to 11% more single-threaded performance, up to 28% more multi-threaded performance, and up to two times more graphics performance compared to the Risen 5,000 series.

The new AMD, Risen 6,000 series processors are built using TSM 6 nanometer manufacturing process technology and deliver better built-in graphics performance offering 1080P AAA gaming as well as good battery life, the company says. The built-in graphics enable the accelerated processing units which combine a centralized processing unit and graphics processing unit in the same device. AMD also announced the new Risen 7, 5800X3D desktop processor with AMD 3D V-Cache technology, for elite-level gaming performance, and it previewed the new Ryzen 7,000 series CPU powered by Zen4 architecture and using the new AMD socket AM5, end quote. And Microsoft and Qualcomm announced a partnership to develop custom chips for AR glasses, as well as plans to integrate their software, such as Microsoft Mesh and Snapdragon Spaces,

quoting CNET. According to Qualcomm's press release, the collaboration will involve developing custom AR chips to enable a new wave of power-efficient, lightweight AR glasses to deliver rich and immersive experiences and plans to integrate software like Microsoft Mesh and Snapdragon Spaces XR developer platform. Whether that means Microsoft's future AR glasses will have additional powers beyond others in Qualcomm's planned lineup of products isn't entirely clear, but it does suggest that a common connecting thread between future AR products may already be forming. Of course, that's exactly what the whole metaverse strategy that seems to be in

play everywhere right now has needed all along. Microsoft had already been exploring using the HoloLens 2 in more outdoor situations as a stepping stone to future smaller glasses-like devices. Last year, the company announced an explorational partnership with Niantic as a way to explore how gaming would eventually work on smart glasses, end quote. This is the sort of CES news announce that I love. It's just off the wall enough to get you to be like, what's this now? but also it's undeniably cool and maybe it'll end up being a big deal, who knows? In the fall, John Deere says it will start selling its fully autonomous 8R tractor, which can gather data about the soil as it's working to improve its algorithms as it operates,

quoting Wired. John Deere's new 8R tractor uses six pairs of stereo cameras and advanced artificial intelligence to perceive its environment and navigate. It can find its way to a field on its own when given a route and cordial. knits, then plow the soil or sow seeds without instructions, avoiding obstacles as it goes. A farmer can give the machine new orders using a smartphone app. Some tractors already operate autonomously, but only in limited situations following a route defined by GPS, for example, without the ability to navigate around obstacles. Others feature limited autonomy that still

requires a farmer to sit behind the wheel. It's a monumental shift, says Jami Hindman, Deer's chief technology officer of the new machine, revealed at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. every bit as big as the transition from horse to tractor, he said, end quote. Self-driving tractors could help save farmers money and automate work that is threatened by an ongoing agricultural labor shortage. But automating more of farming and adding AI may also stir debate around replacing workers as well as ownership and use of the data it generates. Deere did not say how much the new tractor will cost. Its most expensive current models can run up to $800,000. Hinman says the company is exploring several possibilities.

models, including a subscription plan. Autonomy has been creeping into tractors and other farm equipment for decades, with recent advances building upon progress made in robotics and self-driving cars. The fully autonomous 8R relies on neural network algorithms to make sense of the information streaming into its cameras. Deere has been collecting and annotating the data needed to train these algorithms for several years, Hinman says. A similar AI approach is being used by companies building self-driving cars.

Tesla, for example, gathers data via its cars that is used to hone its autopilot self-trial driving system, and while an empty field poses fewer challenges than a busy city intersection, Hintman admits that, as with self-driving cars, the system may have difficulty seeing its surroundings in extreme weather conditions, such as snow or rain. Kinjang, director of the Center for Precision and Automated Agricultural Systems at Washington State University, who previously worked on a prototype autonomous tractor with funding from deer, says the technical issues seem to have been largely solved, but he says some farmers may find the system too expensive or too difficult to program. Deer has been incorporating more AI and autonomy

into its products over the past decade. In August, the company said it had paid $250 million to acquire bare-flag robotics, a startup that retrofits tractors to make them more autonomous. In 2017, it paid $305 million to buy Blue River technology, which makes robots capable of identifying and eliminating unwanted plants using a high-precision blast of herbicide. The new 8R tractor, perhaps signals a bigger shift in Deer's ambitions. It not only turns the company's most iconic product into a capable robot, it also provides a virtuous cycle for training new AI algorithms and developing new products. Hinden says the system will gather data about the soil as it toils away. That information will be used to tweak its algorithms, helping to improve performance, and provide

farmers with new insights on how to best work their land, end quote. Now, the question hinted at earlier in the article is, who would own that data? Would Deere own it, or would the farmer own it. Finally today, two really big headline interesting raises. First up, NFT Marketplace OpenC has raised a $300 million series C, led by Paradigm and KOTU, at a $13.3 billion post-money valuation, quoting the New York Times. The new round of funding, led by the investment firm's paradigm and KOTU management, brings the startup's valuation to a staggering $13.3 billion just four years after it was founded. OpenC previously raised. more than $100 million from a host of investors, including the investment firm Andresen Horowitz,

and the actor Ashton Couture, according to data provided by the company. More than $3 billion in private investment went into NFT companies in 2021, according to data compiled by Pitchbook, a firm that tracks private investments. Overall, investors poured more than $28 billion into cryptocurrency and NFT startups around the world last year, Pitchbook said, and quote. Meanwhile, Axios is reporting that OpenC is also in talks to acquire Dharma Labs, whose Ethereum wallet can transfer money between banks and exchanges, for in the range of $110 to $130 million in an all-stock deal. And then I've been openly and stridently skeptical of VR meetings

being the culmination of everything the Metaverse can be, and yet what this next headline suggests is maybe there's something too remote meetings, something really big, really valuable. Online whiteboard tool Mero has raised a, $400 million Series C led by iconic growth at a $17.5 billion valuation up from a mere $725 million valuation back in April of 2020. Mero says it has 30 million users. So going from a $700 million valuation to a $17 billion valuation in less than two years, maybe that's why, quoting TechCrunch. The last time we checked in with Mero, co-headquartered in San Francisco and Amsterdam, was in 2020 when the

company raised a $50 million series B round led by iconic capital. Since then, founder Andre Kusheed said the company grew its user base by 500 percent, from 5 million to 30 million users, and also its paying customer base by 550 percent. Among its Fortune 100 clients, 20 have more than $1 million in annual recurring revenue contract value, he added. With remote work continuing to rise, or a hybrid of that and in-person work, the online workspace company counts nearly all of the Fortune 100 companies as clients. Prior to the raise, Miro was already profitable and growing three times year over year before the global pandemic. However, with statistics showing that 53% of the U.S. workforce is expected to be remote by the end of this year, and with what

Casid expects to happen in 2022, actually happening in 2020, it creates awareness around the problem of connectivity and collaboration in this new way of work. In addition, with the venture capital market, quote, favorable right now and given Mero's vision of building a generational company, it made sense to go after additional funding to have the resources in place to build a strong brand for customers, he said, end quote. I mentioned yesterday that subscribing to this podcast, so you regularly get the episodes delivered to your pod every day, is the number one thing you can do to help support this show. And I mean it, our podcasting host changed their metrics for downloads on January 1st, and we expect our download numbers to take a bit of a hit. Not a huge one,

but after going from 2,000 listeners to 60,000 in three years, I hate to see the number go down even a little bit. So again, if you've never done so, make sure you subscribe to this podcast so you never miss an episode. Do it in the podcast app that you're listening to me on right now so that every day the latest show is right there waiting for you and you don't even have to lift a finger. And our download numbers stay steady. Thanks in advance. Talk to you tomorrow.