Where do you begin when talking with inventor, IBM Fellow, engineer, and professor Dr. Mark Dean? His work on the IBM PC, ISA system bus, and Color Graphics Adapter in the 1980s is surpassed only by the project he led in the early 2000s, breaking the 1GHz clock speed barrier with a chip for the first time. Dr. Mark Dean Dr. Mark Dean earned a BSEE degree from the University of Tennessee in 1979, where he would return as John Fischer Distinguished Professor later in life. He also has an MSEE degree from Florida Atlantic University (1982), and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University (1992). In between all that he was breaking convention and working on cutting-edge technologies at IBM. Dean went on to become CTO of IBM Middle East and Africa, before shifting gears to achieve another lifelong goal of becoming a faculty member at a university, researching neuromorphic computing and advanced computer architectures at The University of Tennessee Knoxville, Tickle … [Read more...] about Gamers have a lot to thank Dr. Mark Dean for, and the world’s first 1GHz chip is only the start
Virtual degree
6 things VR is really good at now
In 2013 I volunteered to play a game design student's project on an Oculus Rift DK1, a simple maze and a rollercoaster demo. They were just prototypes so it wasn't a spectacular first impression of virtual reality, but I kept thinking about it for years after, and in 2018, lacking a suitable PC, I invested in a PlayStation VR. I wish I'd jumped to PC VR sooner. PSVR's pricing was more accessible for a call centre worker, but it came with trade-offs—wires were everywhere, PlayStation Move controllers weren't great for VR, and on a sunny day the light-sensitive motion tracking simply didn't work. PSVR wasn't terrible, just limiting. When I bought an Oculus Rift S I finally had the VR experience I wanted. Hand movement was refined, my immersion wasn't broken by sunlight, and setup was much tidier. I've since bought an Oculus Quest 2, but that Rift S demonstrated what VR could achieve and how many improvements VR tech has made since 2016. Granted, some aspects of VR still have a … [Read more...] about 6 things VR is really good at now
Doom 3 VR Edition announced for PlayStation VR
Doom 3 VR Edition will launch for PlayStation VR on 29th March, Bethesda has announced. This VR-enhanced version will contain the 2004 first-person shooter and its expansions Resurrection of Evil and The Lost Mission, enhanced with new textures, sound effects and virtual reality features. The game makes use of the system's Aim controller for its motion-controlled flashlight-mounted weapons. You'll also use it to check your handy wrist-mounted display. There's also a 180-degree quick-turn function to catch any demons creeping up behind you. Bethesda is still currently an independent company, and its Microsoft buyout has yet to go through. Still, all previously-announced PlayStation exclusives will continue to be released - such as the promising-looking Deathloop . Buy Doom 3 BFG Edition from Amazon [?] … [Read more...] about Doom 3 VR Edition announced for PlayStation VR
PSVR showcases 6 new games with skiing action, frozen zombies, and more
We're still waiting to learn more about the PSVR PS5 version, but we just got a half dozen new games to look forward to for the one we already have. The PlayStation Blog just finished with a day-long PSVR Spotlight, showcasing six games headed to Sony's virtual reality headsets with new trailers and posts from the developers themselves. We already got a look at one of the titles with Doom 3 VR Edition coming to PSVR later this month , but here's everything Sony announced in the showcase. Doom 3: VR Edition Release date: March 29 Before we ripped and tore in the new Doom games, we RIP'ed in terror in Doom 3 - and now the horror is even more inescapable in VR. Doom 3 VR Edition is a full conversion of the original game and its two expansions to VR, making use of the Aim controller for more natural weapons handling (and yes, they do have attached flashlights now) while adding in some handy new features like 180 degree quick turns to give you slightly better … [Read more...] about PSVR showcases 6 new games with skiing action, frozen zombies, and more